North Foundation Hall, Room 103
318 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester,
MI
48309-4454
(location map)
(248) 370-3250
careers@oakland.edu
Office Hours
Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Career Studio
Mon - Thu 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
For Students and Alumni
We offer many services to help OU students and alumni become competitive job candidates. Schedule an appointment with a Career Consultant to chat about your resume, practice your interviewing skills, or get job search advice. Browse Handshake to find job and internship openings, as well as other career related resources. Attend our networking events to open the doors to new opportunities.
Looking for assistance but can’t get to our office? Check out our extensive Resource Library in Handshake.
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As a student/alumnus of Oakland University, you agree to abide by the Student Social and Professional Conduct Responsibility Agreement throughout all professional interactions. Please review the document below before interacting with Career Services or conducting a job or internship search.
Student Responsibility AgreementEmployers conduct virtual on-campus interviews with students and alumni throughout the fall and winter semesters.
Browse and apply for on-campus interviews using Handshake. You can navigate to this page by clicking on Jobs in the navigation bar and then selecting On-Campus Interviews in the upper right corner of the screen.
Please review the on-campus interview policy on page two of the Student Responsibility Agreement before applying for any on-campus interviews.
Schedule an On-Campus InterviewAn internship is a great way to gain experience in your field and help you to decide if you’re on the right career path. Most employers expect graduates to have one or two internships under their belt when applying for full-time positions. We recommend looking for an internship during your sophomore year. Your internship could be the gateway to a full-time job!
While Career Services cannot place you in an internship, we can give you the tools you need to land your dream position. You can browse and apply for current internship opportunities via Handshake. If you need assistance with your internship search, make an appointment with our office. We can help find the right internship for you, update your resume and cover letter and practice your interviewing skills. More information about internships can be found in the Resource Library in Handshake.
Career fairs are a great way to get your foot in the door with your dream employer. We hold four career fairs a year- two in the Fall semester and two in the Winter.
Check out this year’s fairs!
You can also find out more about our career fairs on Handshake under the events tab by clicking on Find Career Fairs.
Want to go to the career fair but don’t know how to prepare? Schedule an appointment, visit the Resource Library in Handshake to find career fair preparation materials or view available prep sessions using the Events tab in Handshake.
Are you considering graduate school? Will it help you in your career? Schedule an appointment with our office to discuss if a graduate degree is right for you.
An advanced degree is required for a number of different industries. Research opportunities and requirements in the careers that interest you to see what’s required, and whether a master’s or a doctorate is a better option.
Wondering how to choose the right school or program for you? Maybe you want an accelerated program or one that lets you take courses part time in the evenings. Determine what kind of program will work best for your lifestyle, ambitions, and pocketbook and get to work on that application.
It all comes down to this: Your graduate school application.
It’s true that applying for grad school is very different from what you went through to get into your undergrad program. It is more competitive and more personal, and can involve faculty recommendations, admission tests and interviews.
Follow these tips to show off your most capable side.
- Get good grades in your undergrad. Yes, that GPA still counts.
- Take as many advanced courses in your field as possible.
- Get to know your professors – they can help you and write that glowing recommendation you need.
- Visit new schools and talk to the faculty. Let them see your passion and impress them with your know-how. If you have friends in a program, ask them to put in a good word for you.
- Start the application process early. Like a year in advance.
- Apply to at least six schools. Competition for grad school admission is intense, especially in popular or prestigious programs. You may be admitted to your top choice, but make sure you have a backup plan.
May/June (a year and a half before your target start date) : Research grad schools, identify programs and take a practice graduate admissions test. If your practice scores weren’t great, sign up for a test prep course.
July: Request information from schools that interest you. Meet with a few of your undergrad professors to ask their advice about programs and schools.
August: Take the graduate admissions test. If you're not happy with your scores, sign up to take it again. Begin writing your personal statement.
September: List time. Narrow down your potential schools, revise your personal statement and tailor it to your graduate programs. Ask a faculty member or professional to take a look.
October: Request official transcripts. Ask faculty for recommendations, visit campus and meet with students and professors at your prospective schools.
November/December: Complete and submit all applications, keeping two copies of everything for your records. Verify that your recommendation letters have been sent.
January: Focus on financial aid—fill out the FAFSA online and look into private loans, grants, assistantships and fellowships.
February/March: Try to relax while you wait it out.
April: Celebrate your acceptances!
Depending on the school or program you want, you may have to take a graduate school entrance exam.
These exams are designed to identify how you perform on standardized testing and how well you will perform in your graduate program. Verify that you need a test and then break out the books. Plan to take the exam three to four months before the graduate program application deadlines.
Register with your prospective graduate entrance exam to get a test prep book.
- Law School Admission Council (LSAC)
- Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
- Medical College Admission Test – Association of American Medical Colleges (MCAT-AAMC)
- Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
- Graduate Management Admission Test GMAT
Gradview outlines and identifies each test to take if you are unsure. It also offers great resources for financial aid, attending graduate school, and information on careers and programs.
The Princeton Review provides additional resources for test review.
At Oakland University, we love having our students work on-campus. Working here as a student can help you explore your passions, find your career path and make connections with campus leaders. Browse and apply for on-campus jobs on Handshake by clicking the Jobs tab and using the On-Campus filter at the top of the page.
Need more information or already have an on-campus job? Visit financial aid here.
View specific resources for standing out as an international candidate in the Handshake Resource Library. View more OU resources for international students here.
Fraudulent Employers: Tips for Students
While searching for jobs in Handshake and other job boards, students must be aware of fraudulent employers attempting to scam students for money, personal information, and other valuable data.
Legitimate employers will never ask for financial or personal information during the application process.
Beware of the following types of requests:
- You must provide your credit card or bank account numbers or other personal financial documentation. Do NOT give out any financial information at any point during your job-search and hiring process.
- You are asked to provide your social security and driver’s license information in the initial application. Personal information should never be asked during the initial application process.
- The representative tells you that the organization does not have an office set up in your area and will need you to help get the office up and running. This scam often includes a request for your banking information, supposedly to help the employer make transactions.
- The position requires an initial investment, such as a payment by wire service or courier.
- You are offered a large payment or reward in exchange for allowing the use of your bank account, often for depositing checks or transferring money.
- You receive an unexpectedly large check to deposit into your bank account.
- Remember: Never process ANY financial transactions. For example, some organizations offer opportunities to “make quick money.” They will offer a “one-day only special.” Their intent is to defraud you by sending or wiring money to your bank account. They will ask you to cash the check or send the monies to other accounts. Once your bank or financial institution processes the scammer’s check or financial request, you may be informed the monies are invalid or “not real.” In the meantime, you are held responsible for the funds the bank has sent at your direction to other accounts.
For additional information, refer to NACE's Fraudulent Employer help guide and read UTS's Phish Tank article.
Career Treks are career exploration experiences that offer OU students the opportunity to learn about companies, industries and careers by giving an insider's look into the company. Students travel to partnered companies to engage with industry professionals and OU alumni, expand their networks and increase their awareness of career possibilities. Learn how your degree and skillset can be utilized and valued at companies that seek to hire OU students!
Visit Handshake to browse available Career Treks.
Career Treks are held during Fall and Winter academic semesters only.
2 - Being in Metro Detroit, Oakland University students have the unique opportunity to work with not only Quicken Loans from an internship perspective and get to see our offices on a career trek but also they get to experience a plethora of other companies that are in Detroit and Metro Detroit, which most university students do not get to experience.
3 - A career trek is career exploration experience that allows for students to learn about careers, companies and industries. When a student attends a career trek they actually will go visit that company and be able to engage with OU alumni, company leaders, take a tour and learn how to really stand out when they apply for positions within that company.
4 - The best way to stand out at career trek is to really to ask questions and be curious. This is the opportunity for the student to get to know us and as an organization we wanna know that the student is genuinely curious and wants to understand us at a higher level.
The way that I stood out was I brought passion. Passion in who I am and what I’m all about but passion for the organization.
5 - I would recommend the career trek because you get to go to the place of business, you get a taste of what works like, you can make those connections that can help you land that first job for when you graduate.
Students can prepare for a career trek by attending one of our prep sessions, by updating their resume, getting their elevator pitch together and also by researching the company.
Oakland was the best investment that I could ever make. It set the foundation for me in terms of being able to give me a platform to find and go and pursue what I was really passionate about.