Rider unveils program to help students in career search 

By Cal Sutton

A new program was announced to the Rider community in hopes to better assist students in finding footing within their fields, both in school and post graduation.

The Bronc Career Boost, a replacement program to the Cranberry Investment, was introduced in a universitywide email from Director of Career Development and Success Karl Craft, on March 3.

Craft explained that the Cranberry Investment, while helpful to some students, was hard to make work for most due to its extensive eligibility requirements.

Introduced by former Rider President Gregory Dell’Omo, the Cranberry Investment was a program that guaranteed graduating seniors either graduate school acceptance or a job within six months of graduation, if they had fulfilled the program’s requisites. 

According to Craft, the Cranberry Investment expected students to maintain their GPA, complete a two or four-year college degree path with Rider, regularly meet with a career coach and take a career planning class, along with other requirements that needed to be met in order to participate.

If a student graduated from Rider after completing all requirements of the Cranberry Investment and did not get an entry-level job or accepted to graduate school within the first six months, the university pledged to assist eligible graduates by giving personal career coaching, extra courses or internship opportunities.

While students wanted to take part in the Cranberry Investment, Craft said, many were not able to reap the benefits because they missed a few criteria while at Rider.

A shift in perspective

To offer a new opportunity, the Bronc Career Boost plans to help students acquire career building skills through ongoing, multifaceted support.

“It’s all about support,” Craft said. “There’s no eligibility. It’s open to all students, no matter what.”

The Bronc Career Boost is also available to people within the overarching Rider community, unlike the former program which was only accessible to graduating seniors.

“Whether they’re current students or recent grads or alumni five years out, it doesn’t matter,” Craft said. “It’s really about support and structure and meeting them where they’re at.”

Each session of the Bronc Career Boost will include speakers from organizations that have partnered with the university.

The new format for the program will provide ongoing support for alumni, assistance with different career skills, one-on-one support and networking opportunities with companies that come to speak at sessions.

The Bronc Career Boost also hopes to connect students with one another, whether they plan on going into the same career fields or if they are connecting for peer support and encouragement.

“We don’t want people to go home and feel alone,” Craft said. “We want them to have that support system through us and through their peers.” 

The Bronc Career Boost’s launch

The first session for the Bronc Career Boost was held on March 10 in the NJM Room. The session began with a highlight on “real recruiter insights.”

Three representatives from NJM Insurance Group were the keynote speakers at the event, two of which were Rider alums.

Christine Simon, ’94, is a senior talent acquisition specialist, Jeffrey Kuhl, ’25, is a business planning analyst and Heather Jones is a university relations specialist.

The three presented ideas during the session that highlighted the importance of communicating professionally during interviews and asking the right questions to a potential employer.

Jones expressed that it is imperative for extensive research into a company be done before an interview, such as looking into their core values, recent product launches, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, industry recognition, LinkedIn and social media presence, mission statements and news releases.

When someone is able to talk about the company they are interviewing for, it can make them a standout candidate next to everyone else.

After the representatives from NJM finished speaking to the group, breakout sessions began, which were based on what each individual thought they needed the most help with. Options included interview, resume and networking support.

Senior psychology major Jada Waddell attended the first session of the program and said, “Any event opportunities at Rider that can help me stay focused on my career or give me that boost for what’s next … helps motivate me.”

After the breakout sessions concluded, the groups in attendance reconvened and discussed what each individual believed their strengths and weaknesses were as they plan to enter the workforce.

“Talking about our dream jobs and our dream places gets me excited. … I hope they do more of that,” Waddell said.

The Bronc Career Boost program will have sessions monthly through August. Career Development and Success is also available for personal assistance.

Craft said, “We are not limiting [student support] to these sessions. These are the points of expansion.”