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Ji-Hye (Jiji) Park

Ji-Hye (Jiji) Park

A mentorship ecosystem geared towards helping students achieve their personal career goals, relevant work experience and support from enrolment through to graduation is what Bachelor of Event Management student Ji-Hye (Jiji) Park will take from her International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) experience when she graduates in November, 2022.

“My overall ICMS experience was one that was personalised to me. ICMS considered my life outside of my studies and tailored my studies around my other commitments. I believe I was able to work, travel and spend time with friends and family during the most exciting years of my life without any delay or disruption to my studies,” Park, an Australian-born Korean, said.

“I’ve had my WIL facilitator Marion who mentored me with my work experience. She has kept in touch with me throughout my entire degree. Further Phil, who was my student advisor when I started ICMS, also gave me an internship position at ICMS and is now my manager. The saying that ‘our connections are your connections’ is definitely true and you won’t fall through the cracks here at ICMS.” Park describes the decision to study at ICMS as an “easy decision”. She had a clear idea of what she wanted to do after studying –work in events –and the ICMS Bachelor of Event Management provided a clear path to achieve this goal.

The Work Integrated Learning (WIL) aspect of every degree at ICMS was an important attraction, where each student is placed, by a dedicated team, in an internship role that will give valuable practical experience to supplement academic skills and knowledge. “Industry training has been one of my highlights during my time at ICMS. The WIL team are in regular communication with you to understand your direction and work tirelessly to help you find suitable work experience,” she said. “With the help of WIL, I knew I’d get the relevant experience needed to place myself in an advantageous position when I apply for jobs in the competitive job market. I now have two marketing and events jobs’ experience under my belt even before my graduation and I feel confident about my employability when I go out into the real world.”

‘Heading out into the real world’ is the ultimate goal of every student. At ICMS, from application to graduation, faculty and staff are purposeful in their mission to guide students towards this goal. This was Park’s experience from the start of her student journey at ICMS. “Soon after submitting my application, I received a call from a friendly team member, Phil, who was my student advisor at the time. He was quick to respond and gave me timely messages for the next steps. He created a timetable that worked around my schedule and despite enrolling on week 1 of classes, I was in the classroom before I knew it.

Unlike students’ experiences at other higher education institutions, I had my own ICMS advisor to guide me throughout the process and even someone to greet me and show me around on the first day of class.” Through her three years of study at ICMS, Park found lecturers approachable and willing to engage, to share their knowledge as industry leaders and to inspire as well as support students. “All the ICMS lecturers are personable and easy to reach. They deeply care for your future and will often help you outside of their working hours to respond and support you,” Park said.

“I’ve also connected with many of my lecturers on LinkedIn and they become part your network as well. They carry a wealth of knowledge, and it helps you to ask helpful and targeted questions in class that draw on their experiences which allows for an interactive and insightful time.” Regular guest lecturers added depth to Park’s understanding of Event Management, and one such lecturer opened her eyes to the career possibilities open in her chosen field.

“In one of our Event Management specialisation subjects there was a guest Event Manager who shared their experience of managing multiple bands and artists on world tours. It was inspiring to see how diverse the Event Management industry can be. People immediately think of ‘weddings’ or ‘festivals’ when an event manager comes to mind, and while it can be those areas, the events scope is much bigger than first thought and it opened my eyes to different job prospects with an ICMS Event Management degree.”

Park is looking forward to graduating with an ICMS Bachelor of Event Management in November, 2022.“Over the past couple years of studying, along with my experience from WIL, I have grown a great interest for events management and marketing and would love to get stuck into the industry to expand my skill set and knowledge,” she said. “I’d love to find a position that brings value to others, challenges me and one that I can keep growing in. I love to spend quality time with family and friends but I also love to work. My goal would be to find a position that allows me to fulfil my potential whilst also having the time for those around me.”

Jiji Park’s Top Three Tips on how to Ace a Job Interview:

  • Be yourself but don’t go in unprepared.
  • Do some research to understand company values and culture and have questions ready to ask.
  • Display an attitude of humility to learn, yet be confident in what you can offer.

Category

Our Stories, Bachelor of Event Management