Sunday, August 30, 2015

[IT] Connecting PHP with Microsoft Access (.mdb or .accdb)




WHAT I USED:
1. XAMPP 2.5 (PHP 5.3.8)
2. Microsoft Access 2007


STEPS:
1. Prepare the database on Microsoft Access. Here, I used 2002-2003 format (.mdb).

(picture 1: a first  Microsoft Access 2007 interface)


(picture 2: preparing a new database named phptoacc.mdb)

(picture 3: preparing new table named testdb with its fields, testid and testname)


(picture 4: inserting two new records)

2. Save the database where the PHP can easily reach it. Here, I saved it on "access" folder inside "htdocs" folder of "xampp" folder.

(picture 5: where I stored my database)

3. Type the PHP script for trying to connect to the database.


<?php

$db = $_SERVER["DOCUMENT_ROOT"] ."/access/phptoacc.mdb";
if (!file_exists($db))
{
       die("No database file.");
}

$dbNew = new PDO("odbc:DRIVER={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb)}; DBQ=$db; Uid=; Pwd=;");
$sql = "select * from testdb";
$rs = $dbNew->query($sql);

while($result = $rs->fetch())
{
     echo $result[0].": ".$result[1]."<br />";
}


?>



I will explain each part of the script:

a. SELECTING DATABASE

$db = $_SERVER["DOCUMENT_ROOT"] ."/access/phptoacc.mdb";
if (!file_exists($db))
{
        die("No database file.");
}

The above script is used to validate whether the phptoacc,mdb exists on "access" folder.


b. CONNECTING TO THE DATABASE

$dbNew = new PDO("odbc:DRIVER={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb)}; DBQ=$db; Uid=; Pwd=;");

The above script uses the PDO driver to connect to Microsoft Access.



NOTE:
If the error message show "PDOException Could not find driver", you must check whether the PDO ODBC driver is installed or not. You can check it by executing:
<?php  phpinfo() ?>
 The output should show information like:

PDO

PDO supportenabled
PDO driversmssql, mysql, odbc, sqlite, sqlite2

pdo_mysql

PDO Driver for MySQLenabled
Client API versionmysqlnd 5.0.8-dev - 20102224 - $Revision: 310735 $

PDO_ODBC

PDO Driver for ODBC (Win32)enabled
ODBC Connection PoolingEnabled, strict matching


If an entry for PDO ODBC is not present, you will need to ensure your installation includes the PDO extension and ODBC drivers. To do so on Windows, uncomment the line extension=php_pdo_odbc.dll in php.ini, restart Apache (or XAMPP), and then try to connect to the database again. (source: http://www.sitepoint.com/using-an-access-database-with-php/)

c. THE SQL TO SHOW THE RECORDS

$sql = "select * from testdb";
$rs = $dbNew->query($sql);

while($result = $rs->fetch())
{
     echo $result[0].": ".$result[1]."<br />";
}

The above script is used to show the records stored on testdb table.



5. Execute the script.

(picture 6: the result on Google Chrome)

Monday, March 2, 2015

[LIFE] What Happened in 2014?



I know, I know, it's soooo late to post this kind of post. I wrote this post on December 2014 and it stayed on the draft because I haven't got the chance (or mood) to complete it. When I opened my blog today and saw my draft, I just got the power to finish it all of sudden, so I took the chance before my beloved mood went away.

On this post, I would like to review some life-changing events that came in my life in 2014 and I would like to share the lesson that I learnt from it. I hope you guys see it as a sharing moment, not pompous review.


1. THESIS AND THE DEFENSE
If you guys read my previous post about my thesis experience, you will see that for me, thesis is such a tiring things to experience yet when you survive, you will see the beauty of graduation. For college students facing thesis, sleepless nights must be their best friends.
Sometimes, we faced a dead-end, yet we just felt that it was worth the fight. My thesis team consisted of three people including me. They were the ones that fight with me all along. Sometimes we quarreled over a small tiny things! Hahaha... However, I would not make it without them.

LESSONS LEARNT
a. Whatever happens, the members of the team sticks together.
Yes, we faced many problems and helpless moment. At the last day of submitting the topic, we met the zero! Nothing! Because the last topic we proposed was not acceptable and so far of our imagination. Yet, we still stuck together. I remember the night like yesterday. We gathered on my friend's room and searched for an available topic. Silent. Just sigh breath. We made it! We were fearless and faithful.

When my father passed away, they were the ones that I could rely on although the deadline was coming like a chasing dog. I thought that we're bond by the same goal. When a team comes with the same bonding goal, they won't break the bond and keep fighting together.

b. Preparation matters.
I thought we could do better if we had more preparation. The schedule for our thesis defense came suddenly and we're not ready at all. We had some revision on our paper and we had not finished it yet. A day before the defense, we just finished the revision and completely had time to study the material.
Some of my friends with better preparation didn't face the problems which we encountered. Yes, learn it from us, prepare yourself with the best things long before you face it. The sharp knife will cut the tree easier.


2. TEARS IN HEAVEN
I lost my father right before he could see me graduate. In the middle of my last exam, in the middle of my thesis deadline, right after the happiness of Chinese New Year, I lost one of my greatest hero. Well, I never thought that I would lose my father at such a young age. As a child, I would always think that my parents would be with me for endless period of time. Do you feel the same? I saw the death of my friend's loved ones before and I could not imagine it happen to me. It's like a hole on your heart that will never heal. You lost the piece of your heart forever.
I remember the last conversation I had with my father. It was the Chinese New Year morning, when I called to say the new year wish to my father. He cried without a response to my wish. He could not say anything at all. I could not imagine that was the last time I heard my father's voice and breath.




LESSONS LEARNT
You will see that how lame your excuse to make them happy after you're successful. When you're growing, they keep getting older. No way, we must not wait. We cannot make them happy, all we can do just sit there with them and talk anything with them. Spend the time with them. If you could see my life, you would understand how regretful I'm. They don't need your money, they just need to see your smile and share the life with them.

3. THEY ARE GROWING OLDER AND WEAKER
My father was diagnosed with stroke in the middle of 2014. It came so suddenly and I would never think my father could suffer and have a poor health. This opened my eyes that my parents was growing older, older, and weaker. They won't be always young and waiting for you to come home.

LESSONS LEARNT
Like point #2, they need you now.


4. GRADUATE AND WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
I graduated and looked for a job right after. I never imagined that looking for a job was such a tiring experience. I applied for various jobs. I got the chance to be interviewed for some of them and some of them was silent-till-the-end. Sad, exhausted, and inspired. Take a look of my experience posted on this post.


LESSONS LEARNT
Never underestimate the power of CV and interview preparation. Review your CV periodically and never use same CV for different job area application. See my tips for job interview at this post (sorry, it was written in Indonesian and I haven't got the mood to translate that).

Thursday, November 27, 2014

[IT] Local Disk Is Not Accessible (There Is Not Enough Space)


Recently, I got a problem. The local disk on the computer used at my working place was so full and not accessible. We used Windows as an operating system. The problem was that computer was used as a server and could not work properly.

If you get the similar problem, you can solve it by these steps (source: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/microsoft.public.windows.server. general/6uzZBEJwbBE).

1. Open a Command Prompt Windows (Start -> Run -> cmd).

 2. Type on Command Prompt chkdsk f: /l:4096 /f (this will make the size of the log file 4MB from 65MB).

3. Now the drive should be accessible with 60MB free.

4. Clean some disk space (I'd recommend at least 10% so you don't encounter this issue again.)

5. In the Command Prompt, type chkdsk f: /l:65536 /f (You will encounter other issues if you don't. This command will set the log size back to 65MB).

6. Do like I did and have a drink for recovering a critical production server.

 Hope it will help you :)

Sunday, October 19, 2014

[LIFE] My Life Without FB, Twitter, IG, and Path

A month ago, my pal, Janet Valentina, out of nowhere, challenged me not to open any social media.(This gal is so random!). Howeveeeer, we compromised some rules, e.i.:

  1. No Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Path because we felt that those social media are the most popular ones in our lives and most of youngsters. However, since Ms. Valentina works closely with social media, so we're allowed to open company's account (well, just Janet, I didn't handle the company's account).
  2. The challenge was valid in a month.
  3. We has to blog the article about it.



I thought: okay, let's do this.

Okay, my blog would be:

WHAT HAPPENED IN MY LIFE WITHOUT THOSE


a. LACK OF UPDATE
Well, I believe most of us depends on social media to see what the hack happens in the world. I myself is really lazy of opening the direct news website or reading the newspaper. So, it's lame, guys. I was less-updated. I didn't know anything at first. I didn't know there were a protest against Mr. Ahok as the next governor. I didn't get it when people talked about the things happened in social media. I was so confused. I relied on social media too much to get the update. So, just open the news portal and read the newspaper, dude! I did, and it helped me to see the lifestyle of people changes a lot, especially us, the young adult.

All people needs information. Stopping using social media doesn't mean that we has to shut it down. Come on, just bookmark two or more reliable news portals and we will be okay.

b. ARE THEY ALL YOUR FRIENDS?
My life didn't get affected so much without interacting with them (like their status, comment). Oh, come on! Do you guys still see them as your real friends? I really appreciate the small number of my friends that keep me around them without this social media. I love them all! I enjoy a direct socializing.

c. GET A LIFE!
By doing this, I realized how much wasted life that I went to by checking every single updates of social media. When I got the time off, I went somewhere and met the real people. I'm not such a social animal but I believe meeting the people that you love to meet directly is more appreciative.

Imagine if we could use the time that we wasted on social media meaninglessly by doing something more beneficial, for example having the pleasing time with our family, hiking, mopping the floor. It would be fantastic.

d. LESS NEGATIVITY
Well, sometimes I get such a annoying post on social media with negative or provocative statements. Some said they hate their lives. Some said they hate their partners. I felt my life was quite enjoyable without seeing the negative update. Remember, negativity spreads like smallpox. If we get used to seeing someone complaining, deep inside we just instill the thought that it's okay to spread out every complaints. Well, go check reality. It's not okay.

e. LESS ADDICTED (updated)
One of major impact is I became less addicted to any social media. I tended to check social media when I didn't know what to do. Now, I lost the interest to dwell into newsfeed. When I didn't see anything useful or entertaining, I closed the social media tab or app.

source: http://irregulartimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/einsteintechquote.png

Well, you can see my account and you won't see any posts on September 20th, 2014 until October 20th, 2014. *wink*

Saturday, September 27, 2014

[LIFE] My First Job



Hello. Yay! I graduated from Binus University on June 17th, 2014. As an amateur in the real working jungle, I totally had no idea of how it looks like when I started seeking a job. I won't lie; it was so tiring. However, I found it as a worth-taking experience. I learnt a lot.


BEFORE GRADUATION (MARCH-JUNE 2014)

 HOLD ON, WE'RE GOING HOME
Some of my friends had a secure position before the graduation. Envious? I didn't, because I was not ready to dwell in a busy working hour. I had to go home and enjoy my time with my family. I'm from Bangka (Binus University: Jakarta) and my family is still there and for almost three and a half years, I seldom came home. If you read about my tiring-yet-thrilling experience of finishing thesis (in bahasa) and you would know the reason why I had to come home before starting working.

No regret at all. I enjoyed my time with my beloved family and commemorated my father's 100-day memorial. For the very first time, I realized how fragile my family without my father and how I love them with all of my heart.

At this time, some people started to ask me about my future plan, a job that I wanted to take, and where I wanted to work (Bangka or Jakarta). I never really thought about it. My focus was my family. At a point, my mom asked me about the same matters and I could not give her an assurance. One night, the thought came to me and I started to think what my passion was. From my organizational experience, I love event managing. The second thing coming to my mind was hospitality. Hospitality was hotel. My mind suddenly clicked. However, I never told anybody about that thought because it was still tentative.


GRADUATION (JUNE 17TH, 2014)

 IT'S A CELEBRATION
It was a time to feel happiness. After the struggle (and payment), we could celebrate our winning date. My mom and sisters came to Jakarta and I could give my mom assurance that I gave the best just for her :)

I met some of my friends and some of them had worked. From their story, I could imagine how the working life looked like. Since I took Computer Science, the ideal position is a programmer. I got many friends that worked related to our study and some of them pursued different area. So, sometimes our education background didn't determine what path we want to take.

AFTER GRADUATION (JUNE-SEPTEMBER 2014)

CELEBRATION WAS OVER
The celebration was over. Life went on. Some people said that it was the time to start living your own life. Some people said that you could not be picky for the first job because I didn't have any working experience (Internship? What is that?).

Yes, I was so picky for the first time. Guess what? I didn't get any call from the company that I applied. My excuse of my unfortunate was it was fasting month so the company didn't process the application before the long public holiday.

FIGHT FOR IT
At the end of July, I got the job vacancy for the position that I was so interested! I applied for the job and browsed the information about the company. Well, I felt in love with the working environment there. One day after application, my phone rung but unfortunately, I was not in the position to take the call (taking a bath!). Well, I was so nervous to think that they would not call me back, However, a day after that, I got the call (and was able to take it, phew!). They wanted me to go for the first test. Yay.

I prepared myself well. I had to be there at 7.30 am. Could you imagine that? Jakarta? Rush hour in the morning! My God, to go there on time was just the first test! The place informed for the test was so far from my boarding house. So, I just woke up at 5 am, got ready, and stopped a taxi by 5.50 am. Phew, I got there on time (well, so early, about 6.45 am, but I was the third one coming)!

Well, I passed the first test. However, I failed at the second one, the interview. We (all candidates) were just interviewed for 3-7 minutes. After that, all of the candidates was free to go home and waited for the further contact from the recruitment team (after two weeks, don't hope).

Well, I got the confirmation that they declined my application (and I could guess why, I could not accept one of major condition for the job at the interview). I was so broken-hearted! I meant it and worked hard to get it. However, I got it; I had to accept that, the door was not right for me. After discussing with one of my friends, I didn't regret their decision (thanks, Tan! :D)

MOVE ON AND PRAY
Well, move on! Apply for other vacancy! I learnt to compromise my expectation. I got several calls after dropping my CV. At a point, I happened to read this following post, I decided this was the time for me to really ask (or beg). So, I started 9-day Three Hail Marys devotion. Guess what? I got some calls in the middle of my 9-day devotion. The first one, a bank, a test, at 9 am, I got diarrhea! I got a troublesome stomachache and the first thing I searched after arriving was the toilet. Could you imagine? Well, I felt that it was not my way :( (the job was not my thing also).

The second one, quite fun, I thought that I did good enough and I found the job interesting. I got some tests from some companies also, but I thought this was the one. After three day finishing my I fist 9-day devotion, I started another one three day because I was nervous that I would not make it for the further phases. Thank God, I got the confirmation and passed the second and third phase (interviews).

So, the next one was medical check-up and completing the requirements! Okay, I will explain it in detail.

SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2014, THURSDAY
I passed the final interview, got the cover letter to get medical check-up, and was explained that I had to complete some documents. The difficult document to get was criminal records from police station.

Okay, I got the plan! Going to the neighborhood chairman's (Pak RT) house and asking for two domicile certificates tomorrow. Saturday was the day for my medical check-up.

SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2014, FRIDAY
I phoned some police stations and got informed that I could not take my criminal records in Jakarta because my address on my identity card stated Bangka as my current address. Okay... I was so doomed! I had to go home just to take this f....freaking document! I checked the airfares and it was about 380k IDR!

Still, I went to neighborhood chairman's house for a domicile certificate. I intent to use it to make a specific bank account used by the company for my salary payment and to compromise my address on my identity card, I needed this certificate. Guess what? I could not make the account because the domicile certificate I got was not signed by Pak RW (Pak RT and Pak RW are considered as a couple of neighborhood chairman) and not valid. Pak RT asked 20k IDR for that certificate and I got an incomplete document!

The conclusion was I must go home to make the bank account and take my criminal records because of my address on my identity card.

I'm so tired and I was not feeling well. I felt like I wanna throw up. I came back to my room and got rest. My body was so tired but I could not sleep tight because I had a sad stomach. My plan was tomorrow I took the medical check-up and caught a flight a day after (Sunday) to go home


SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2014, SATURDAY
I got a problem! I literally threw up. I could not take the medical check-up with my condition. So, I went seeing a doctor. I got diarrhea symptoms. I knew that. I changed the plan, taking medical check-up on Monday and going home Tuesday morning.

SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2014, SUNDAY
Getting rest!

SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2014, MONDAY
Okay, I could feel my body was not a hundred percent fit! I could not take the medical check-up with this kind of condition. Change the plan! My friend, Janet Valentina, suggested to phone the company and inform that I could not take the medical check-up immediately and explain my condition to them. Well, thank God, the human resource could take my explanation.

I decided to go home first. I caught the flight in the evening. Happy! Yes! I met my family again! Suddenly, I felt so fit. Yeah! The power of a home. I ate my mother's cooking.

SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2014, TUESDAY
Well, I got the criminal records and the bank account. No major difficulties because I lived there based on my identity card.

SEPTEMBER 24TH, WEDNESDAY
Spending the time with my family and my friends

SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2014, THURSDAY
Going back to Jakarta in the afternoon. I spent almost 900k IDR for going home and back to Jakarta.

SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2014, FRIDAY
Morning: taking the medical check-up. Done, it took just almost 45 minutes.
Afternoon: going to the company for an uniform fitting and signing the contract.

SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2014, SATURDAY
Getting rest after a busy week. I had my hair cut neatly because of the company's grooming standards.

SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2014, SUNDAY
Searching for a new lodger (rent room) near the company. I could not stand the Jakarta's traffic.

SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2014, MONDAY
Moving to the new lodger. It took a lot of energy. My God, I regretted so many things that I bought and stacked in my room.

SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2014, TUESDAY
Getting rest and enjoying my new room before working. The last day of my free life.


MY PRAYER IN THREE HAIL MARYS
1. Getting a job that I need.
2. Getting a chance to go home before working.
3. Moving to the new boarding house near where I work.

:)

It was so beautiful.

The first job was like a mix-match fate. Be patient and don't give up! :)

PS: my colleague said, "Welcome to the hell!" Hahaha, indeed :D

Sunday, September 21, 2014

[JOB] Wawancara Kerja, Ditanya Apa?


Okay, gw lulus dari universitas tahun ini, 2014. Seperti kebanyakan fresh graduate, gw memiliki dilema pekerjaan apa yang mau gw lakoni setelah lulus atau mau ga ya langsung ambil pendidikan lanjutan, S2. Setelah dipikir-pikir, gw lebih memilih untuk langsung lanjut kerja karena agak capek juga mau sekolah lagi (maybe later). So, fase yang gw langsung hadapi adalah job hunting.

Salah satu tahap yang paling gw kenang dari proses job application adalah interview alias wawancara. Gw ngblog tentang wawancara kerja ini bukan berarti gw jago dalam hal menghadapi wawancara kerja tapi gw cuma ingin bagi-bagi pengalaman gw aja. Jadi, apa yang gw tulis di sini mungkin tidak semuanya bisa kalian ambil atau bisa terapkan karena tergantung dari jenis pekerjaan yang kalian mau ambil. Satu hal yang ingin gw tekankan bahwa dalam wawancara kerja itu tidak ada aturan baku, tidak ada aturan yang itu benar, yang ini salah.

Oh, ya, sebelum mulai dengan pertanyaan apa saja yang sering ditanyakan kepada gw, ada beberapa hal yang gw ingin kalian tahu di pre-requirement, yakni:

1. Know yourself! Ini benar-benar penting. Jangan anggap remeh persyaratan ini! Minimal kalian harus tahu sifat dasar kalian, seperti introvert atau extrovert, plegmatis, melankolis, sanguinis, dan koleris. Ketahui kekurangan dan kelebihan kalian masing-masing. Siapkan kata-kata untuk mempresentasikan diri kalian sendiri (baca: menjual diri kalian sendiri!).

2. Know the company! Sebelum wawancara cari tahu beberapa informasi yang ada tentang perusahaan tersebut. Minimal kalian harus mengetahui nilai yang dipegang teguh oleh perusahaan tersebut.

3. Know who they need! Baca kembali job vacancy dan cari tahu orang seperti apa yang mereka butuhkan. Ingatlah bahwa beberapa perusahaan menaruh bobot ekspektasi yang tinggi kepada pelamar melalui interview. Hampir semua perusahaan memiliki competency dictionary atau panduan untuk meng-hire karyawan melalui poin-poin pertanyaan yang mereka ajukan. Jadi, hati-hati.

4. Suitable attire! Banyak orang yang tidak percaya bahwa pakaian itu berpengaruh dalam proses penerimaan kerja. Jawabannya, iya! Sesuaikan pakaian yang kalian pakai. Untuk bidang perbankan, perhotelan, penjualan, dan lain-lain, penampilan itu memiliki pengaruh. Ingat bahwa first impression itu bisa diubah jika orang yang berkaitan memang mengizinkan kita mengubahnya. Jadi, ciptakan kesan profesional dan antusias melalui pakaian yang kalian pilih supaya kalian tidak perlu membuang waktu membelokkan kesan awal yang jelek yang ditimbulkan dari pemilihan pakaian yang salah. Namun, formal bukan berarti paling sesuai, untuk beberapa industri seperti desain, mereka malah akan memandang aneh jika kalian berpakaian terlampau formal. So, cari tahu dan sesuaikan.

5. Prepare questions! Jika tidak ada pertanyaan, maka orang yang mewawancari kalian secara relatif menganggap kalian kurang berminat. Baca beberapa contoh pertanyaan yang dapat diajukan.

6. Be nice! 

7.  Don't fake it! Salah satu hal yang paling tabu adalah menipu pewawancara kita. Jawab semua pertanyaan dengan tulus, jujur, dan dengan pemilihan kata-kata yang tepat.




Note:
Cara kalian menjawab. Pernah dengar teori Albert Mehrabian bahwa dalam komunikasi lebih dari separuh aspek yang berpengaruh adalah bahasa tubuh, intonasi suara, dan baru konten dari apa yang kita kemukakan. Jadi, alangkah baiknya kalian menjabarkan semua jawaban dengan yakin, mantap, dan percaya diri! Mean every and each words! Kemukakan dengan bahasa tubuh yang mantap. Jangan menyenderkan badan tapi disarankan tegak atau agak condong ke depan, yang artinya kalian antusias. Jaga eye-contact. Jawab dengan suara yang mantap dan jelas. (Untuk anak Binusian 2014, open your CB book to know more!) Baca tips tentang bahasa tubuh yang akan membuatmu lebih dapat disukai saat wawancara kerja.







Oke, berikut ini adalah pertanyaan yang secara pribadi gw hadapi dari berbagai proses wawancara:

1. How do you describe yourself?

Ini adalah pertanyaan mematikan yang pertama. Ingat apa yang gw jabarkan sebelumnya? First impression. Ini adalah first impression pertama dalam aspek wawancaranya sendiri. Jabarkan apa yang tidak diketahui detil dari CV kalian. Masing-masing orang mungkin berbeda dalam menjawab pertanyaan ini tapi jika pertanyaan ini gw jawab, maka gw akan lebih suka menjawab ke arah sifat-sifat gw yang gw anggap potensial dan baik untuk pekerjaan yang ditawarkan. Ada juga teman gw, seperti Janet Valentina, yang mengkombinasikan dengan pengalaman organisasi, pendidikan, atau kerja. Jawaban yang ideal menurut gw adalah tidak terlalu panjang lebar dan bertele-tele (ya, maksimal dua menit).

 Contoh jawaban yang menurut gw pribadi kurang menyakinkan:
"My name is Erwanda, I'm 22 years old. I graduated from ... I took Mathematics as my major. My hobbies are singing, reading, and writing that can improve my skill physically and mentally."

 Mengapa? Karena jawaban itu masih mengambang, tidak menambah nilai plus ke diri kita sendiri. Well, beberapa informasi juga bisa dibawa pewawancara sendiri melalui CV.

 Berikut ini gw pungut contoh-contoh jawaban yang cukup baik (dan males gw translate):

 Source: About.com
a. I'm a people person. I really enjoy meeting and working with a lot of different people.

 b. I'm a perfectionist. I pay attention to all the details, and like to be sure that everything is just right.

 c. I'm a creative thinker. I like to explore alternative solutions to problems and have an open mind about what will work best.

 d. I'm efficient and highly organized. This enables me to be as productive as possible on the job.

 e. I enjoy solving problems, troubleshooting issues, and coming up with solutions in a timely manner.

 Source: Lifehack
“I am someone who…”
a. “can adapt to any situation. I thrive in a fluctuating environment and I transform unexpected obstacles into stepping stones for achievements.”

 b. “consistently innovates to create value. I find opportunities where other people see none: I turn ideas into projects, and projects into serial success.”

 c. “has a very creative mind. I always have a unique perspective when approaching an issue due to my broad range of interests and hobbies. Creativity is the source of differentiation and therefore, at the root of competitive advantage.”

 d. “always has an eye on my target. I endeavor to deliver high-quality work on time, every time. Hiring me is the only real guarantee for results.”

 e. “knows this job inside and out. With many years of relevant experience, there is no question whether I will be efficient on the job. I can bring the best practices to the company.”

Read more?

 Source: Brazen Life
“I would say I’m…”
a. “Someone who has high expectations for my results. I am confident in my ability to produce, and while I prepare for the worst, I do the work necessary to tilt the odds so that the best will happen.”

 b. “Someone who wants to be judged by individual performance and rewarded for my efforts based on my ability to execute.”

 c. “Someone who wants to work for a successful company with strong leadership and vision, one that recognizes and rewards performers.”

 d. “Someone who is consistently growing and takes the time to continue learning even though it’s not a direct requirement of the job. I find that many times, my professional growth is based on what I study, both directly and indirectly related to work.”

 e. “Someone who is modest, hard-working and consistently sets firm goals for myself. Then, once I've defined my benchmarks, I take the necessary steps to achieve those milestones.”

Read more?
2. What is your long-term goal dan medium-term goal?

 Well, gw agak-agak bingung menjawab pertanyaan yang ini. Medium-term goal itu adalah tujuan yang berjangka waktu setidaknya tiga tahun ke depan, sedangkan long-term itu minimal lima tahun mendatang. Salah satu teman gw, Edwin Marcel Lengkei, memberi saran untuk menjelaskan jenjang karir yang ingin kita capai dari jangka waktu tersebut berdasarkan career path yang memang tersedia. Jadi, kalian harus benar-benar jelas akan jenjang karir yang ada, jangan asal menebak. Dari pengalaman gw sendiri, gw pernah menjawab bahwa dalam jangka waktu tersebut hidup seperti apa yang gw inginkan dan alasan mengapa. Semuanya gw kembalikan ke diri kalian masing-masing.

 3. When you were a child, who did you want to be?

 Jawab dengan jujur dan pikirkan alasan mengapa dulu kalian ingin menjadi sosok ini. Well, pertanyaan ini juga bisa membuat suasana menjadi santai jika dijawab dengan sedikit humor pintar.

4. What is your strength and weakness?

 Jika pertanyaan ini diutarakan ke gw, gw akan menjawab hanya satu atau dua poin untuk masing-masing, yang akan gw perbanyak adalah penjabaran dari setiap poin dengan contoh-contoh nyata. Untuk weakness, gw sarankan untuk memilih (bukan mengada-ada), weakness yang tidak krusial di bidang kerja itu. Contoh jawaban yang menurut gw agak asalah, kalian menjawab kalian adalah orang yang tidak pandai bergaul saat kalian apply di bidang sales atau marketing. Lalu, cari solusi untuk kekurangan ini. Jangan mencari kekurangan dan kelebihan yang bukan berasal dari diri kalian sendiri, misalnya, memiliki orang tua yang sangat mendukung, well, tidak sepenuhnya salah, namun hal ini akan menunjukkan kalian orang yang dependable pada orang lain atau situasi.

5. Why did you choose... (your major)?

 Untuk hal ini, saran gw cuma satu: jangan pernah jawab salah pilih jurusan, dipilih orang lain, atau ikut teman! Temukan sisi-sisi positif dari jurusan yang kamu pilih dan kaitkan dengan alasan kamu memilih jurusan tersebut. Misalnya, kamu lulusan dari jurusan Sastra Inggris, kamu bisa mengutarakan bahwa kamu sangat suka membaca dan mengaji sastra karangan William Shakespeare. Silahkan berinovasi.

6. What kind of job do you want?

 Jawab dengan pekerjaan yang minati dan sesuai dengan vacancy yang dilamar di perusahaan tersebut dan mengapa kalian menyukai pekerjaan itu atau pengalaman terkait yang ada. Jika kalian menjawab dengan pekerjaan yang memang kalian minati, namun tidak ada lowongan di perusahaan itu, maka peluang untuk masuk setipis kertas.

7. You chose... (your major), but why do you apply for...? (A cross-field application)

 Beberapa kali gw ditanya pertanyaan ini karena beberapa kali gw apply di pekerjaan yang kurang sesuai dengan latar belakang pendidikan gw. Saran gw adalah cari pengalaman-pengalaman di saat kalian sedikit bersinggungan dengan bidang tersebut, misalnya, di pengalaman organisasi, dan kemukakan mengapa kalian menyukai pekerjaan itu.

8. Do you have any questions?

Bertanyalah! Minimal satu pertanyaan. Tunjukkan antusiasme kalian. Tidak akan ada waktu lain untuk menunjukkan ketertarikan kalian kalau pada tahap ini kalian gagal menunjukkan jika kalian benar-benar tertarik.

9. We have a hundred and more applicants, why should we hire you?

 Well, selamat berinovasi :)

NB:
(1) Gw pernah diwawancara HRD untuk posisi trainee sales dan ada satu tes yang menarik sekali. Kalian pernah menonton The Wolf of Wall Street? Yup, gw disuruh menyakinkan customer untuk membeli suatu barang (pilih antara pena, remote control, dan air minum) dengan kelebihan yang bisa dikarang. Gw diberi waktu sekitar lima menit untuk berpikir. Ya, gw cas cis cus aja hahahaha...

(2) Saran gw dalam wawancara adalah buat suasana santai dengan tetap ramah. Percayalah, jika kalian kaku dan sangat gugup, pewawancara sendiri akan agak ragu dan sungkan untuk bertanya (dan hal ini bisa jadi berita kurang baik). Cermati bahasa tubuh pewawancara kalian. Sedikit humor gw rasa tidak apa-apa selama masih sopan. Gw bahkan pernah di tengah-tengah wawancara ditawari permen Fisherman dan dengan polosnya gw terima sambil nyengir seneng :D (tidak gw makan kok!), dan pewawancara gw tetap meneruskan wawancara dengan lebih santai dengan terus menghisap permen. Gw tetap respect kepada pewawancara gw walaupun beliau makan permen karena gw merasa suasana itulah yang gw dan beliau bisa nikmati saat wawancara. Akhirnya, beliu juga bercerita tentang pandangan beliau dan gw tetap nyegir seneng sampai berjam-jam gw pulang dari wawancara.

(3) Oh, ya, kalian dipanggil tes, beramah-tamahlah dengan semua pihak, termasuk pelamar lain. Kalian bisa mendapat kenalan dari universitas lain atau jurusan lain. Gw pribadi sangat suka mengobrol dengan pelamar lain untuk memperluas wawasan. Gw tahu ada beasiswa, jurusan-jurusan yang gw sendiri dulu tidak pernah dengar, dan banyak sekali, dunia ini luuuuuuaaaaaaaaaas sekali, dude.

(4) Oh, ya, ngomong-ngomong tentang body language, gw pernah menonton video di bawah ini. Penjelasannya membantu sekali and somehow mengubah gw. Recommended sebelum ikut wawancara kerja!



(5) Tanpa bermaksud untuk mengecilkan hati, hampir semua wawancara kerja yang gw alami, kebanyakan menggunakan bahasa Inggris. Kesimpulannya, penguasaan bahasa asing itu bisa menjadi poin yang cukup bagus dalam wawancara, artinya kecakapan berkomunikasi dengan bahasa internasional dapat dibuktikan. Selain itu, lowongan kerja tertentu sering mencantumkan kecakapan bahasa asing lain. Jadi, jangan pernah merasa percuma untuk belajar bahasa asing. It helps you so much!

(6) Be nice dan jadi diri sendiri! :)

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

[IT] Berkembang Pesat, Karir di E-Commerce Sangat Menjanjikan di Indonesia

Pesatnya perkembangan teknologi peradaban global telah berimbas pada perubahan tingkah laku komersil konsumen. Perkembangan teknologi komunikasi melalui Internet dan kecepatan aliran informasi yang secepat kilat telah melahirkan preferensi konsumen untuk berbelanja di toko online. E-commerce telah menjadi salah satu bidang bisnis dengan potensi dan ekspektasi pertumbuhan yang sangat besar.
Tak dapat dipungkiri Indonesia merupakan salah satu negara yang terpengaruh dengan tren ini. Berdasarkan riset SAP yang berpusat di London pada Agustus 2013 lalu, sebanyak 70 persen responden di Asia-Pasifik mulai hobi berbelanja barang maupun jasa secara online dalam dua belas bulan terakhir. Hasil hampir serupa juga dirilis oleh Mindshare mengenai motivasi online di 33 negara di seluruh dunia pada Agustus lalu. Indonesia duduk di peringkat ke-13 dalam hal motivasi penggunaan media digital untuk transaksi komersil.
E-commerce mengubah acuan bermain para pelaku bisnis. Banyak pelaku bisnis yang diuntungkan dengan adanya situs-situs yang mampu memayungi transaski bisnis mereka, termasuk di Indonesia. Kaskus, yang berdiri sejak 1999 hanya sebagai sebuah forum online dulunya, dengan jumlah pengguna mencapai lima juta orang dan nilai transaksi mencapai Rp575 milyar telah menjadi salah satu penyedia e-commerce terbesar di Indonesia. Pelaku bisnis ini juga mulai mengalihkan tampuk bisnis mereka melalui e-commerce. Pasar e-commerce Indonesia kini diramaikan oleh bank, seperti Citibank (Belibarang.com), BNI (Blandja.com), dan Bank Mandiri (Tokone.com), yang juga menyediakan situs jual beli online.


Bidang bisnis yang cukup diminati untuk dikembangkan dengan e-commerce di Indonesia adalah fashion. Banyak perusahaan ritel yang mencoba peruntungan baru dengan mendirikan toko online yang digunakan sebagai sarana untuk memasarkan, mempromosikan, dan mengolah transaksi yang ada. Ethnicity, Bobobobo, Cotton Ink, dan Dresscodes adalah beberapa nama yang saat ini cukup memberikan pengaruh dalam bangkitnya fashion Indonesia melalui e-commerce. Akan tetapi, e-commerce bukan berarti menjadikan bisnis selalu berjalan lancar tanpa sandungan. Menurut pendiri Dresscodes, Cindy Mulyasasmita, seperti yang dimuat dalam Jakarta Globe, orang Indonesia mempunyai kecenderungan untuk perlu mencoba dan melihat langsung pakaian yang hendak mereka beli, walaupun semua proses dapat dilakukan hanya dengan satu klik mouse. Tantangan yang harus dihadapi adalah bagaimana mendidik dan memberitahukan kepada masyarakat bahwa berbelanja online itu nyaman. Foto produk dari berbagai sudut dan deskripsi produk yang tertera tidaklah cukup. Oleh sebab itu, penggunaan media sosial untuk komunikasi dimanfaatkan untuk berinteraksi langsung dengan calon pembeli untuk membuat mereka cukup nyaman dan percaya untuk berbelanja. Namun, hal hanya menjadi suatu tantangan strategi pemasaran yang tidak akan terlalu menjadi hambatan untuk perkembangan e-commerce secara keseluruhan.
Bukti lain sedang berkembangnya e-commerce adalah Tokopedia, salah satu e-commerce yang sangat berkembang di Indonesia, baru-baru ini menerima suntikan investasi sebesar $100 juta atau Rp1,2 triliun dari Softbank dan Sequoia Capital. Pendanaan ini menjadikan Tokopedia sebagai start-up e-commerce dengan investasi terbesar di Indonesia. (Sumber: http://dailysocial.net/post/tokopedia-dapatkan-investasi-rp-12-triliun-dari-softbank-dan-sequoia-capital/)
Karir di bidang bisnis pengembangan e-commerce tidak dapat diragukan lagi telah menjelma menjadi salah satu karir yang sangat menjanjikan. Layanan pembuatan situs untuk jual beli online, analisis proses bisnis online, dan periklanan online dipilih karena pangsa pasar yang luas dan menjanjikan. Beberapa karir yang secara spesifik dapat dipilih di bisnis pengembangan e-commerce adalah:
1.       Web programmer
Web programmer bertanggung jawab dalam pemrograman web. Kemampuan yang dimilikinya berkaitan erat dengan bahasa pemrograman web, seperti HTML, PHP, dan Javascript.
2.       Web system analyst
Web system analyst bertugas merancang sistem dan memastikan sistem memenuhi kebutuhan pengguna.
3.       Business analyst
Business analyst berfokus pada perancangan solusi untuk permasalahan bisnis, bertatap muka langsung dengan pengguna untuk menunjukkan dan menjelaskan bagaimana teknologi informasi dan komunikasi dapat berguna secara inovatif.
4.       Web database administrator
Web database administrator bertanggung jawab mengelolah dan memelihara database yang digunakan dalam web.
5.       Web designer
Web designer merancang antarmuka web yang efektif dan tidak membingungkan pengguna.
Pilihan untuk berbisnis sendiri melalui e-commerce juga menjadi pilihan baik bila Anda adalah tipikal orang yang tidak ingin berlari-lari di jalanan dan melupakan keluarga, teman, dan kekasih karena pekerjaan seperti Andrea Sachs di Devil Wears Prada atau harus menelan sakit hati selama bekerja selama bertahun-tahun seperti Nick Hendricks di Horrible Bosses. Dalam bisnis ini, ide-ide segar dalam penyediaan barang atau jasa secara online masih terbuka sangat lebar. Kunci utama untuk sukses menyelami bisnis ini adalah inovasi dan padai menganalisi peluang. Jeff Bezos
telah membuktikan hal tersebut. Ia berhasil melihat peluang usaha untuk membuka perusahaan ritel yang menjual barang secara online. Amazon.com situs yang ia dirikan berhasil menduduki dunia e-commerce dan berkembang dari hanya menjual buku menjadi menjual banyak sekali jenis barang ke seluruh dunia.
Tegasnya, e-commerce menjadi jembatan besi bagi bisnis di Indonesia untuk berpindah dari konsep bisnis konvensional menjadi bisnis global dengan layanan tak pernah tidur. Jadi, karir di bidang ini akan selalu terbuka bagi para praktisi teknologi.
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