Oakland University
Friday, October 17, 2014

5 tips for a successful job search from the Student to Professional Conference

The first 200 students to register and attend the fifth annual Student to Professional Conference, set for Saturday, Nov. 15, will receive a free shirt and pad folio. Register at oakland.edu/S2P. The conference helps students take their educational experiences to the workplace and tackle the challenges of a highly competitive job market.
Oakland University will help students take their educational experiences to the workplace and tackle the challenges of a highly competitive job market with the fifth annual Student to Professional Conference, set for 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms and Gold Rooms.

“We encourage students to take advantage of everything the conference has to offer this year, such as networking with Chrysler employees, attending 12 unique sessions presented by OU alumni and staff in different career fields and the chance to win a dinner with Chrysler employees,” said Amy Tuckfield, conference co-adviser and Coordinator of Orientation and New Student Programs. 

5 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH: 

  1. Update your LinkedIn profile, including profile photo, heading, summary, work experience and OU involvement. Most recruiters will search for you on LinkedIn.
  2. Use the “Find Alumni” tool on LinkedIn to reach out to alumni working for companies/industries you are interested in and request an informational interview.
  3. Tell everyone that you are job searching – friends, family, past supervisors, colleagues, advisers, professors, etc.
  4. Expand your network by attending Career Services events to meet employers from different industries.
  5. In addition to using OU CareerLink, sign up at indeed.com to receive daily email alerts for desired job opportunities.
“Other new initiatives this year include a First Time Attendees Session to help students learn about conference etiquette, a marketing blitz and the chance to win prizes to help you kick start your internship and career search.” 

Registration for the conference will kick off on Monday, Oct. 20, and the following day, staff members from across campus, as well as representatives from Chrysler, will be on hand for the marketing blitz, which will take place from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the main entrances of the Oakland Center and the Engineering Center near parking lot P-36 (facing the parking structure).

“The Student to Professional Conference marketing blitz will be an exciting occasion geared toward motivating the professionals of tomorrow to attend a life- and career-changing event,” said Brittani Hobbs, communications coordinator for the First Year Advising Center. “There will be golden eggs spread across campus between the two locations of the marketing blitz that will have special prizes in them. Five students have the chance to find the “golden” ticket in the eggs and win one of the grand prizes.”

Those who find the golden tickets must attend the conference to claim their prizes. Chrysler Corporation will support this promotion with vehicle displays on campus. 

Oakland students can learn about a variety of job-related topics, including networking, potential career paths, financial basics, social media, internships, interviewing, conflict management, personal brand and preparation for graduate school. The event will feature a variety of hour-long workshops led by OU business leaders and professionals from around the region.

In addition, Tony Nuckolls, vice president of Training and Development at Quicken Loans, will present the keynote address, “Your Career Starts Now.”

A pre-conference networking session called “Coffee with Chrysler” will allow students to practice their networking skills with business professionals from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, in Oakland Center Banquet Room A.

Register at oakland.edu/S2P

The fifth annual Student to Professional conference will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 at OU. Registration kicks off on Monday, Oct. 20.

Created by Eric Reikowski (esreikow@oakland.edu) on Thursday, October 16, 2014
Modified by Colleen Campbell (cjcampbell@oakland.edu) on Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Article Start Date: Friday, October 17, 2014