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Undergraduate Career Advising

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Supporting students who are looking for a strategic career plan.

The Russell Palmer Career Management Center supports all business-interested students of all majors from freshman year through graduation. We are a full-service career management team dedicated to career advising and education. We partner with employers to assist them with the best opportunities to connect with our talented students.

How to schedule a career advising appointment

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

The Palmer Center’s services are for students pursuing all Broad majors except hospitality business. Students currently pursuing hospitality business have access to customized hospitality business advising services.

"Green and White Glove" Service

In Broad tradition, we strive to provide best-in-class customer service to both our students and employers.

The Russell Palmer Career Management Center is the central career center for the Broad College and part of MSU’s Career Services Network (CSN). The CSN is a seamless connection of career service professionals located in college-based and centralized career centers across campus. We support students with resources, programs and services related to career development. In addition, we also support recruiters by assisting with job postings, information sessions, career fairs, interview rooms and more.

Mission Statement

We enhance student success and development of transformational leaders through:

  • Facilitation of proactive lifelong career management skills in a rapidly changing, globalizing and diversifying employer marketplace.
  • Formation of strategic partnerships with employers and alumni to enable talent acquisition and development.
  • Leading and delivering “green and white glove” strategic support to students, alumni and employers, ensuring our stakeholders’ positive engagement.

Student Career Advising

Some of the student career advising services provided by the Palmer Center staff include:

  • One-on-one career advising
  • Resume and cover letter review
  • Practice interviews
  • Peer coach services
  • Job search strategies
  • Professional development events
  • On-campus networking opportunities
  • Corporate tours and visits
  • Drop by hours (8/28/23 – 12/1/23)

Employer Engagement Services

The Palmer Center provides connections between students and employers through a variety of opportunities, both in-person and virutal. Connect with us and we can provide a customized experience:

  • Career fairs
  • Information sessions
  • Information tables
  • On-campus interviews
  • Job postings
  • Virtual interviews
  • Customized recruiting strategy sessions
  • Lunch and learns

Broad graduates have a competitive edge.

The Broad College is one of the largest business schools in the country. The size of our top-ranked undergraduate programs gives us the rare opportunity to impact business on a grand scale. Industry leaders across sectors seek out our Spartans.

See Broad's Rankings

handshake logo

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

Handshake Help Center

4 steps to get started with Handshake

  1. Log in to Handshake. Use your MSU Net ID and password and log in to the MSU Handshake portal.
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
An undergraduate student and Sparty the mascot take a selfie at the 2018 Detroit Executive Forum in downtown Detroit.

Explore your future

The Palmer Center provides hands-on guidance to help you decide what you want to do and how your education and experiences will get you there. Explore your future with the links below, but remember: Your major is just one of the factors that shapes your future career—your interests, skills, values and personality all play a vital part in finding the best career possible!

Job Search Strategies

Meet with one of our career advisors to develop a strategy for your internship, part-time or full-time job search. Login to Handshake for advising times.

Broad Student Career Guide

Properly prepare for your job search

If you are a sophomore, junior or senior, be sure to use VMock to help you get your resume started! Use the artificial intelligence to refine the basics of your resume. Meet with a career advisor or peer coach to further develop a targeted resume.

Practice/Mock Interviews

Practice interviews with our experienced career advising staff or peer coaches! Make appointments in Handshake.

Cover Letters

Cover letters are a great way to showcase your written communication skills. Have your cover letter reviewed during drop-in hours or via career advisor appointment scheduled in Handshake.

Student Preparation

Use Handshake labels to search for business recruiting events:

“Broad bus recruiting” – For all business-related recruiting events (information tables, employer information sessions, interview schedules, and more

“Broad bus fresh/soph friendly” – For recruiting events that are friendly for underclassmen.

“Broad bus career education” – For career education workshops specific to business students.

All majors are welcome! Visit Handshake → Events → Find Some Events → Search

Make an Appointment for One-on-One Career Advising

After attending a workshop, or if your resume has been built, make an appointment to continue development on your resume. We offer virtual and in-person appointments.

September–April

Make an appointment through the appointments tab in Handshake. Choose an appointment category with the Palmer Center in the Minskoff Pavilion.

 

Connect with your future

Connect with your future by attending career fairs, interviewing for positions and negotiating job offers.

Networking

The Department of Labor estimates that up to 80 percent of positions are filled without an employer advertising! If you are relying on job postings as your primary job search strategy, you’re only seeing approximately 20 percent of what is out there. Networking takes place whenever you:

  • Meet with faculty or staff—especially a career advisor
  • Attend an employer info session or career event
  • Meet guest speakers or engage with your peers in class or through a student organization
  • Talk with family, friends and other acquaintances about their work
  • Post messages on Facebook, LinkedIn or other websites
  • Volunteer for a community service event

To get started on your networking, check out Broad Connect and Spartan Links on LinkedIn. These are groups that connect MSU students to alumni working in their area of interest.

Career Fairs

There are many career fairs offered throughout the academic year, and all are open to students in any major. Check the list and attend fairs that fit your personal interests. Don’t forget to prepare ahead of time with resources from the Russell Palmer Career Management Center and Career Services Network.

Interviewing

Great, you’ve got an interview! Now what? First, make sure that you prepare appropriately. Afterward, take the next steps to make yourself stand apart from the other candidates. Take a look at the resources below to make your interviewing experience successful.

Negotiating Job Offers

If you are stuck in between offers and do not know how to continue, we can help! Join a Palmer Center team member in offer exploration to help navigate your final offer decision for internship or full-time opportunities. Contact the Palmer Center to set up an appointment.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, October 4
MSU Virtual MBA/MSBDSA Career Fair
Online
Tuesday, October 10
MSU MBA/MSBDSA Pre-Supply Chain Fair In-Person Networking Mixer
Tuesday, October 10
MSU Careers in Business: Supply Chain Management In-Person Fair
SEE MORE EVENTS

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.

No Show/Late Cancellation Policy

Sample Interview No Show Apology Letter

Falsification of Information Policy

Students registering and submitting resumes on Handshake certify that the information is truthful and accurate.

Falsification of Information Policy

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.

Employment Offer Guidelines

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.

Renege Policy

Contact Information

  • Russell Palmer Career Management Center
  • Minskoff Pavilion
  • 651 N Shaw Ln Rm M120
  • East Lansing, MI 48824
  • Phone: (517) 432-0830
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