Homepage • Get Started Now • Don't Lose Touch • First Contact With Business
• Now You Are Home • Company Profiles
Networking Strategies
Resources oriented toward Indonesia
We urge you to maintain regular communication with other students from Indonesia. You can locate your fellow Indonesian students through your FSA's office or that of the Indonesia Student Association (Permias) on campus or nearby. Communicating with them will help you stay abreast of developments in Indonesia and may ease your re-entry process once you return home. A companion at home who has gone through the readjustment can be extremely valuable.
Contact your university alumni association in Indonesia
If you specify your professional interests, they may be able to link you with their members with similar interests who have already returned to Indonesia and found employment. Maintain communication with individuals in your professional field at home. It is natural and important to communicate regularly with friends and family while you are away from home. It is just as important to maintain and promote professional contacts with former professors, employers, and co-workers. Let them know what you are doing academically and how you plan to apply your skills when you return home. Request that they keep you informed of local developments in your mutual field of interest. Inform them of new directions evolving in your field in the United States. The maintenance of these connections will enable you to enter or re-enter your field in Indonesia with greater ease.
A visit home can be extremely valuable if you are fortunate enough to have the means to do so. Many individuals who have studied in the United States suggest that their visits back to Indonesia enabled them to maintain a realistic perspective as to how their academic pursuits in the United States would relate to their future at home. In addition, home visits provide an opportunity to visit local businesses and professional organizations in your field. Ask your professional contacts in Indonesia for recommendations on relevant course work, extra-curricular activities and internships. Suggest that they take advantage of your residency in the United States to make contact with foreign-based organizations or to gather pertinent publications. Initiate mutually beneficial relationships. Consider seeking summer training programs with well-established companies in Indonesia during holidays.
International Visitors Centers in major American cities, for example, often arrange schedules and programs for visiting foreign business, government officials and other leaders. Try to attend meetings at which you can meet such visitors from Indonesia and other Asian countries. You might also contact these centers to volunteer your assistance for Indonesian and other Asian visitors.
Resources from the professional world
Contact professional societies in your field of interest. In the United States, for example, almost every field has its professional society, such as the American Political Science Association, the American Society of Petroleum Engineers, etc. Many of these organizations have international divisions and/or international members.
Listings of professional societies may be found in your school library, in your academic department, or at your career planning and placement center. Professional societies in your field are good places to search for contacts from Indonesia with similar interests. They often publish lists of members from which you can gather names of Indonesian people who have studies in the United States. These societies can also help you stay abreast of developments in your field. Often students can join for a moderate fee and thus reap the benefits of the directory, newsletters, and society gatherings.
Contact the Chamber of Commerce in your area. Many local Chambers have international divisions in major cities.
The staff of the international division is often a good place to search out regional firms that do business in Indonesia. For general information about the Chambers of Commerce in the United States, contact:
US Chamber of Commerce
International Division
1615 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20062-2000
U.S.A.
Tel: (202) 463-5489
Fax: (202) 463-3173
WWW: www.uschamber.org
You can also contact the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia (AmCham) and other Chambers in Indonesia to obtain names and addresses of Chamber officials or senior executives of firms in industries of interest to you.
When you plan your trip home, write to these individuals asking for an informational interview to get their advice as you begin your job search.
AmCham Indonesia
World Trade Center, 11th Floor
Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 29–31
Jakarta 12920
Indonesia
Tel: (62-21) 526-2860
Fax: (62-21) 526-2861
E-mail: amcham_indonesia@ibm.net
Eventually you will want to begin educating yourself about the operations and needs of both Indonesian and foreign firms. Your professional society contacts are likely to prove useful in this endeavor. The commerce or trade organization might also be able to inform you when individuals from Indonesia will be visiting your area. If you develop a rapport with this organization, they might initiate contact for you with various firms or individuals of your choosing, either from the United States or Indonesia.
Meetings and gatherings of these organizations can be an effective method for foreign students to begin the networking and information gathering process. To find listings of these organizations, check in the yellow pages of phone books from major cities under the heading "Business and Trade Organizations" or check your career center and your FSA office.
Contact the Junior Chamber of Commerce in your city. The Junior Chamber is a major networking organization for young professionals. Check with the chapter nearest you to see if they have any contact with Indonesian businesses. They might welcome an offer from an Indonesian student to act as guide or host to their Indonesian or other Asian visitors. This could provide a valuable opportunity for you to stay in touch with Indonesian and Asian/Pacific businesses.
In the United States, consult The Directory of American Firms Operating in Foreign Countries to locate American firms with operations in your field in Indonesia. The directory is often available at university libraries. If it is not on your campus, you could get a copy through the inter-library loan system. Ask a librarian how to initiate this process.
Write to any other international, private sector, or not-for-profit organizations that are active in your field of interest. Request copies of their annual reports, informational brochures, and any other material they are willing to send you. Educate yourself about the philosophies, operations, and personnel requirements of these organizations.
Determine which firms and organizations are of greatest interest to you. They may be American-based firms and organizations with operations in Indonesia or Indonesian firms and organizations with offices in the United States. Study their capabilities and needs. Set up informational interviews. Do your homework beforehand and approach these interviews prepared to ask pointed and intelligent questions about the organization and the field. Inquire as to what you can do, both academically and extra-curricularly, to best prepare yourself for future employment in the field.
Remember, by gathering information and establishing relations with the United States-based office, you can approach the headquarters or branch office in Indonesia with more knowledge and persuasive suggestions as to how your training abroad would benefit their operations.
Some international students gain exposure to the host country job market by seeking practical training. It is important to realize that many local firms are hesitant to provide practical training to foreign students due to the complex regulations pertaining to employment of foreign students. Check with your FSA for information concerning the regulations which apply to you. Perhaps you can convince an employer that the regulations are not onerous.