Business students recently had the opportunity for valuable face time with top firms, including Aequitas Capital Management, Eddie Bauer, FactSet, Fred Meyer, The Hershey Co., Insight Global, Oracle, and Yahoo! Those invaluable career connections were thanks to the third annual Business Connect event on November 11 at the Lillis Business Complex.

"Specific employers are looking for business students, and we are happy to provide a venue for productive interactions," said Jessica Best, assistant director for Lundquist Career Services.

Some 120 students checked in for the event, but the actual number of attending was greater because it was open to walk-ins—and many students did just that, Best said.

"Business Connect is a low-pressure way to talk with employers and make that connection before the UO Career Fair," said Crysta Miller, an entrepreneurship student planning to graduate this June. "I made connections with employers, and it was great to see them at the Career Fair, having them remember me, and building on the conversation we had started the night before."

There was no check-in or tracking process previous to this year, but Best estimates about twice as many students took part in the November 11 event compared to last year. Best said the Oracle info session was among the most popular, with approximately 70 students in attendance.

The event came to be about three years ago as a result of student feedback provided to Collette Niland, assistant dean for undergraduate programs, asking for a business major–specific career event. Business Connect is cosponsored by Lundquist Career Services and the University of Oregon Career Center.

"The job search is all about building trusting relationships," Best said. "Both students and employers appreciate that Business Connect allows for more meaningful connections than usually happen in a larger event like the campuswide Career Fair. It gives them a chance to establish relationships that can lead to that right employment match."