What we learn from Ina Binandari so far
Ina Binandari has worked at Pasaraya Store when the department store was on its heyday. She then moved to one of the largest textile companies in Southeast Asia, Texmaco. After more than a decade in corporate, she became lecturer at several universities and helped Elzatta and Dauky founder build the now-infamous brands from scratch. After following her career journey from start to present day, here are the things we learn from her so far.
Image: Ina Binandari’s hijab styling tutorial book published by Gramedia
1. Socialise
“When I was a student, I tried to socialise with everyone from various backgrounds. Looking back at my career after decades, it is very important to always learn, gather every little bit of knowledge from any person at any time and any place.”
Indeed. Her contacts with graphic design students taught her a lot about design term that is later helpful for her first job.
2. Sharing is happiness
“Be open-minded. Share knowledge that you have.”
3. Build connections
“Don’t focus on the money when you are looking for a job. Networking is way more important. The only time I applied for a job was at Pasaraya. The rest came from referral. Employers prefer recommendation from someone they are familiar with. Recommendation is way more important.”
4. Strive to be a trustworthy person filled with integrity.
As a fine arts graduate student, Ina’s responsibilities at Pasaraya were something she’d never done before. She still took it and learned on the spot.
“For me, the place to learn is when I am given a job that is outside my capabilities. I always accept even if I have never done it before.”
5. Don’t be afraid to ask
“If you don’t get something, just ask, even if you would look like an idiot. It’s better than being wrong.”
6. Don’t hate something too much
“I hate numbers and look at what I had to do at my job. I was dealing with a lot of budgeting. Those are numbers, numbers and numbers! Don’t hate something too much. It’ll come back to you.”