Career Development

The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is one of the most heavily recruited business school campuses. Each year during recruiting season, more than 300 different companies descend on Ann Arbor to recruit Ross students, for both summer internships and permanent positions. Many companies target Ross MAccs by buying books of resumes, sending job postings for iMpact, Ross' online job-matching and networking service, or participating in our "Meet The Firms" career fair.

Graduating with a Ross MAcc provides a strong leg up in the job search process. Still, deciding on a career and pursuing career opportunities demands careful thought, preparation, and serious effort. The Office of Career Development at Michigan's Ross School of Business is there to help every step of the way.

The Office of Career Development: Your Partner in the Job Search

The Office of Career Development (OCD) at Michigan's Ross School of Business is a valuable and experienced partner throughout the process of deciding on and pursuing careers. OCD's professional staff works closely with hundreds of companies on behalf of Ross MAccs and provides seminars, workshops, information resources, and one-on-one services to MAccs before and during the one-year program. OCD has been cited as one of the top career placement offices by both recruiters and students.

The OCD staff is highly active with all MAccs and runs a range of programs that help students decide on a career and identify companies that constitute the "best fit." The staff also works individually with students to develop their resumes and interviewing skills. OCD manages the on- and off-campus recruiting of hundreds of companies, including facilitating companies' presentations to students, arranging thousands of on-campus interviews each year, and linking off-campus recruiters with interested MAcc students.

Career Trek

Each fall, the Office of Career Development conducts an intensive and comprehensive orientation into its services and into the job matchmaking process generally. This orientation, called Career Trek, prepares students for both deciding on a career and for the imminent arrival of hundreds of corporate recruiters looking to fill internship and permanent positions.

Career Trek seminars include everything from self-assessment for determining career fit to panels of executives talking about their industries to an introduction to resume-writing and interviewing skills. Career Trek also familiarizes MAcc students with the resources available to help them in their job search, including the ongoing series of workshops, one-on-one counseling services, and other support services and resources available within the Business School.

iMpact: Michigan's Ross School of Busines Online Job Matching and Networking Service

iMpact is a sophisticated and interactive online career database and networking system, and is typically the cornerstone for Michigan students' job search. iMpact is web-based and may be accessed either within Ross or remotely.

Linking Students and Career Opportunities
iMpact is constantly updated with hundreds of job postings specifically for Michigan's Ross School of Business students. For the hundreds of companies that recruit on campus, iMpact also includes information on events being hosted by that company as well as the company's interview schedule. The system is also the way students arrange on-campus interviews. In addition, iMpact contains, wherever available, information such as that company's recruiting history. iMpact also provides links directly to companies' web pages.

iMpact postings also come from companies that are not planning to come to campus but are targeting Ross students.

A Powerful Networking Tool

iMpact is typically the first stop for networking by Ross students. Interested in management consulting? The system will show you every consulting firm recruiting Ross students, fellow students who have worked or interned in the field, any consulting-related event being held on campus, and alumni working in the field. It will do the same thing if you're searching for a specific company or even a concept.

Once you find, say, a student who did an internship at a company you're interested in, you can send that student an e-mail message from iMpact. Your search will also show you things like club meetings and special workshops in your field of interest.

Career Counseling Workshops and One-on-One Services

The Office of Career Development continually offers a range of workshops on every aspect of the career exploration and job search process, along with a host of one-on-one services.

Throughout the year, the Office offers hands-on, detailed workshops on everything from how to effectively interact with the recruiters who come to campus, writing effective resumes, performing well in the job interview, on through to negotiating the offer. Advanced sessions are held and include things like updating resumes to reflect internships and also presenting in-company learning experiences, which can be a powerful leg up in the job search process, both on the resume and in the interview.

OCD's one-on-one services include mock interviews with every student, interviews which are video taped and critiqued to help students improve performance. OCD also reviews every student's resume individually and offers expert counsel on how to maximize its impact.

Among the OCD staff are about 20 specially-trained MBA students who serve as peer counselors, who offer an additional range of assistance. The counselors offer first-hand insights from the front lines of the job search process and maintain detailed information on the best classes and developmental opportunities to prepare for any of a wide range of careers.

The Recruiting Process

On-Campus Recruiting

Each year, more than 300 companies converge on Michigan's Ross School of Business to recruit Michigan students. Companies exercise a range of strategies to present themselves to Ross students and to recruit students for summer internships and permanent positions.

Most companies that come to campus make formal presentations to students, providing an orientation into their companies, what it's like to work there, and specific career opportunities available. Presentations are typically held in the evening after classes and include informal receptions. Many companies also get to know students and showcase their opportunities through activities like special dinners, tailgate parties, and golf outings. Companies hold informal office hours in Michigan's Ross School of Business, which allow students an opportunity to ask questions and discuss opportunities outside of the formal interview setting.

Michigan's Ross School of Business' interviewing suite includes many interview rooms, which companies use to meet with job candidates. Interviews are secured either through a company's invitation or through a process in which MAccs use iMpact to bid for interviews. Companies are required to provide open slots for bidding along with their invitation-only slots.

Off-Campus Opportunities

While more than 300 companies recruit through the on-campus process, at least that many target Ross students without physically coming to campus. Students sometimes initiate contact with still other companies, a strategy that is supported with workshops and special assistance by Michigan's Ross School of Business Office of Career Development.

Company-initiated, off-campus recruiting comes primarily in two forms. First, companies interested in recruiting Ross MAccs may purchase books containing student resumes, in which all MAccs are included. In most cases, companies then select students in whom they are interested from that book and contact those students directly. Companies that use this strategy will typically provide transportation and accommodations for students to interview at a location such as their corporate headquarters. Second, companies may target Michigan students by posting a position on iMpact and providing contact information so that interested students may pursue these opportunities.

In addition to accommodating off-campus recruiting in these ways, Ross houses state-of-the art video conferencing facilities and assists in coordinating remote interviewing using this technology.

Peer and Alumni Networking

Many Ross students find that their peers can be a valuable resource in both identifying career opportunities and preparing to pursue those opportunities. Michigan is a tight-knit community with a tradition of cooperation. Students typically support each other in many and substantial ways during the career development process.

Student clubs, which cover a rich range of career and other common interests, are highly active at Ross. Many clubs offer the accumulated insights of their members and alumni in the form of specialized job-search advice or interview preparation in areas like finance, consulting, and marketing.

Ross students also help each other on an informal basis. iMpact is an important tool for networking among students. Plug in a company name or a field of interest, and iMpact will list not only related company-, student-, and school-sponsored events but also, on request, fellow students who have indicated a related interest or have held internships or jobs that match the search term. iMpact allows students to automatically send an e-mail message to peers found in such a search.

Alumni can also be a valuable resource. Michigan's Ross School of Business has more than 29,000 alumni in virtually every kind of organization, and throughout the world. (The University's alumni count is over 360,000.) iMpact provides background and contact information for Ross alumni, and the school also publishes a directory of alumni. Students often get in touch with alumni for general information or networking. Students have also landed internships or jobs at companies that did not recruit on campus by initiating contact through an alumna or alumnus.