MSU Career Services values the multitude of perspectives and stories that students of color bring to our campus. Your experiences add immense value to our community and we’re ready to help you articulate how your unique experiences can benefit any employer.
Career Services is committed to supporting you with one-on-one career advising appointments, guidance on evaluating employer culture and fit, curated resources for navigating the workplace, and events (such as our annual Diversity Career Fair) offering you the chance to connect with diverse alumni and employers in a range of fields.
Career Advising
Connect with a career advisor to learn more about:
- Assessing your skills and professional interests
- Including your range of experience on your professional documents (resume, cover letters)
- Gaining additional experience through internships, part-time work, and other professional development opportunities
- Developing a job search strategy, including identifying employers who value diversity
- Building a professional network that utilizes a diverse range of mentors
- Preparing for interviews by highlighting your life experiences
- Applying to graduate/professional school
Appointments can be made via Handshake, where you can schedule time with a general or discipline-specific career advisor from the Career Services Network.
Connect with Diverse Alumni and Employers
Interested in connecting with diverse alumni and employers? There are a number of ways you might get started:
- LinkedIn: Visit MSU’s presence on LinkedIn, where you can browse profiles of thousands of Spartans and connect with alumni and employers of interest.
- Professional Organizations and Job Listing Sites: Connect with professional organizations based on identity group and explore job search engines that promote employers actively diversifying their workforce.
- Spartan Alumni Groups: MSU graduates stay engaged with the Spartan community through a number of affinity groups, including the MSU Black Alumni and Latino Spartans groups.
Evaluating Workplace Culture and Fit
Assessing an organization for its commitment to diversity and inclusion is, more than ever, an important part of the job search process. If you’re a jobseeker committed to working in an inclusive environment, how can you know if a company will meet your needs?
(1) Do Online Research: Visit the company’s website and examine everything from the “about us” section and any shared metrics on diversity or hiring practices to the photos used to represent the organization. Don’t forget to check out reviews on sites like Glassdoor, too.
(2) Look at the Company’s Employees: Find out who’s on the leadership team and browse employee profiles on LinkedIn. Do different backgrounds, cultures, and demographics seem to be represented? Are mentorship opportunities available?
(3) Review the Company’s Core Values: Are diversity and/or inclusion mentioned as priorities in the company’s mission statement or core values?
(4) Ask Questions During Your Interview: Try inquiring directly about diversity if you get a chance to pose questions during your interview.
(5) Reach Out to Connections: If you know anyone at the organization, see what details you can gather about their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
MSU’s Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives
The Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives serves as a gateway to the many programs and services that promote and support all aspects of diversity and inclusion at MSU. Check out their campus resources page for a rundown of relevant campus resources and programs, including academic programs, centers & institutes, and student organizations.
