Winter Career Fair to be biggest in school’s history

The 2017 Winter Career Fair will take place in the Oakland University Recreation and Well-Being Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25.

There will be 125 companies in attendance that are looking for both interns and employees, with another 20 on a waiting list.

“This year’s Winter Career Fair is the biggest career fair that we’ve had to date,” said Kaitlyn Barbas, marketing and event coordinator for Career Services.  “It’s really exciting to know that this many companies are excited about recruiting OU students and alumni.”

Opportunities are going to be available for most majors, with fewer opportunities for students in health sciences, nursing and elementary education, due to the fact that these often have rotational programs within the schools.

“It [the career fair] really gives students the opportunity to kind of see what they want to get into in terms of specifics,” said Julian Enghauser, OU freshman and journalism major.

Students are expected to wear professional clothing and bring résumés, as well as their Oakland IDs.

Upon arrival, attendees will receive a handout which will consist of a list of the employers, their booth numbers, the majors they’re looking for and their job opportunities.

According to Barbas, automotive companies such as General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are often some of the largest draws.

“We have a lot of bigger companies looking for engineering specifically, so American Axel Manufacturing hires a ton of our students,” Barbas said. “On the liberal arts, business side, United Shore hires tons of our students every year.”

OU will be providing a LinkedIn photo booth at the event in order take headshots of any interested students, free of charge, for LinkedIn and Handshake profiles.

“Employers are really perusing through Handshake recently, looking for students who have completed profiles and students who have uploaded résumés,” Barbas said.

There will also be a Handshake station run by Career Services staff, giving students the opportunity to work on résumés, profiles and discuss employers.

Students who participate in this station will be eligible to receive a free T-shirt or pen.

Past career fairs have reached around 600 student attendees, but Career Services’ goal for Wednesday is 700.

Other upcoming Career Services events include an Internship Mixer on 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. February 14, and a Government and Non-profit Mixer on March 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both are in the OC Banquet Rooms.

Registration is not required for the 2017 Winter Career Fair or the Mixers.

For more information on this or other events, email Career Services at [email protected] or call (248) 370-3250.