Two women seated a a table with notebooks and pens, smiling at the camera.

Career and Life Design for Employers

School of Business Administration

Elliott Hall, Room 427
275 Varner Drive
Rochester, MI 48309-4485
(location map)

At the Oakland University School of Business Administration, the embedded Career and Life Design team collaborates with employers to find the best Grizzly talent for their recruitment needs. Through networking and recruiting events, on-campus interview opportunities and the job-posting platform, Handshake, employers can discover confident OU talent with real-world experience.

Employers will benefit from the dedicated Career and Life Design staff, which offers an unparalleled resource in the search of prepared, enthusiastic recruits. The team takes the responsibility of connecting bright minds to opportunities seriously.

WHY OU BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS

There’s a reason Oakland business graduates are employed by a wide variety of organizations across many sectors including accounting, automotive, tier one, aerospace, defense, health care, financial services, entertainment, education, information services, manufacturing, staffing, and more.

The major and minor programs at Oakland’s business school integrate theory, research and experience, giving students a unique combination of solid academic preparation and the practical skills necessary to succeed professionally.

This focus on integrating real-world knowledge into the business curriculum is reinforced by a school-wide commitment from faculty and staff members. It means OU business students make connections, build their network, get hands-on experience and learn how to turn their passion and knowledge into career-ready skills.

Whether you are seeking to fill internship, co-op or full-time positions, we’re excited to introduce you to Oakland business students.

HOW CAN I RECRUIT

The Oakland University Career and Life Design staff offers a variety of options for employers to connect with business students and alumni, including

Handshake to post openings
Fall Career Fair (held in late September)
Engineering & IT Career Fair (held in late September)
Etiquette Dinner (held in November)
Winter Career Fair (held in late January)
Speed Networking (held in February)
Internship Mixer (held in February)
Government Mixer (held in March)

Employers also can schedule individual opportunities to meet business students through:

Employer meet and greets
Employer information sessions
On-campus interviews
Sponsor or participate in career-directed programs
Student organization events

If you would like to invite Oakland University business students to company career fairs or other off-campus recruiting events, the OU Career and Life Design team is happy to get the word out to students via targeted email announcements and its social media network.

STAFF AND SERVICES

SBA Career and Life Design Employer Contact:
Ian Caullay
Director, Career and Life Design, School of Business Administration
(248) 370-4311
[email protected]

Natalie Iscaro
SBA ACHIEVE & Career and Life Design Office Assistant
(248) 370-4192
[email protected]

SBA Career and Life Design Office: 232 Elliott Hall
Career and Life Design Main Office:154 North Foundation Hall

Regular Hours
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Career and Life Design offers a wide range of resources for employers and recruiters interested in meeting, interviewing and hiring Oakland University students and alumni. Some employer services include:

Career fairs
Job postings on Handshake
Sponsorship of career-directed programs
Connection with academic departments and relevant student organizations
Access to candidate resumes
Employer information sessions
On-campus interviews
Resume referrals
Targeted e-mail announcements
24/7 web-based services
Employer meet and greets

Employers Say

Employers seek Oakland University business graduates for openings in their organizations. Representatives from hundreds of companies come to campus each year to meet and interview OU business students during career fairs, mixers and other professional events.

Oakland business school graduates are employed by a wide variety of organizations across many sectors including aerospace, automotive, tier one suppliers, defense, education, entertainment, finance, health care, information services, staffing and more.

Employers say

“Oakland University graduates from finance, operations management, and management information systems have all come well prepared and eager to make contributions at Meritor day one. I believe what sets Oakland apart is the ability to engage local companies and industries into their business school curriculum so the students are well prepared for graduation and the start of their career.”

Richard Marciniak

Program Manager- University Relations &Lean Implementation

Meritor

“Oakland University students have proven to be a valuable asset for Fastenal. We have found that Oakland has provided them with the educational tools necessary to make a positive impact on our bottom line. We will continue to recruit Oakland students because of the characteristics they possess coming out of school.”

Steven Carpenter
District Manager, Southeast Michigan
Fastenal

“Employees who graduate from the Oakland University business school come to us with more than just a four-year degree, rather a level of professionalism and preparedness that we haven’t seen from other academic institutions.”

Rob Wicker
Director of Recruitment Operations
Reliance One

Who employs OU School of Business Administration graduates

You'll find Oakland University business school alumni organizations within and outside of Michigan, including at:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Continental
Corewell Health
Crain Communications Inc.
DTE Energy
Flagstar Bank
Ford Motor Company
Forvia
General Motors
Honda Manufacturing
KUKA
Lear Corp.
Meritor
Navistar Defense
Oakwood Healthcare
Penske Automotive
Plante Moran LLP
PwC
Rocket Mortgage
State Farm Insurance
Stellantis
Takata
UHY

Fast Facts

Oakland University’s business is school is one of only 186 business schools – out of more than16,000 worldwide – to hold elite AACSB International accreditation for its business and accounting programs. Oakland University is one of only five universities in Michigan to hold separate AACSB accreditation in accounting.

All Oakland business students take part in a required professional and career development program that ensures our graduates gain a real understanding of how business works and prepares them to succeed from day one of their professional career.

In addition, 78% of undergraduate students who graduated from the Oakland University School of Business 2019-20 reported completing an internship.

New Student Profile

39% female; 61% male
Incoming freshmen average GPA 3.45
Average ACT: 23
Full-time student: 87%
Ethnicity: Caucasian 72.4%; Black 10.1%; Hispanic 5.9%; Asian/Pacific Islander: 3.3%; Native American /Alaskan Native 0.2%; International with Visa 2.8%; Not Reported 5.2%

Nationally Recognized School of Business

The Princeton Review Best Business Schools, since 2016
U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools, since 2019
CEO Magazine rank the OU MBA, Online MBA and Executive MBA programs among the best for students
Oakland University’s Human Resources Management program is certified by the National Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and is recognized as a member of the SHRM Academic Alignment Program.
The Oakland University finance major is part of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute University Affiliate Program, which recognizes academic programs that embed a significant portion of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge into their curriculum and prepares students to sit for the CFA exams.