“Huskies ask” is a weekly column where we send questions to different Michigan Tech faculty and staff each week.
This week, we reached out to Jenna Lane, the new Director of Career Services at MTU!
(1) Where is your hometown and when did you come to Michigan Tech?
I was born in Toronto. Yes, I’m Canadian. Almost nine years ago I married a Michigander, and I emigrated to the US, where my hometown became a small village between Detroit and Flint. My role at Tech began in early January – just last month!
(2) What is your favorite thing about Michigan Tech?
Since I’m new here, and learning so much about Tech, I cannot honestly land on one favorite thing just yet. However, I would say that the people I have met so far have been amazingly friendly, helpful, interesting and kind, so I’m really liking the culture of Tech.
(3) What is something you wish students knew about you and your job?
I wish more students knew and/or understood the valuable resources available to them in career services. We have an incredible team of advisors and amazing employer partners! We truly LOVE to work with students and equip them for experiential learning and full-time job opportunities. This is called career education and professional development. Our team serves students in a variety of ways: through career conversations, workshops, classroom presentations, guidance on our website, and overseeing the cooperative education option (co-op). We also enjoy connecting students with employers via the Handshake platform, and the impressive CareerFEST and Career Fair events we host.
(4) What is your number one piece of advice for students looking for a future career?
My number one piece of advice is to train yourself professionally like you have done academically! This could involve: exploring, researching, preparing the tools you need (résumé, cover letter, professional emails, LinkedIn profile, etc.), practicing talking with employers, and much more. Book an appointment with a career services advisor who can coach you, or drop in during our open hours, Monday-Friday, 10 am to 5 pm, on the second floor of the Administration Building!
