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Students & Alumnae

We at Career & Professional Development (CPD) believe professional formation is leadership development. Our team is passionate about helping you find work that is meaningful to you and that will allow you to contribute your talents, skills and experience to make a difference in the world. Take advantage of career coaching and counseling, upcoming career education workshops and connect with recruiters and professionals from across industries. We take a developmental approach aimed to equip you with the skills and tools to navigate your lifelong career journey. Grounded in our CSJ Heritage and Catholic Intellectual Tradition, we invite you to reflect on these 3 key questions:

WHO AM I?
WHAT DOES THE WORLD NEED ME TO BE?
HOW AM I BECOMING?

Five people in business attire

Propel your career

Journey Further

View upcoming career events, on-campus job announcements and appointments for career counseling.

High impact career practices

Research reveals six high impact career practices which we encourage all students to strive for throughout their time at the Mount.

  • People talking in a classroom

    Understanding career opportunities

    Careers are non-linear. Your major does not limit the career pathways you can consider.

  • Woman using a laptop

    Create a plan for your career

    Have a goal in mind? Let's put it in writing. Not sure? You're not alone. Many students are open to exploring and that's OK! Make a plan to keep all those doors of opportunity open.

  • Two women smiling

    Seek career advice

    Gather insight and information to gain a better understanding of different types of roles, organizational settings and skills or education needed.

  • People working in a medical setting

    Pursue experiences and internships

    Don't know where to start? Check out Handshake, the Mount's career platform, or get support from our team.

  • Women talking outside

    Network with employers

    Take advantage of mentor nights, career fairs and other employer events to practice!

  • Woman giving a presentation

    Build critical thinking skills

    Exercise critical thinking and gain confidence talking about your learnings.

Handshake & Student Employment

Handshake is the official "one-stop shop" at the Mount to make an appointment for career coaching and counseling, discover job and internship opportunities and more! You can find all °ÄÃŲʿª½±ÀúÊ·½á¹û student employment and career-related programs plus external company-hosted events.

Beware of phishing scams: You should NEVER have to pay money to apply for an on-campus job. At the Mount, you can apply to any open student employment position for free, and the best way to find the right one is through Handshake.
Please feel free to reach out with any other questions by emailing career@msmu.edu. For questions regarding financial aid or work-study award and eligibility, contact studentemployment@msmu.edu.

You already have an account! On the portal homepage under the “Your Apps” section on the righthand side, click the “H” Handshake icon. Log in using your same °ÄÃŲʿª½±ÀúÊ·½á¹û username and password as your university email. If this is your first time logging in, you will be prompted to answer a few questions related to your career interests to set up your profile. You can always select "Skip" and complete/edit your profile another time. You can also access directly.

To search for a job on Handshake:

  1. Once on the Handshake homepage, on the lefthand side below the Handshake icon, click "Jobs"
  2. In the search/filters section, click “All filters" and then under Job Type click “On-Campus” then click the button “Show results” to view open student jobs at °ÄÃŲʿª½±ÀúÊ·½á¹û.

New open positions are posted to Handshake year-round so check frequently!  

Yes, that's what we're here for! We offer individual and group career education on topics including career exploration, resume building, cover letter writing, job & internship search, graduate & professional school preparation, interview preparation, networking skills and more!

Schedule an appointment to meet one-on-one with a career coach.

  1. Once on the Handshake homepage, on the lefthand side menu, click "Career center"
  2. In the center navigation bar, click "Appointments"
  3. Click the blue button "Schedule A New Appointment" and follow the prompts that relate to you.

You can also attend resume building workshops scheduled throughout the semester. Check out the “Events” section in Handshake or visit our page on to see what's next.

Your Financial Aid offer letter will indicate if you were awarded work-study for the academic year, as well as the amount awarded. If you were not awarded work-study as part of your financial aid package, you can still be eligible for some positions. Reach out to financialaid@msmu.edu with any questions regarding work-study funds.

Our office is passionate about helping you find work that is meaningful to you and that will allow you to contribute your talents, skills and experiences to make a difference in the world. We look forward to working with you!

Two women in business attire

Get Started with Handshake

READY. SET. LAUNCH.

Handshake is the official "one-stop shop" for students at the Mount and alumnae to make an appointment for career coaching and counseling, discover job and internship opportunities and more!