What’s your background?
My name is Romeo, but people in Canva call me "Roms". I came from Pampanga, the Culinary Capital of the Philippines, and I’ve been here since I was a teenager until I entered college.
My parents wanted me to pursue science and engineering, whereas I wanted to aim for the business side of things. That’s where Industrial Engineering (IE) came in, which is equivalent to Management Engineering in other universities. The best way to describe it is systems engineering: we look at how a business works from an operational perspective and figure out how to make its workflows and processes as efficient as possible.
I was also a part of numerous organizations at university, including the student council of UP. These organizations are like a culmination of things that I am passionate about, like leadership and children’s rights. One of them was membership and recruitment. Another was about elections.
Back then, a lot of people doubted my decision to pursue HR since it’s not the usual track for IE graduates. We usually seek graduate training programs in logistics and operations, e-commerce (like in a warehouse) or FMCGs.
When I was graduating in 2019, I knew that was not where I wanted to be. I wanted to be somewhere where I can interact with people. For my first job, I joined Finest People Singapore as part of third-party recruiters for the Singaporean market within the field of digital sales and digital advertising.
What’s your job about?
I started as a Talent Acquisition (TA) Partner at Canva. As a Talent Acquisition (TA) Partner, my role is to make sure that we are bringing in the best people that fit the values, mindset, and skills of our company. What I do everyday is what you think a recruiter does: I look at resumes and conduct interviews, among other things.
In terms of business, I am working with them on strategies for how to get people in and how to get them to stay. I also serve as a consultant to my advocates. I tell them if a certain job is something that matches what they are looking for, but I also tell them if it’s not.
I've also been involved in both local and global talent branding and attraction. This means creating that hiring journey with my candidates and making sure that every step counts.
Recently, I made a shift within Canva, now serving as a Pathways Program Partner, doubling down on my commitment to building the village that constructs the Canva community.
In the middle of your college journey, you realized that IE is not the right path for you. Why didn’t you shift?
Oh, good question. I did try to shift to another course in my second year, but unfortunately, I was not able to.
I wasn’t doing well enough in my engineering courses to break me into my target course, which was economics.
You mentioned earlier that when you’re about to graduate, you know that you’re going to pursue the HR path. What do you think is the catalyst for that?
Honestly, it was a rollercoaster ride. I think the catalyst for that would be the organizations I joined in college.
My internship at Storm Technologies helped me as well. I had a choice between going into an IE internship in Del Monte and an HR role in a small start-up. That's the first time that I took the risk and went down a different path, which is HR.
How did you get your current role? How long have you been doing it already?
I have been in Canva for a year and seven months now. I wasn’t that familiar with the company, yet I found myself going back to their career site to check if there was a role that aligned with my skills and interests.
At first, it was a project-based role, but I still took the shot. Ultimately, things worked out for the best. It got converted to a permanent role, and I took it.
Would you say it’s the brand that caught you first before the culture and the mission or is it otherwise?
I did not know Canva that well when I first joined the company. Canva PH was still an SME when I had my interview. It was only after I got to know the culture of Canva that I decided to send an application in. I would say the culture got me in before the brand did.
I think now it's fair to say it's also a huge brand and definitely not a start-up anymore after our hypergrowth in the last 3 years." This growth showcases Canva's transition from a startup to a prominent brand.
Right now, a lot of students and fresh graduates are very passionate about Canva. What advice would you have for them?
This is such a clichéd answer, but it really depends on the students' priorities. If your goal is to apply to a company that has a huge reputation, then I would say go for it. But if you want to focus on creating an impact and making a name for yourself, I suggest going with a lesser-known company. They will give you the basis to create that impact that could pave the way to a bigger name.
Outside the culture and the mission, what other factors did you consider?
First, I consider the job itself and what is expected of me. Salaries are a given, of course.
Second, I also considered location when I was first starting out. But now I’m seeing that the future of work is hybrid. For the last two years of the pandemic, we discovered that you could produce results in the comfort of your own home.
What matters to me more is the work setup. Am I required to be present 100% of the time? If I am, what's the reasoning behind it? These are some of the things I consider.
With the work that you are doing right now, did they all work out in the end?
Stating that it all worked out is tricky because some compromises needed to be made. I came from a different industry yet I also knew that if I was passionate enough to work on this and produce results, I would be able to get what I wanted.
To sum up, it all comes down to something that I know I could excel at. It was about having that luxury of time, and I was in a position of privilege enough to wait it out, and it did pay off.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Absolutely. Coming from IE, I am a testament to that. One of the biggest requirements of this role is personal leadership, which is not usually stated in the job description.
Knowing the art of personal leadership, having the ability to be self-aware, and finding that balance between being decisive and being flexible are helpful in any HR work and even in group work.
What’s the coolest thing about your job?
The most exciting aspect of my job is giving people jobs. There is no better feeling than offering a job to someone who has put in a lot of time and effort into applying and showing enthusiasm for the company.
Job hunting is not easy. Some people have so many rejections that they feel traumatized by the experience.
Being a TA Partner means being a good human in the recruitment process. At Canva, we make sure that if we can’t give somebody a job during the recruitment process, at least we want them to learn how to move forward and set their career trajectory so they can try again in the future.
What are the limitations of your job?
I think it is about wanting to do more but understanding that doing more is counterproductive. For an IE graduate like me, that is tough. I always want to go with the best solution.
But when you are dealing with people, the right decision is not always the most obvious one. Sometimes, the right decision is the one that does not make you feel good but will positively impact the candidate and the business.
Three pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student....