Smooth sailing: Internship launches graduate on path to successful career in human resources and the travel industry.

On her first day as human resource specialist with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Michelle Dunn (MSHRM ’06, BS ’99) talks excitedly about her new role and responsibilities.

Michelle Dunn

“I’ll be supporting Celebrity Cruises, which is Royal Caribbean’s top line,” she said. “The job provides an excellent opportunity for me to put my analytical and program implementation skills to work as a strategic partner to the human resources managers on the cruise ships.”

Dunn believes the degrees she earned from Florida International University give her the solid foundation she needs to build a career that so far has taken her from luxury hotel to luxury cruise line. 

Turn the clock back to 1998.

Eight years ago, Dunn was a college student with an internship as a clerk at the Miami Marriott Dadeland Hotel.

After she received her undergraduate degree in hospitality management from the university’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, the hotel offered her a full-time job as human resources coordinator—and her career with Marriott was off and running.

Just two years ago, Dunn was named the human resources manager at the five-star, three-hundred-room JW Marriott hotel, where she managed a staff of 260 employees.

“It was a wonderful job in a beautiful location—as rewarding as it was hectic,” she said. 

Needless to say, Dunn’s typical day at the JW Marriott was jam-packed, as she juggled responsibilities that encompassed all aspects of employee relations, including recruiting, benefits, and ongoing service excellence training.

“My day started at eight in the morning when I had short meetings with our managers,” she said. “Most days then proceeded non-stop, with new-hire interviews, benefits discussions with employees, planned training sessions, along with whatever else came up—and yes, in my ‘spare’ time, there was paperwork to do.”

Dunn loved the pace of her Marriot job but still found time to earn her Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MSHRM) from the Chapman Graduate School of Business. She credits her graduate and undergraduate coursework with giving her the ability to be assertive when needed and to make decisions with confidence.

What’s learned in school applies on the job.

Dunn cites two specific examples of how she applied what she learned in her classes to help her create new training programs for the hotel.

Last year, she developed a training program to help managers, directors, and supervisors improve their own performance appraisal skills.

“One of the courses I took during my graduate work focused on knowledge management and training development. When I saw a need for this new training course at the JW Marriott, the skills I acquired in the college enabled me to develop the course from scratch and to implement it successfully.”

Dunn also designed a safety program for hotel employees. 

“I had taken a graduate-level course in wellness that focused on employee fitness and safety. I was able to use what I learned to create a safety program here,” she said. “I’m proud to say that after the program was implemented, we reduced employee-related accidents by 70 percent.”

Follow these “insider tips” for getting—and keeping—your dream job.

Interviewing prospective employees was a critical component of Dunn’s recent role as human resource manager. In any given week, she interviewed numerous candidates for a variety of positions at the JW Marriott.

Based on her experience, she offers some sound advice about what you should do to prepare for a job interview.

“The most important thing to remember is always to do your homework on the company,” she said. “Take the time to research and learn everything you can about what the company does as well as about its strengths and weaknesses. Be prepared to answer this question: ‘Why should this company choose you instead of another candidate?’ It’s a question I always ask and the answer can influence my hiring decision.”

Dunn also offers good advice for people once they have landed the job.