Qaylila Humaira Ahmadi

A day in Jakarta: more time to listen

Meet Qaylila Humaira Ahmadi – Qayla – a technical consultant at Adecco Indonesia. From her morning motorcycle ride to conversations with candidates and clients, Qayla walked us through a working day, and shared how AI helps her make more room for people.

07:00 | My first VIP meeting of the day

My mornings start with a very important meeting: playing with my cats. Once they’ve had my full attention (and I’ve had a little of theirs) I get ready and book a Gojek motorcycle ride to the office.

I’m Jakarta born and raised, and I still call it home.

I’d always imagined working in education or as a school counsellor, which is why I studied psychology. An HR internship showed me how much I enjoyed helping people with their careers. I stumbled into recruitment by accident – or fate, as I like to call it now.

08:30 | Outlook first. Then the people

I check my emails when I arrive. Not the most thrilling ritual! The real highlight is seeing my colleagues.

My focus is on sourcing and screening candidates, mainly for data center and industrial roles. On a typical day, I speak with five to eight new people and catch up with clients.

The candidates I meet are skilled at what they do. They want to be fairly rewarded for their experience and build a better life for their families. Hearing their stories is what fuels me to do good.

10:00 | A little help with the paperwork

After screening calls, I prepare candidate profiles to share with clients.

Previously, I wrote every summary myself, juggling between CVs and call notes. Now I use our secure Microsoft Copilot environment to draft a summary of the candidate’s experience.*

Then I check it against the CV and my notes, tweak the details and add the personal touches that only come from speaking with someone and getting a true sense of who they are.

AI helps me organize the information, but I’m the one who vouches for them.

11:00 | Reinvesting time saved into conversations

With the time I save, I can ask candidates deeper questions. What’s really motivating them to move? What are their aspirations? What would a better life look like for their family?

With clients, I can go beyond the job description. Why has the position opened up? How important is it to the business? What would success look like in the first six months?

Those conversations help me find someone who best fits the team and its needs.

12:30 | A table that’s never quiet

My team and I are proud ‘yappers’ (we love to talk). Lunch brings work chats, personal stories, advice and plans for holidays or after-work activities.

Spicy food is almost always on the menu for my colleagues, but I can’t handle it. As an Indonesian, that raises a few eyebrows!

Our branch is loud, busy and warm. The friendships carry well beyond our desks.

14:00 | Making room to listen

Building relationships means helping people feel comfortable. Switching between Bahasa Indonesian and English and using the right level of formality (like ‘Pak’, ‘Bu’, ‘Mas’ or ‘Mbak’) to show politeness and respect.

Family is often a big part of career decisions. One conversation that stays with me was with a candidate who had recently lost her husband and was raising her children alone.

On paper, she was a strong match for the role she’d applied for. But during our call, it became clear that her priority wasn't a higher salary or new title – it was flexible working hours so she could be there for her children.

No CV or AI-generated summary would have told me that.

Understanding her situation helped me look for opportunities that fitted her life and explain to clients what she needed to do her best work. Sometimes the most helpful thing a recruiter can do is simply listen and ask deeper questions.

16:00 | Time for something more

The extra time also helps me contribute to marketing and operations projects. I’ve led our local Adecco AI Mastery program, monitoring colleagues’ progress with AI learning.

A good day is one where I connect people with the right opportunities and share stories with colleagues. I hope AI gives me more room for both.

19:00 | Home, and a hug

I switch off by spending time with family and friends. I love sharing my day with my mum and dad.

A hug from my parents always has a way of soothing everything.