Michele Plante joined the School on September 12 as the employer relations coordinator. In this new role, she will develop, maintain, and evolve partnerships with employers for student preprofessional and professional opportunities as well as increase corporate engagement. She will work with Becky Hodson, career services coordinator, to advise and guide students regarding their career materials and overall educational and professional plans.
Plante most recently worked as a career services coordinator at the College of Fine and Applied Arts. She enjoys promoting student talent and developing relationships with employers. Her primary advice for job seekers is to thoroughly research their target companies and individually tailor their approach to each employer. "Examine the language they use on their website; pay attention to their tone, their goals, their values, and their needs for a particular position. The cover letter you write to a corporate office in Manhattan may be very different in tone and content than the letter you write to a tech start-up in California, depending on what each employer is looking for and how they convey their corporate culture," she said.
Plante holds a bachelor's degree in graphic design and a master's degree in education. She has taught courses in professional development, entrepreneurship and self-promotion, and graphic design and was designated a Faculty Fellow by the Academy of Entrepreneurial Leadership at the College of Business.
Plante is happy to be a part of the iSchool's student affairs team. "This is an exciting challenge, and I’m very much looking forward to hearing students' goals and ideas for their future," she said.