On Wednesday, May 1, 2019, at the Rutgers Club, Career Exploration and Success held their inaugural Employer Appreciation & Recognition awards cocktail reception to recognize and celebrate key employer partnerships at Rutgers University–New Brunswick that contribute to the post-graduation outcomes of nearly 50,000 students.
Over 100 employer representatives from over 40 unique organizations attended the event including representatives from Aldi, Prudential, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, L’Oreal, JPMorgan Chase, iCIMS, Trinity Solar, and many more. William Jones, Senior Director of Career Exploration and Success states, “We have a lot of employers interested in hiring our students and part of our responsibility is to acknowledge our employers who help our students reach success post-graduation.” Fifteen organizations were honored in addition to acknowledging the work of the Employer Advisory Board and the Knights of the Round Table partnerships. This year’s honorees were:
• Top Emerging Partner: United States Marine Corps
• Most Engaged Employer Partner: Kohl’s
• Top Hiring Non-Profit Organization: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Top Hiring Small to Mid-Sized Organizations: Care Plus NJ
• Top Diversity & Inclusion Supporter: Johnson & Johnson
• Top Intern/Co-op Hiring Organization: Coyne PR
• Top Hiring Organization for International Students: Amazon
• Most Innovative Organization: Aldi
• Campus Partner of the Year: Sharhonda Simpson, Rutgers University Department of Transportation Services
• Most Engaged Alumnus: Bruce Kerzic, Thrift Investment Corporation
• Top Hiring Organizations: JPMorgan Chase, L’Oreal, Johnson & Johnson
• Overall Top Hiring Organization: Amazon
• Top Continuous Engagement Partner: Prudential
• Sponsor of the Year: iCIMS
In attendance was Jamil Price from Johnson & Johnson, who accepted on the organization’s behalf the Top Diversity & Inclusion Supporter award. This award is especially significant to Career Exploration and Success as they pride themselves on their commitment to diversity and inclusion, and strive to work with organizations that consistently support diversity initiatives. 
Jamil stated, “We love that the University Career Services staff is so easy to work with and accessible from their Employer Relations unit to other areas within the department. It’s a pleasure to partner in strategic ways to make an impact on campus and welcome students to our family.” Johnson & Johnson was also honored as one of the top three hiring organizations.
Amazon also walked away with two honors, including the Top Hiring Organization for International Students and the Overall Top Hiring Organization. Amazon has maintained a consistent presence at the top of the hiring leaderboard for several years. With an international student population of 13% at Rutgers–New Brunswick, Amazon played a pivotal role in the professional development of international students in addition to our domestic students. Cristina Rodriguez, a former graduate assistant for the Career Exploration and Success Employer Relations team, and current employee at Amazon stated, “Rutgers is one of the most diverse universities in the country. Diversity is key in hiring the best, getting different outlooks and perspectives, and people from all areas.”
Event attendees enjoyed a relaxed cocktail reception and awards ceremony while having the opportunity to meet and network with other employment organizations. Janet Jones, Director of Employer Relations for Career Exploration and Success states, “this event is intended to recognize our fabulous partners who have shown their commitment to recruiting talent at Rutgers, and provide an opportunity for individuals within the recruiting work to network and learn from each other.”
Jeremy Yencer, from Trinity Solar, reflected on the importance of networking for students, “expand your circle and truly see what you interested in and what’s out there. Within closed circles, we’re limited to our perspectives. Networking can expand your thinking." Jamil Price, from Johnson & Johnson, added, “Networking allows you to learn something about someone or a company, get to know others, their opportunities, and what makes that organization special.”