From Korčula to
Sydney: How my internships and study abroad program landed me the job!
by
Angela Madjer, a Chicago Gal & RIT Croatia alumni
Kristina
Sardelić was born in Sydney, Australia in 1996. At the age of 3, her family
decided to move back to Korčula, Croatia where her father, his family, as well
as her mother’s family, are from. Growing up in Croatia, she always had a
feeling that she would one day make the trip back to where her roots are from
if not just to visit family, but to try to start a life for herself like her
family once did.
Making a bitter-sweet
decision to move a great distance away from home!
Shortly
after she graduated from RIT Croatia in the summer of
2018, she made the exciting but tough decision to give Sydney, Australia a try
and see what the metropolis has to offer. Kristina studied International
Business at the RIT Croatia Zagreb campus where she developed an interest in
Human Resources management and wanted to develop her career in that direction.
An opportunity in Sydney was just what she was looking for! After making her
decision to give the Land Down Under a try, she got a job in her desired field,
human resources, at GroupM, a media company located in Sydney. Her curiosity and ambitious drive are what
lead her to making such a big move but there are always times when she misses
the country she spent growing up in and her family and friends. Nevertheless,
having such a great support system from her family in Australia, she settled in
quick.
Completing
internships and partaking in study abroad programs may be a deciding factor
when applying to jobs!
When
we talked about the interview process she went through in Sydney and attributes
that might have landed her the job, she said that the experience she has gained
up to this point through internships and studying abroad at RIT Croatia played
a very important role. Career-oriented education is what RIT is known for
globally, so having cooperative education of 800-1200 hours in the field of
one’s study is mandatory for all RIT Croatia students. Kristina completed her
mandatory internships at a hotel on Korčula and at The Standard High Line Hotel
in New York City, USA.
Since
RIT Croatia is a global campus of RIT, its students have an opportunity to
spend a semester or two on RIT’s campuses in Rochester and Dubai. Kristina went
to USA and says that the semester-long study abroad program in Rochester, New
York through RIT Croatia was also a big factor in getting the job she wanted. Experiencing
different environments and being able to take on any challenge that she is
faced with is something that is very appealing for employers worldwide!
Another
attribute she believes helped her greatly throughout the job hunting process
was all the skills that she received through her four years at RIT Croatia. She
was mainly thankful for the countless amount of presentations that she gave
during her time at RIT Croatia and how today, she can without a doubt present a
confident presentation in front of her colleagues. Not only that, but the knowledge
she gained and her perfecting her English language skill because of the English-only
policy on campus were big factors on how she found a suitable job for herself!
And now – the sky’s
the limit!
Kristina's
very pleased with her current position at GroupM and is learning a lot
alongside professionals in the field of media and human resources. She is also
enjoying her Australian lifestyle and spending time with family and friends,
including the ones that are a part of the Croatian community in Sydney. And
when it comes to family and friends in Croatia, keeping in touch with them (thanks
to the amazing technology we all have access to and despite the 10-hour time
difference!), helps in relieving the homesick feeling!
You ask,
