This article was written by Himawan, Talent Development Manager, Indonesia, as part of 24Slides’ Storyteller’s Program.
Hello, I’m Himawan, Talent Development Manager at 24Slides, and I lead our internship program with the goal of making it the best learning experience for our future interns.
Before we go further, you should know that I was once an intern, too. In 2017, I started a two-month internship at 24Slides, and the program was very different back then.
I remember we were four interns during that period: Two in the Support department and the other two in the Design department. We mainly assisted employees in varied tasks while learning about the company – both technical and cultural stuff. The latter was (and still is) the most exciting since it was a totally new thing for me to work in a multinational company, and they had an unexpectedly very playful atmosphere. As we moved to a new office in July 2017, the new facilities were even more exciting. We even got to experience some non-work activities such as Play Saturday, Social Activities, and other joyful programs.
In my last week of internship, I got an exciting offer from the HR Manager. It was the very first time I heard about a particular recruitment program called “Internship Development Program,” which allowed me and one of the interns from the design division to join the company without any tests. The only interview we had was just about our readiness, especially since we had to finish our studies as well. That’s how we became the first employees to be recruited through this particular program and got the “golden tickets.”
My journey continued in late 2017 when I started to work as a 24Slides permanent employee after one month of training in Customer Support. Upon finishing my thesis in 2018, I got promoted to a Custom-Task Manager role (focusing on regular project management). To my surprise, a few months later, I was awarded Rookie of the Year as my very first individual achievement, and it felt great to be appreciated by the company for what I accomplished in my first year. At the end of 2020, I got promoted again as a Junior Project Manager – specializing in managing projects for new customers. I also wrote for the corporate blog and managed our help center articles. On some occasions, I represented the company as the ambassador of the Internship Program, assisting in the selection and sharing my own experience.
I had such a great time that I decided to apply for the Trainer role in the People Development team, and one of the areas assigned to me was the Internship Program. At that time, there was only one intern in the Design department, and the plan was to test me as a person in charge during the internship period. I worked closely with the intern for six months, and she finished the program successfully – and even got accepted as a new designer!
This has been quite a journey for me. I somehow reached the other side of where I started. Back to the present time – we’ve got a new internship batch underway (11 interns from 6 universities) and a well-planned internship program.
In the People Development team, we aim to scout and develop young talents while introducing the culture of 24Slides. It’s a new challenge for me, and I’m very excited to guide the youngsters through the same path I took a few years ago. Hopefully, everyone gets an exciting and beneficial experience.
