MSU international students seeking employment in their home countries wait to meet with prospective employers at MSU’s first-time international student career fair. Photo by Stephanie Motschenbacher

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — International students at MSU will have more opportunities for employment in their home countries, thanks to a new partnership between Michigan State University’s Office for International Students and Scholars and MSU Career Services Network.  

OISS, which serves as the “home away from home” for MSU’s international students, will put students in touch with career opportunities while the Career Services Network will provide the hiring medium. Together they will host workshops that teach international students how to interview with American-based companies – and international student career fairs.

At a time when MSU is experiencing a significant increase in international undergraduate student enrollment – climbing from 1,333 international undergraduates in 2006 to 2,198 international undergraduates in 2008 – student need has met economic demand.

“Our partnership just seemed like the perfect marriage,” said Kelley Bishop, executive director of Career Services Network. “If students have been educated in the United States, especially at an institution the business trusts, a globally expanding company can confidently hire employees who already span the multiple cultures of places where the company operates.”

Traditionally, international students have been frustrated in their attempts to gain long-term employment within the United States. Because of visa restrictions, companies are often unable – or unwilling – to consider candidates not already authorized to work in the U.S. But with the emerging economies in places such as China and India, an increasing number of international students are turning their sights toward home.

At the same time, companies that produce highly specialized knowledge – such as Microsoft Corp. – or those that rely on cultural knowledge to succeed have become especially interested in MSU graduates, Bishop said. And these companies, which may generate 30 percent to 70 percent of business overseas, plan to increase hiring from their targeted campuses – including for students who reside in countries where global operations are located.  

One such company is Alcoa Inc., an aluminum manufacturing company. Alcoa participated in MSU’s first-time international student career fair, which was held Oct. 2 as part of MSU’s Career Gallery. More than 200 international students attended the fair and eight companies – including global giants Microsoft Corp., General Electric Co. and Dow Chemical – participated. 

“The career fair was the first time we have offered this kind of structured program to help students gain employment in their home countries,” said Peter Briggs, director of OISS.

Until now, career fairs have not been a successful hiring medium for international companies.

“I believe MSU is ahead of other universities where we recruit by offering this event,” said Jay Rateau, vice president of new energy, global primary products growth for Alcoa Inc. “Our global work force is 97,000 strong, so we need talent that is multicultural, diverse and capable of working in a team environment. Many of MSU’s colleges and departments are nationally ranked for their academic excellence. For these reasons, MSU is one of a few select universities on which Alcoa has concentrated its recruiting activities.”

MSU will host another international career fair in January, where Bishop expects at least a 50 percent rate of growth among students and companies.

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.