The Central Intelligence Agency will be making a visit to Oakland University on Wednesday, Sept. 14 in an effort to inform students about the agency.

This is the first time that the CIA has recruited at Oakland and the event will be held in the Lake Michigan on the lower level of the Oakland Center from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m. There will also be a complimentary lunch provided.

“There are optional 30 minute advising sessions with the CIA recruiter and that is from 2 p.m.  to 5 p.m, in the career services office,” office assistant Jordan Belanger said.

Students that had interest in the one-on-one meeting with the recruiters were able to sign up through career services. There were only six time slots for the one-on-one session and all spots are taken.

The recruiter is scheduled to go over the careers that the CIA has to offer to those that qualify; along with answering questions about the hiring process for the CIA.

Participants are encouraged to bring an updated resume to the session so the recruiter can review it. Those that couldn’t attend the first visit will have another opportunity to meet with the CIA at the Fall Career Fair on Sept. 21.

What is the CIA?

Sixty-nine years ago, after World War II and at the start of the Cold War, President Truman signed and approved the creation of the CIA. According to the CIA’s website, the CIA is a government agency that plays a major role in the United States’ national security. Their primary tasks involve collecting, analyzing, evaluating and distributing foreign intelligence to assist the United States government.

Field agent or ethics counselor, the CIA offers careers in 50 different fields, providing a diverse number of options for candidates.

Importance of academics

The CIA weeds out the top candidates when it comes to academics. Candidates should have a minimum college grade point average of 3.0, preferably in the fields of biological or chemical engineering, economics, finance, international business or relations and nuclear or physical science, according to  www.ciaagentedu.org.

They also require that the candidate be bilingual and pass a polygraph test, physical examination and a psychological examination.

In addition to the high standards of academics and the ability to pass multiple screen tests, the CIA also requires candidates to have previously lived in a foreign country, travel experience and strong knowledge of foreign countries.

Along with the CIA, other federal government agencies will also be on campus for the career fair.

More information about the CIA can be found at https://www.cia.gov/careers.

For additional information about CIA Day at Oakland and the Fall Career Fair, contact the Career Services office at 248-370-3250, by email at careers@oakland or at www.oakland.edu/careerservices.