Denpasar, Bali - May 2nd 2026, United In Diversity (UID) in collaboration with LSPR Institute of Communication & Business Bali, held UID Talk titled Before You Actually Get Hired: A Career Preparation Talk and UID Workshop titled Career Mastery Circles on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026, at UID Bali Campus. Both sessions are part of UID’s commitment to nurturing future leaders who are not only academically capable, but genuinely ready to step into the professional world.

Being a fresh graduate in Indonesia today is no easy feat. According to data from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) cited by Kompas.id, the youth unemployment rate currently stands at 17 percent, far above the adult unemployment rate of only 1 to 3 percent. The problem goes beyond the scarcity of job openings. Many graduates enter the workforce armed with strong theoretical knowledge, but uncertain when faced with its realities. A degree in hand, yet confidence, direction, and a clear understanding of what companies truly look for remain elusive. UID believes this is the gap worth bridging.

UID Talk was attended by more than 100 participants and was divided into two sessions. The first, Inside the Recruiter's Mind, brought together Tantowi Yahya (President of UID Foundation), Ni Ketut Kardini (HR Director, The Westin Ubud), and Padmayoni Luhari (HR Director, The Legian Seminyak). Together, they opened up an honest conversation about what actually happens behind the recruitment process, far from what most applicants tend to imagine. Tantowi Yahya put it plainly: "You have to ask yourself whether you are worth investing in, because an employee is an investment for a company."

The second session, Expectation vs. Reality for New Professionals, featured Gesille Sedra Buot (Executive Director, LSPR Bali), Indra Febriansyah (Head of Marketing & MarComm, Kura Kura Bali) and I Kadek Yudi Suarbawa (COO/Executive Director, TDR FILMS). They shared candid reflections on the gap that often exists between what fresh graduates expect and what they actually encounter in the workplace. Gesille Sedra Buot offered a message that felt both like a reminder and a challenge: "Building your worth should start while you are still in university. By the time you graduate, it is already late."

Continuing the same spirit, UID Workshop: Career Mastery Circles was attended by 86 participants in a format deliberately designed to feel different. The workshop gave participants the opportunity to gain personalized insight in smaller, more intimate groups, engaging directly with facilitators from across industries. Topics ranged from crafting a strong CV, navigating job interviews, and building a portfolio, to finding a career path and learning how to tell one's own story compellingly. Each circle was facilitated by Putu Diah Sekar Pratiwi Putri (Culture and Learning Manager, iNi ViE Hospitality), Sheila Selviane Hosea (HR Coordinator, Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center), Karina Suryawinata (Chief of Strategic Implementation & Partnership, YOUTHTOPIA), Flynn Putra (Director, Puri Canggu Group), Putiviola Elian Nasir (Teacher at International School Bali), Robi Kurnia (Marketing Communication Manager, UID Foundation), and Anak Agung Istri Putri Dwijayanti (PR Manager, LSPR Bali).

What made the format feel distinct was the kind of space it created. Participants could ask questions about their own specific situations, receive honest responses, and leave not with memorized theory, but with concrete steps they could take the very next day.

At the end of the day, both sessions pointed to the same truth: preparation is not a privilege, it is a necessity. The world of work will not wait, and neither should young people. UID and LSPR Bali hope that what participants carry home, whether a clearer sense of direction, a more honest understanding of what lies ahead, or simply the confidence to take the next step, becomes the foundation for the kind of leaders Indonesia truly needs.