This article was written by Himawan, Talent Development Manager at 24Slides Indonesia, as part of 24Slides’ #StorytellerProgram.
Hey everyone, I’m Himawan from 24Slides’ People Development team. This time, I will talk about career paths at 24Slides. Hopefully, you will gain some unique insights from this.
As a commitment to our purpose of “Designing a better future” and our movement as a B Corp, we place great value on fostering career growth and creating meaningful opportunities for all. This aligns with our intention of facilitating our talents with tools and support to become greater professionals.
One of our goals at 24Slides is to encourage everyone to explore new roles and push their boundaries in order to reach their full potential. Keep reading to learn how we support the growth of our talents worldwide!
From Customer Support to Talent Development Manager
Let me start by sharing my own journey. For the past seven years, 24Slides has allowed me to follow a unique career path across multiple departments.
After finishing my internship in 2017, I decided to accept the special offer to start my professional career as a Customer Support at 24Slides. Over the next few years, I was promoted to higher positions within the Project Management areas of the Support department.
Then, in 2021, I decided to apply for a role as a trainer (now known as “Talent Development Manager”) through our internal recruitment program. I wasn’t sure whether to apply or not, but then I realized this was my chance to contribute even more to the company, especially as I see myself as a generalist.
This moment marked a significant turning point in my career: I decided to go for it and take the opportunity to unlock a new career path. Long story short, I got accepted after completing different tests and interviews. It took months of the transition process until I completed my career switch, which was a very exciting period for me.
What Sets 24Slides Apart?
Internal recruitment was an example of how inclusive we are in giving our employees a chance to level up and explore new career opportunities.
Even in the recruitment process of new employees, we prioritize skills and culture above other requirements. We rarely consider educational background a main requirement for a particular role since we believe skills and experience can be acquired from various sources.
Our designers come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, including fields like law and government science, which might seem unrelated to design at first. Age is not a barrier either. While experience matters, we believe that even those with little experience deserve the opportunity to show their potential.
You may start to wonder: how do we deal with such diversity and manage to set up the standards? The key lies in our training processes. For new 24Slides team members, we provide intensive training to bring them up to our standard, ensuring they have a strong foundation as they begin their journey with us. Both technical and non-technical skills are essential in this process!
Furthermore, we need to ensure they keep growing and maintain their continuous learning habits. At every level of the career path, we must set standards and provide employees with training to help them develop. This is a shared responsibility of the People Development team and relevant leaders/managers as established in the 24Academy, our program of continuous learning.
In addition, we try to provide career paths that fit employees’ passion and potential. For instance, our designers have options based on their preferences.
If they want to enter managerial areas and lead teams, they can pursue their career on a managerial track. If they want to focus on execution and/or productivity, they may choose from specialist tracks. That way, we can maximize the potential of our talents while allowing them to follow their passions.
Let’s Meet Reza: Another Successful Story
Speaking of passions, let’s meet Reza, one of the most passionate people at 24Slides. Back in 2021, he moved from the Customer Support department to the Design department.
“I had been working as a Project Manager for almost six years, so I thought it might be time for a new challenge,” he said.
Since the career move was still inside the same Operation division (now called ‘Delivery’), Reza felt there were not too many significant changes. However, the new role offered more challenges as he had to manage a team for the first time at 24Slides.
He had to be careful in managing and communicating with 100+ members of the department. It was difficult at first, but now he has learned that managing a team requires being firm, clear, and communicative. The experience also broadened his perspective:
“I have been able to learn from various viewpoints across 24Slides, which helps me make better decisions for everyone. This has also had a direct impact on my daily life, making me wiser and more thoughtful in how I approach things.”
Some Final Takeaways
Based on the stories I’ve shared, I think there are several key advantages to having diverse backgrounds and experiences at 24Slides:
- We have the opportunity to make valuable contributions to our teams and company, becoming stronger problem-solvers.
- We can continue exploring multiple areas in order to unlock our full potential.
- Our broad perspectives help us become more knowledgeable and considerate of others.
Those are some of the stories about career paths and journeys at 24Slides. You can also join us and create one of your own.
Interested? Follow our social media and stay informed about career opportunities that could change your life!