Job Search Tips and Leads

Our goal is not simply to teach and get you out of here soon. We want you to be productive members of society and fulfill all of your goals. One way to get there is to find a job that pays well and is rich with valuable experience, friendships and challenges. 

We share information with our students as well as alumni in several ways. It is wise to explore them all.

1. Career Fairs

   This should be the first priority for ALL our current students. Employers descend on campus twice a year (October and March) and are constantly scanning the student body to find that next great colleague with potential to lead. Quite a few use this opportunity to grab a few interns to try out before they consider them as full-time employees. If you are serious about getting a job, it is vital that you attend these every chance you get - even as a Freshman - and learn to interact with strangers in a professional manner. This means, good grooming and carrying a nice, polished, error-free resume to hand out

2. Handshake

   This is a valuable resource for all MSU students. Please register and keep your information current. All employers interested in our students also register here.

3. Internal Site

   This is used primarily to list internship opportunities. The department maintains a special site on Canvas (our learning management system) called "CSIS NEWS". All primary and secondary majors are automatically loaded into this class twice a year. Students must accept the invitation to join or they will not get any notifications. There are two to three jobs listed every month. These are mostly within 100 miles of Murray.

4. Career Services

   This is one of the MOST overlooked resource for majors in our department. They have tons of valuable resources to prepare you for that dream job. Use it! Career services has contracted with an external vendor to manage all job listings. Please visit Career Services and check out all that they have to offer.

5. Facebook

   We also use Facebook to reach both current students and alumni. Employers sometimes ask if we are aware of experienced alumni looking for a change or just wanting to come closer home. Having a Facebook account and "liking" our page will keep you in the loop.

6. Student Clubs

   This is another avenue for getting good leads. Our student clubs - ACM/AITP - invite speakers to their club meetings and some of them ask for resumes in advance. Quite a few employers like this personal touch and find it very efficient. Alumni are good about coming to campus and sharing their experience (and leads)

7. Word-of-mouth

   This is usually a casual mention of an opportunity to someone in the department and typically requires a 24-48 hour turnaround. In such cases we email specific students and ask them to apply. Obviously you must be KNOWN to your teachers/chair in order to make this cut. Your performance in classes, your personality and work ethic have a HUGE bearing on being mentioned as a candidate.

We hope you will use these different tools and find that awesome job... keep us posted!