Hi there! I’m Hannah Eve Couch, and I’m currently studying for a Bachelor of Business at Queensland University of Technology. This year, I’ve had the fantastic opportunity to intern at Fuse Recruitment as a HR intern.
What's your background?
I’ve spent my entire life in Brisbane, starting in Springfield before moving to Indooroopilly in 9th grade to be closer to the city. I’ve been living in Indooroopilly ever since, sharing a home with my parents and my little sister. My educational journey began at St Peters Lutheran College, where I studied from prep through to grade 12. After graduating high school, I went straight into a Bachelor of Business at Queensland University of Technology. But my life wasn’t all about books, I started working at Subway when I was just 15, then transitioned to a customer service manager role at Nutrafruit, a plum business, in 2023. I even took a semester off university to explore Europe, adding a touch of adventure to my academic journey. My professional path then took an exciting turn when I began my internship with Fuse Recruitment in 2024.
What's your job about?
During my internship at Fuse Recruitment, I played a key role in streamlining the hiring process for clients. I took on the task of finding top candidates, conducting pre-screen interviews, crafting detailed profiles, and completing reference checks, making sure that we delivered highly qualified candidates ready to start.
A typical day for me will often include completing candidate profiles and reference checks in the morning. These tasks directly helped accelerate the process for my supervisors and made me feel integral to the recruitment process. In the afternoon, I will often look for new candidates that might meet the qualifications for open roles. Additionally, I will also often be asked to update our database in terms of candidate details so we can easily get in touch them when needed. The team has made learning these tasks easy, so I can jump in when needed with minimal assistance.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
My favourite task is conducting reference checks. This task gives me to change to have meaningful conversations with people and then also provides me some quiet time while I fix up my notes. The reference checks are also the last task that needs to be complete in the entire hiring process before someone is placed in their new job. The faster we get these done, the better. Completing them brings me a sense of accomplishment, knowing that I’ve successfully supported both the client and the candidate.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
A common misconception is that only people who have a Bachelor of Business or Marketing degree can go into recruiting. In reality, individuals from various backgrounds can thrive in this field, especially those with experience across different industries. Any knowledge from an industry can be applied and will be useful when trying to find suitable candidates. I think the most important skill when going into recruitment is to be comfortable having a conversation with people you've never met. Many people get this experience in their first job like I did at subway. It's simply now a conversation with a purpose.
What are the limitations of your job?
The biggest limitation of the internship is not being here regularly. Since it's only two days a week, each day is different and lacks a set structure. While this may work for some, it doesn't for others. It's also challenging not being able to follow the same candidates from start to finish, as I'm only involved in parts of the process.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
Here’s some advice I’d give to others before starting an internship: