Business School’s eCareerCoach lands student a prized internship

Tori Macklin Griffith Business School

The advice leapt from online to real life for Tori Macklin, a Griffith Student who scored an internship through using eCareerCoach.

“The eCareerCoach platform is so beneficial for students because it allows us to easily connect with professionals willing to share their knowledge gained from years of experience in their industry. Coaches also get the opportunity to mentor future professionals, expanding their network and giving them the ability to give back to the up-and-coming young generation,” Tori explains.

The program, created by Griffith Business School, sees Coaches matched with current students to provide career advice and respond to queries about their job paths through a digital portal. The resulting relationship could be just a few questions long, or the Coach could choose to take on a more comprehensive role. Which is exactly what happened when Tori matched with Carly Green, the Human Resources Manager at the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort.

“My online cohort was invited to participate in a trial period of the eCareerCoach platform and I was really intrigued because it was a great opportunity to connect with professionals in my industry,” Tori explains. “I’d not had that opportunity before so I jumped at the chance.”

She says it only took a couple of emails back and forth with Carly before the HR manager invited her to the visit the resort to chat further about her career aspirations. It was during that meeting that Tori was offered an internship with the highly respected hospitality brand.

“It was during our initial meeting at the resort that Carly asked if I would be interested in doing an internship with both her and [HR co-ordinator] Natasha. And of course I was interested to work with successful HR professionals!”

The Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management and Management) student says she was motivated to participate in the eCareerCoach program to help her get a head start in the job market once she graduated. “I was specifically interested in advice as to how to start a professional career in Human Resources,” she says. “I’d been advised by multiple sources that gaining an entry-level job in HR can be challenging and wanted to know how I could gain a competitive advantage in the application process.

“Through the use of eCareerCoach, I was also wanting to gain insight in how to be an effective HR manager, which is my dream job.” Clearly Tori’s determination and drive impressed Carly, who offered her the educational role.

“The internship has been a great learning experience. I’ve developed some HR-specific skills and observed the theory learned at university implemented in a practical environment,” Tori says. “This internship has also enabled me to expand my professional network and meet some incredible people.”

She’s also gained extremely valuable industry insight through her Coach’s advice. ”Carly highlighted the importance of an online presence and networking in order to seek career opportunities. I remember in our initial meetup she mentioned that she still communicates with one of her first employers even after completing her HR degree.

“It’s about nurturing your professional relationships because you may be in contact or working with them in future.”