Since the start of the fall semester, the Stevens community has been bustling with new faculty and staff all over campus. One of these ambitious people is Carol Ruiz, the new Associate Director of Graduate Student Career Development.
Ruiz comes with a plethora of past experience in Career Services, starting with an internship at Drew where she helped first generation college students find internships, moving to Pace, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Bloomfield College, where she was the Director. She has been a part of this field for over a decade, including 11 years at Drew, her passion to help students drives her.
As a career services professional, Ruiz was well aware of Stevens’s ranking in the field. The Career Center is nationally ranked and is in the Top 20 for “Best Career Placement” (sixth place) and “Best Career Services” (15th) according to The Princeton Review, 2016. She also knew Lynn Insley, executive director of Stevens career center, as a colleague and member of the same professional organizations. Carol Ruiz hopes to make a difference with the graduate students here.
“I like challenges and something new,” Carol said about her driven personality to help people find their careers, and the shift in her career to focus on Graduate career services. She resonates with Stevens Career Center staff’s commitment and concern for students’ futures.
The past five months have been active, without a boring day in sight, in the Career Center. The Career Center is active and bustling nearly all the time, with students coming in and out to get their resumes reviewed, do mock interviews, or just to talk about future plans. Ruiz hopes to get to know students on a more individual basis, because one of her goals at Stevens is to guide students in developing an individual career development plan. Faculty partnerships, employer and alumni engagement are really important to expanding the program and opportunities.
“The Stevens graduate students are very focused, very enthusiastic. During the weekly workshops, our turnout averages between 100 to 150 students.” The graduate community has a large international population, along with domestic students whose experience ranges from the recent graduate to experienced professionals in transition. Ruiz finds the students she works with are as excited and driven to excel beyond their time as Stevens students. She hopes to show all graduate students the options in their field, and to help make the needed connections to advance their careers.
“Managing your career is something you will need to do your entire life.  I want students to graduate knowing their strengths, options, and how to make the connections to get to where they want to be.”
Ruiz’s advice is to take advantage of all opportunities; student should attend as many workshops and info sessions as possible and be ready to introduce themselves and make a great first impression. Then, really prepare for interviews by knowing the company, such as latest news, the job position, the company’s mission statement, and their corporate values. Her advice about networking is to talk to everyone about what you hope to do. Talk to friends, family members, professors, doctors, and tell them about the kind of opportunity you’re looking for. One can never expect from where a connection will pop up. Networking is key to finding most opportunities. And, getting experience really does matter.
The Stevens Career Center is dedicated to students and wants to get to know each student individually. Carol Ruiz extends her greeting to anyone who is interested in stopping by on Howe sixth floor, whether it’s for an interview or just to say hello.
Have any questions, feedback, or concerns about the graduate student career management program or graduate student career services? Contact Carol Ruiz at carol.ruiz@stevens.edu and let your voice be heard!
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