Adam Hayes (MBA ’23)
Prior to enrolling at Broad, I always wanted to leverage an MBA to take my career to the next level. Having worked for a reputable technology firm for most of my career, I knew that my professional growth was limited and that I needed to take action. Soon after starting classes at Michigan State and getting acclimated to my new schedule, I realized that the Broad College of Business has plentiful resources that would help me transform my career.
The Broad College offers its Full-Time MBA students a healthy mix of classes, information sessions, coaches and online resources to identify the ideal role for us based on our interests. Regardless of each student’s declared program concentration, there were tools provided to ensure that we had a plan in place to attain our desired opportunity. I declared the Human Resources and Strategic Management concentration because I want to continue my career in human resources, and I took it upon myself to leverage my dynamic peer coaches and the Russell Palmer Career Management Center to find the summer internship that was right for me.
The rigors of balancing a heavy course load, internship applications and career fairs while preparing for interviews make the first semester of the Full-Time MBA program grueling. Nonetheless, it is important to accept that life is a challenge and that pain is temporary. A true game changer in my hunt for the right internship came in the form of the National Black MBA Association Conference and Career Expo in Chicago. Despite navigating through a pandemic, the conference offered me the chance to meet in person with corporations and connect with MBA students from other institutions. Taking advantage of the opportunity to interview on-site at the conference added so much value to the experience. I would highly recommend that any MBA student attend as the conference provides both in-person and remote options. I am making it a point to be present at the conference later this year as I aim to capitalize on my professional network.
By effectively using my work experience and Broad-based resources, I was able to secure internship offers from companies that would lift my career into a direction that I valued. With a lot of help from my mentors and peer coaches, second-year Full-Time MBA students Marques Moore and Lily Ramos, I ultimately decided to accept an offer in the oil and gas industry. From the offer acceptance experience, I learned that choosing the right offer truly comes down to timing, professional values and the corporation’s engagement. I am truly excited to make the transition to an oil and gas firm and see a different side of various HR functions and support an entirely new business line.
Entering the MBA program with a plan to take advantage of career management resources and actively seek out opportunities is what will set Spartans apart from other applicants and ultimately get them in front of recruiters and hiring managers for interviews. Together, the Broad College and its Palmer Center have formulated the necessary tools for Spartans’ professional success.
