Tokopedia and Nakama Academy From NewKama Point of (Inter)View : Part One

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At Nakama Academy, we got a lot of lessons about Tokopedia, whether about its features, work culture, or stories from each functions. Other than that, we were assigned to do another task, which is Networking Task. Each NewKama needs to interview NewKama and Nakama from each functions that were existed in Tokopedia. Actually, at first I didn't think that I would make it because of the number of people that I needed to talk to (which is a lot), but as time goes on, I think I'm starting to enjoy the task. Why? Because getting to know about each other is just another way to know if there's another person/people who's as weird unique as me!

My objectives for this week is to interview the NewKamas first, then I should continue with the Nakamas. My ideal interview is to have two-way conversation with the interviewee, rather than just throwing them with questions and expecting them just to answer. Well, I think I met my ideal because I wasted at least 30 minutes in interviewing my new friends. There's just so much thing to learn about the other person, and how they think about Tokopedia. 

The first person who approached me for the interview is Tika, and I told her that in return she should just agree when I asked her to be interviewed. Haha, I knew that I was being petty. Anyway, she asked me a lot about Tokopedia, and how I got into Tokopedia. A nice friend, and it turns out that she's my cousin's two years junior and we're just graduated last August from the same university, even though with different faculty. We laughed it off that the world is just as small that we had full four years to meet as students at the same university (and our faculties are practically really close neighbors) but we really get to know each other here at Tokopedia. 

I decided to interview her on the next week, and I was surprised at how open she was when being asked by me. I made one question on my interview question list with intention to know a lot of the other person in only five until ten minutes:

At first, I didn't expect anyone to tell a lot about themselves. I was kinda expecting that they would just throw out some random adjectives or phrases without explaining why they think that they're like that. I was surprised when she gave me full details in every description that she told me. 

"I'm a simple-minded person. I rarely get stressed, and I'm happy.", she said.

She also didn't hesitate to say some negative traits that she had. I was so happy that she's so open about that issues to a real stranger like me. I liked how she was all confident about herself and it's a good feeling that someone trusted you. 

After that, we talked about Tokopedia as a whole. She said that she's an Operational Customer Care, specializing in Email. When I asked her why she joined Tokopedia, she said, "I went to UI (Universitas Indonesia) Career Expo and the last stand that I saw was Tokopedia's. At first, I wasn't interested to drop my CV there. My friend then persuaded me, and I ended up applying for Tokopedia as an Customer Care - Email Specialist and HR Specialist."

Well, the thought that came to my mind was I could totally relate with her because I didn't know about Tokopedia at all at first. About why I changed my mind and apply to Tokopedia, maybe I should make another blogpost, huh? :p

Then she said, "After I got home, I searched about Tokopedia and I liked their concept a lot. In the end, I was called for interview and was accepted as Customer Care."

She told me that she worked as a call center operator before, and she sometimes felt call center operator are not treated well. But here, in Tokopedia, she felt like call center operators or any customer care specialist are very precious to the company and well appreciated as well. She hoped that there would be no problem working together with her teammates, doing greatly at her tasks so that she could be as great as her mentor.

One thing is, as a new employee, Tika felt like she still had a lot to learn about Tokopedia. Now that she has to reply thousands of email tickets per day, she felt a lot of responsibilities to solve the customers' problems. She cannot give a careless answer because Toppers believe in us. 

When I asked her how she thinks about Tokopedia in 2-3 years later, she told me excitedly, "Tokopedia in 3 years would not only be a marketplace, but one of their plan in expansion should be achieved. We cannot be at this state too long."

She also told me what she thought about herself at that time, "I'm going to improve myself, of course."

I also got excited at her answer and gave her a taste of my imagination about what will happen in three years (which is a secret :p), but we both believed that Tokopedia will make one of their dreams into reality soon.


Next, I started to ask her about what she thought about Nakama Academy. For her, Nakama Academy is like an orientation that we got when we first started enrolling in high school or university. The difference is, now that the orientation is held in a workplace, which is Tokopedia, she felt like she could totally relate with the lessons that we got from Nakama Academy. We will use those knowledge in our work for real.

"It feels like our eyes were opened," Tika said, "Even if it's not from Nakama Academy, we wouldn't know how other functions other than mine work."

She personally liked Ko Eka's material regarding the history of Tokopedia. The information about finance and business in Tokopedia were the ones she looked forward into. She also enjoyed the games such as folding color papers and human bingo. She wished for more games, though.

At the last question, I asked her expectations at the end of Nakama Academy. Her answer?

"I work in a shift. I'm afraid that I'll only know the friends that working on the same shift," she replied earnestly, "I really wish that our friendship as Nakama Academy Batch 3 participants will last. We are friends who enter Tokopedia together at a time, anyway."

Well, Tika. I wish this post will make us, Nakama Academy Batch 3 NewKamas, realize how we spent the last seven days together like a friend, but also like a family. We might have hard feelings to each others through our debates and as team rivals, but we laughed together much more than that. We shouldn't forget what we've been through for the last seven days.

Nakama Academy will end soon, but similar with Tika, I wish that we should also continue our friendship even longer

Me with Tika. Captured a day after the interview because we forgot to take a photo.

Bonus question!

Which NewKama in Nakama Academy Batch 3 that you would like to know better?

My intention is to make this question a trap (like... there's someone you REALLY interested with), and I thought it will work on my first interview. So her answer is...

*drumroll*

"I want to know better a lot of them."



"-but if I should choose, I have to choose Dika. She seems fun and good at talking. I'd like to talk more with her!"