This spring, the Career and Corporate Outreach Center (CCOC) at the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business hosted several events for students to explore job opportunities and connect with local Nevada businesses.

The CCOC connects students with members of the professional community by offering experiential learning and development and creating internship and career opportunities that attract employers to students at the University.

“The CCOC plays a very important role in the College of Business, as it is the bridge that connects students with employers,” Matthew Silvas, career events specialist for the CCOC, said. “We help students get connected to employers so they can be successful with a job upon graduation or get an internship while in undergrad.”

The CCOC hosts a career fair for the College of Business every semester, and this spring was no exception. The center held a “Prepare for the Fair” event on Feb. 21, which allowed students to get professional headshots, attend workshops designed to help with networking and job searching, and participate in resume critiques from local business professionals.

On March 31, the CCOC hosted a networking event for students to build connections and explore career options as a supplement to the college career fair. The career fair took place April 6, after being postponed from March 1 due to inclement weather. Students networked with local professionals and learned about available job opportunities. In total, 65 employers and more than 500 students participated in the fair.

The CCOC also works with local businesses to provide students with hands-on access to industries through the Wolf Pack Shadow program. Wolf Pack Shadow allows students to visit various workplaces to learn about their industry and ask professionals in the field questions about the industry. This semester, students visited the National Automobile Museum, Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, The Reno-Sparks Association of Realtors (now Sierra Nevada Realtors) and Microsoft.

“The most important asset students have is their professional network,” Jim McClenahan, executive director of outreach and engagement, said. “Building networks now create opportunities for students for the rest of their lives. This is why the College of Business has so many opportunities for networking.”