Take your career to the next level.
The Russell Palmer Career Management Center at the Broad College of Business is here to provide world-class career coaching and education to Broad MBA and specialty master’s students. Our mission is to help you build a comprehensive strategy that bridges your career goals to your professional reality.
Services and Resources Offered
One-on-One Career Advising
As a Broad master’s student you will be assigned a career advisor based on your program, professional goals and functional interest to provide support including the following:
- Exploring career options and establishing goals
- Resume and cover letter review
- Mock interviews
- Job offer management and negotiation
Career Management Coursework
Formats range from lectures and panels by career professionals, to workshops and a for-credit career management class (Full-Time MBA). The following topics will be worked on at new student orientation and throughout the school year:
- Navigating on-campus and off-campus job searches
- Developing a personal value proposition
- Resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn
- Mock interviews
- Function and industry exploration
Career Fairs
As a Broad student you have access and support for career fairs that range from small and focused to large and diverse. They play an important part in the job search for many students.
Peer Coaching
Full-Time MBAs are assigned a second-year MBA coach to provide personalized feedback and advice. This includes resume and cover letter reviews, elevator pitch practice and sharing of insights from their personal experiences.
Deloitte Foundation Interview Suite
Interview suites are available to students to reserve for professional interviews only. The interview suite is open from 8:00am-5:00pm, Monday through Friday. To reserve an interview suite, email palmer@broad.msu.edu the following information:
- Date/Time of Interview
- Company you are Interviewing With
- Position you are Interviewing For
Virtual Resources
Broad offers a comprehensive set of cutting-edge online resources available 24/7:
- Videos and webinars covering a wide variety of career topics from industry-leading professionals.
- Access to Handshake, our online recruiting system, to apply to job postings, distribute your resume and search job postings.
- CareerLeader, a self assessment tool to help focus your career aspirations.
- VMock, an AI resume review platform to help you refine your resume before meeting one-on-one with a career advisor.
Exploring your career path
The initial step to forming a career strategy is critical, as you will assess your strengths and interests and discover opportunities in a variety of functional areas and industries before diving into the job search. The goal is to give you all the information you need to choose a career or to confirm your current path.
This will include the use of CareerLeader, a tool that provides a fully integrated approach to business career self-assessment built on the premise that one’s interests, motivators and skills will drive future career success and satisfaction.
Developing your skills
- Personal value proposition: The ability to clearly summarize the value you bring to a potential employer and differentiate yourself is a critical skill that you will use throughout your career. It is the foundation of your personal brand.
- Written communication: Your resume, cover letter and other written correspondence express your professionalism and personal brand.
- Networking and job search: You will learn how to confidently build relationships with hiring managers and recruiters using social media and the network of MSU alumni.
- Professional etiquette: Learn how to dress for success and present yourself professionally during meals and in formal and informal business situations.
- Interviewing: Learn how to effectively present yourself confidently through basic, behavioral and functional interview questions as well as case studies. Formats include classroom, counselor coaching, peer-to-peer coaching and alumni mock interviews.
- Offer management and salary negotiation: Remove the mystery from the last phase of acquiring a new job. See Broad’s offer renege policy for information on multiple offers.
Implementing your job search
Fortune 500 companies from across the globe recruit at Michigan State for their leadership talent. The career management team at Broad provides you with numerous opportunities and venues to connect and interview with them.
Employer events
- Information sessions and presentations
- Meet and greet or office hours
- Mock interviews: phone, virtual or in-person
- Sponsored tailgates, happy hours
- Company treks
- Case competitions
Career fairs
- Program specific: MBA and/or professional master’s
- Concentration specific: supply chain management, finance
- MSU campus-wide: Careers in Business, Diversity
- National: National Black MBA, Forté, Romba, Prospanica
On-campus interviews
- The Deloitte Foundation Interview suite (located across from the Russell Palmer Career Management Center) has state-of-the-art technology available for virtual and in-person interviews
Virtual recruiting
- Networking events, virtual career fairs
- Global Networking Series
Networking with Broad alumni
- Broad MBA students have access to the MBA Mentor Program.
- Alumni career panels and orientation panel throughout the year
Broad produces MBAs who are ready to make business happen, and the results show. The career management team takes pride in the success we achieve connecting our students to opportunities in companies across the globe.
Handshake is our online recruiting platform that connects MSU students with employers and alumni. Handshake offers a variety of powerful tools for students:
- Internship, part-time and full-time job search
- Career advising appointment sign up
- Career exploration resources
- Career related workshops and presentations
- Employer events, sessions and tables
- Career fairs
- Optimized mobile experience
Four steps to get started with Handshake
- Log in to Handshake. Use your MSU Net ID and password and log in to the MSU Handshake portal.
- Fill out your profile. Some of your information will already be in your Handshake profile. Check to be sure all information is correct and fill out the remainder. Take the career interests survey to optimize your job search
- Upload a document. You will want to have a public resume available in Handshake for employers to see. This will also help you complete your Handshake profile. Please keep your resume updated by having an advising appointment or sending it to palmer@broad.msu.edu.
- Take Handshake for a spin. Use the top search bar and filters to look for companies and jobs you are interested in learning more about or applying to. You can always save your searches in Handshake, so finding relevant employers and jobs will be easy.
Interview and Job Acceptance Policies
No Show/Late Cancellation Policy
Late cancellations or missed interviews are a hindrance to your success and leave a negative impact on Michigan State University and our relationships with employers. The following policy addresses this concern and the serious implications resulting from a late cancellation or a no-show.
Falsification of Information Policy
Students registering and submitting resumes on Handshake certify that the information is truthful and accurate.
Employment Offer Policies
Michigan State University and the Broad College of Business understand that the recruiting process consists of stringent deadlines for both the employer and students. It is the University’s position that students make the best decisions when offered the opportunity to evaluate all of their options and seek appropriate counsel.
Renege Policy
A job acceptance is a major commitment to your new employer. You should only make this type of commitment if you intend to honor it. Reneging is accepting a job offer from a second company while declining an already accepted job offer from the first company. This can severely damage your reputation, not only in the short-term, but also for the duration of your career. Reneging also has negative implications on the university’s relationships with the employer and can affect opportunities for other MSU students. The university does not sanction a renege situation on your part for any reason. Please carefully review the reneging policy before accepting any job offers.
- Russell Palmer Career Management Center
- Minskoff Pavilion
- 651 N Shaw Ln Rm M120
- East Lansing, MI 48824
- palmer@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-0830
- Director of Career Management
- Marla McGraw
- mcgrawm4@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-0830
- Business Manager
- Tresha Crenshaw
- crensh26@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-5116
- Senior Associate Director
- Jacob Winston-Galant
- winston8@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 355-6535
- Associate Director
- Pam Mars
- pmars@msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-3681
- Associate Director
- Paul Edwards
- edward48@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-6161
- Associate Director
- Kristen Hintz
- hintzk@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-7060
- Associate Director
- Lauren Hinkel
- hinkell2@msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-6161
- Associate Director of Employer Relations
- Kristina Reitler
- baxenda1@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-6272
- Events/Communications Manager
- Taylor Bates
- taybates@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-8009
- Recruiting Manager
- Penni Vandecar
- vandecar@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-6500
- Recruiting Manager
- Taylor Flewelling
- flewell7@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-6158
- Senior Associate Director, Global Career Initiatives
- Shinta Shintawati
- shintawati@broad.msu.edu
- Phone: (517) 432-6272
Get Connected with Broad:
- Business College Complex
- 632 Bogue St
- East Lansing, MI 48824