DITMAWALUMNI USU – On Monday (September 7, 2026), the Directorate of Student Affairs and Alumni Relations (Ditmawalumni) of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) held a Career Development Course under the theme “Career Skills and the Future.” The program was officially opened by the Director of Ditmawalumni USU, Prof. Dr. Ir. Agus Purwoko, S.Hut., M.Si., IPU.
In his remarks, the Director of Ditmawalumni USU emphasized the importance of students and alumni being well prepared to navigate the constantly evolving world of work. Career development programs are among USU’s efforts to prepare graduates with the competencies, professionalism, and adaptability required to meet industry needs.
The program featured four speakers from various fields, including workforce placement, recruitment, human resources (HR), and academia. The speakers provided participants with insights into global career opportunities, effective CV-writing strategies, professional development, career advancement, and the career services available at USU.
In a session on overseas employment opportunities, a representative of Binawan explained various opportunities for placing professionals in several countries. Binawan, which has been operating for nearly 50 years, was reported to have facilitated the placement of approximately 320,000 professionals overseas. Currently, around 15,000 international placement positions are available annually across sectors including healthcare, hospitality and aviation, information technology, transportation and logistics, construction, agriculture, and engineering.
These opportunities are available in countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and other countries in the Middle East. Participants also received information on the requirements they need to prepare, including professional certifications and language proficiency appropriate to their destination country.
Meanwhile, the session on CV-writing strategies emphasized the importance of treating a CV as the first gateway in the recruitment process. Participants were introduced to the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which companies use to screen candidates. ATS-friendly CVs are recommended to use a single-column format, avoid tables, text boxes, and images, use standard headings such as Experience, Education, and Skills, and be saved in PDF or DOCX format.
Participants were also advised to tailor the keywords in their CVs to the positions they are applying for, quantify their achievements, avoid spelling and writing errors, and organize their experience chronologically. The session also introduced an AI CV Checker, which can be used to evaluate the compatibility of a CV with a job description.
The next session focused on professionalism and career development. Participants were encouraged to understand that career progression is determined not only by a CV but also by professionalism and the ability to build professional networks. The speaker introduced the 1–3–5-year career development framework, in which the first year serves as a stage for demonstrating capabilities, the first to third years focus on deepening expertise, and the third to fifth years focus on developing leadership skills and more specialized expertise.
In addition to competencies, participants were also given an understanding of the importance of building trust from the outset of their careers. Punctuality, completing assignments, maintaining integrity, being receptive to feedback, and upholding one’s professional reputation are among the behaviors that should be practiced in the workplace.
During the session on USU career services, participants received information about various facilities provided by USU through its Career Development Center (CDC). These services include individual career counseling, hard-skill and soft-skill training, job fairs, platforms connecting students with companies, and company visits.
The USU CDC has also established partnerships with more than 300 companies and regularly provides opportunities for campus hiring. Students and alumni are encouraged to actively register for CDC/Career Development Center (PJK) services to access information on job vacancies and career development opportunities relevant to their fields of study.
The Career Development Course is part of USU’s commitment to enhancing graduates’ readiness to enter the workforce. This initiative supports the university’s efforts to ensure that graduates can successfully enter the workforce, pursue entrepreneurship, or continue their studies after completing their education.
In addition, alumni progress is an important factor in supporting USU’s reputation and rankings at both the national and global levels. Therefore, USU continues to encourage students and alumni to take advantage of the various career development services available.
Through this program, participants are expected not only to gain an understanding of strategies for entering the workforce but also to prepare themselves more thoroughly, build professionalism, expand their networks, and pursue career opportunities both domestically and internationally.
Ditmawalumni USU remains committed to providing various career development programs for students and alumni as part of its efforts to produce competent, adaptable graduates who are ready to compete in the workforce.