1. Melanie A. Takahashi
2600 Campus Road, Suite 212
Honolulu, HI 96822
(808) 956-9058
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS:
• Provide comprehensive career counseling to University of Hawai`i at Manoa students and new
alumni.
• Develop career development programming to diverse student audiences to jump start their career
planning and exploration efforts.
• Present workshops on a variety of topics including career development, graduate school and job
search.
• Act as liaison to academic departments to support efforts to connect academic majors with after-
graduation goals.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Career Counselor (Assistant Specialist), Mānoa Career Center, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. June
2006 to present.
• Provide career counseling to students/alumni with a range of needs from deciding on a major;
applying for student employment, experiential opportunities, and after-graduation positions;
developing a career goal; applying for graduate/professional school; conducting a full-time job
search to creating professional job search documents.
• Develop activities and programming that engage students in career planning and development.
• Review resumes and cover letters and graduate school essays to support students’ development
of effective job search and graduate/profession school documents.
• Conduct practice interviews to increase students’ effectiveness in communicating their
qualifications during the interview process for employment or graduate school applications.
• Present workshops to classes and student groups on career planning and development, job search
strategies, resume and cover letter writing, interview preparation, and graduate/professional school
application.
• Develop and coordinate annual graduate and law schools fair that brings Hawai‘i and mainland
graduate programs and law schools to the Mānoa campus to give students an opportunity to
explore options and obtain information on the programs, application process, and financial aid.
• Act as a liaison to receive requests from faculty, staff and students for outreach presentations and
coordinate the assignment of these requests with the counseling and office staff to ensure that
campus needs are met.
• Oversee management of Career Resource Library that provides students access to collection of
resources on career planning, occupational information, job searching, international employment
and employer.
• Fulfill role as director of internal working group called Student Development Programs and
Services by leading efforts in program and presentation development and providing administrative
oversight of assigned counseling staff.
Career Counselor (Junior Specialist), Career Services, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii, 2000
to May 2006.
• Provide career counseling to assist students/alumni with career decision-making and planning and
development of job search strategies.
• Review resumes and cover letters and graduate school essays to assist in the development of
effective job search and graduate/profession school documents.
• Conduct practice interviews for employment and graduate school applications to increase students’
effectiveness in communicating their qualifications during the interview process.

2. • Present workshops on job search strategies, resume and cover letter writing, and interview
preparation to classes, student organizations, and community groups.
• Develop and coordinate career-related programs such as career fairs, law schools fair, and career
informational meetings.
• Develop and present special programs such as applying to graduate school; transitioning into the
work world; preparing for the first year of work; exploring careers; networking with employers; and
employment outlook for Hawaii and the nation.
• Present information on services and programs to graduating seniors during PLUS sessions in
partnership with Colleges of Arts & Sciences Student Academic Services.
• Oversee the credential file service to maintain confidentiality and proper recordkeeping of
reference letters.
• Publicize programs and services through the development of the publications, brochures, flyers,
and campus bulletin boards.
Employer Liaison, Career Services, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii, 1989 to 2000.
• Coordinated employer recruitment program that assisted international, national and local
employers with on-campus employment recruitment events.
• Planned and implemented programs such as career fairs and special topics workshops.
• Conducted annual survey of employers to obtain data on hiring activities and views on students’
interview performance and employment preparedness.
EDUCATION:
Graduate courses in Educational Administration, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii.
EDEA 604 Qualitative Research Methods in Educational Organizations
EDEA 630 Higher Education Law
EDEA 620 Finance in Higher Education
EDEF 676 Politics of Education
EDEA 650 Human Factors in Organization
EDEA 660 Management/Leadership in Higher Education
EDEA 657 Introduction to Higher Education
EDEA 646 American College Student
EDEA 661 Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education
EDCG 620 Cross-Cultural Counseling
Master’s in Education in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Hawaii at Manoa, May 1977.
Bachelor’s in Education in Secondary Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa, December 1975.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
National Association of Colleges and Employers
Pacific Coast Association of Prelaw Advisors
COMMUNITY SERVICE:
Volunteer, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i’s Resource Center
Board Member, Japanese Women’s Society Foundation