Chrystian Reynaldo Marulitua Pohan

Chrystian Pohan: An Amazing Opportunity of Working with BUMN

Working with human resources is not something new for those who took psychology as their major. Psychology equipped them, amongst the many, to be able to recognize human personalities, evaluate, and develop these resources. But for Chrystian Reynaldo M. Pohan, UPH’s Psychology alumni cohort 2008, his experience in joining state-owned enterprises (BUMN) was one of the stepping-stones. One of the first things Chrys has to do as a Human Capital Division Head at Perum DAMRI (Djawatan Angkutan Motor Republik Indonesia) is to help improve infrastructure, system, and human resource culture.

“I had to learn a lot in terms of knowledge on how to build a Good Corporate Governance (GCG), the skills needed to lead older people who are typically more resistant to changes, as well as developing politeness in the workspace,” Chrys says.

Chrys admits to have started in small things – simple things like smiling, handshakes, and saying ‘please do excuse me,’ are some of the few examples he needed to get used to. Other than being an amazing experience, there are challenges Chrys had to face. Some of the few are namely completing a project under a short period of time and communicating correctly with internal/external partners to achieve the changes BUMN requires correctly.

“I consult with people I consider important to my life, including my mentors, my wife, and parents, to get different perspectives of the problem and understanding in regards to the challenge I’m currently facing,” Chrys admits.

Besides asking around, Chrys often gets advice from senior colleagues and community. One of the community Chrys takes part is at Kingdom Business Community, a community for those involved in marketplace to share insight. The experience Chrys gets to study at UPH is admitted to be the place where he learnt a lot of the soft skills he needed to pursue his career today. Student organizations, social organizations, and spiritual organizations are some of them.

“UPH has planted in me an unwavering Christian faith. UPH taught me that I need to be rooted, grow, and bear fruit even in the marketplace I’m working at,” Chrystian closes.