By Dr. Chris Timm
As the associate director of employer experience and outreach in the Business Career Center, Dr. Chris Timm leads the efforts to build and strengthen relationships with employers and develop new initiatives. Her dedication to the career services field earned her the 2018 David S. Bechtel Award for Outstanding Career Services Professional, the highest honor awarded to career services professionals in the Big Ten.
At the Business Career Center (BCC), I enjoy connecting students and employers. When I meet with employers, my goal is to learn about their needs so I can share how they can best enhance their campus presence and engage with students. Often within a week or so after meeting with an employer, a student comes into the center looking for that specific opportunity. It’s like the stars are in alignment and it’s rewarding for the student, the employer and our team.
The Dallas Career Expedition attendees at AT&T Stadium.
One way we identify new employers and build relationships is through our BCC Career Expeditions held during fall and spring break. The cities we choose are determined by where students gravitate to after graduation. Current undergraduate and graduate students apply to attend the expeditions and around 15 students are selected each semester to travel and visit employers, alumni and local attractions. It’s a win for everyone as the students meet and network with the employers and learn about the city; we develop and build relationships with the employers and share ways to help them connect with our students beyond the expedition; and the employers learn more about Nebraska Business and our students whom they hopefully hire for internships and careers in the future. Whether a new or growing relationship, many times the expedition employers register for our career fairs or expand their recruitment of our students for internship programs or jobs offerings after we visit as well.
Each expedition also brings business students together who may not have known each other prior and they become a tight-knit group. I laugh when I recall how we all squeezed into the same elevator! The students also practice and build on their networking skills and see the importance of making connections.
The current challenge is how to provide these expeditions for more of our students. In Chicago this fall, we had 55 students apply and I wanted to take them all. Our team may be looking at ways to expand the program with different tracks or multiples choices for future expeditions.
The best part of my job is that it never gets old, as there are always more great employers and interested alumni to meet and students who want to connect with them. Working at the College of Business provides me with many opportunities to Start Something.