Moore began her career in recruitment and career development working in the corporate arena and leading university relations programs for Fortune 500 companies. After interviewing and working with many students, Moore wanted to be able to do more for them in a college, rather than a corporate, setting.
“Although I thoroughly enjoyed those experiences, it became increasingly challenging for me to reconcile my desire to assist every talented student I met with the limited number of opportunities I could offer,” she said. “I wanted to do more. In academia, there are fewer limitations; I can help connect students with literally hundreds of opportunities.”
The College provides Moore with a new setting. Until now, her only work has been with graduate students. She cited the change to working with undergraduates as one of her primary reasons to leave Yale for Amherst.
“I was excited about the opportunity to work more closely with students over a longer timeframe as they test and explore various future paths,” she noted. “At the M.B.A. level, I was only able to interact with each entering class for two years; here I’ll have four years to partner with students!”
Moore also expects that she will encounter a wider range of passions and concentrations at a liberal arts college. “I think one key difference will be the diversity of interests I’ll discover within our student body. Some may wish to pursue positions in various sectors; others will choose to apply to graduate school; and still more will prefer to compete for national fellowships,” she commented. “I’m very much looking forward to coaching students with these and other interests.”
Moore arrives at the Career Center at a crucial time in this economic downturn. The College has asked programs, departments and organizations to reduce costs by at least five percent. Meanwhile, the companies to which students typically apply for jobs are increasingly downsizing on-campus recruiting programs as well as hiring fewer recent college graduates, developments that Moore is hoping to counteract.
“One priority is to reach out to scores of organizations and companies across a broad range of industries and encourage the decision makers to share opportunities with Amherst,” said Moore.
She also brings other ideas that she hopes to put into effect at the Career Center, which include “collaborating more closely with Amherst alumni, investing more resources in business development and implementing a career development curriculum.”
Nevertheless, Moore believes that “a critical first step is to fully understand our students’ needs. As such, my immediate focus is to solicit student input and feedback. I’m in the process of scheduling a meeting with the AAS Board and am eager to connect with student organizations and the RCs too.”