"Skills to Succeed” Course Celebrates Ten Years of Student Success

Mona Ranadive, a 2023 industrial and systems engineering graduate, describes her experience in the School of Engineering’s one-credit “Skills to Succeed” course taught by career readiness lecturer Thomas Matlock in glowing terms.

“Professor Matlock helped me develop lifelong professional skills,” the current Datadog product manager recalls. “His class goes through the entire life cycle of getting a job. He taught us how to properly market ourselves, gave us tips on recruiting, and helped us figure out what to do once we landed the job. His guidance throughout the class and even outside of the class has helped me land my dream job.”

In 2013, Matlock, a seasoned corporate college recruitment director who had already developed a strong relationship with the School of Engineering EOF leadership team by spearheading student branding initiatives, launched the popular course. Since then, he has helped hundreds of students brand and sell themselves through resumés, cover letters, and in-person and online interviews. “I couldn’t have done this without the support of Michael Brown, assistant dean and access programs director, EOF/EOP; School of Engineering associate dean Ilene Rosen; EOF program development specialist Marie Sanjurjo; and former assistant dean for engineering education Evelyn Laffey,” he insists.

While initially Matlock offered two sections of the course per semester, for the past few years he has been teaching three sections, each of which accommodate 20-some students in an intimate classroom setting. “Right now, I have 68 students in three sections, and expect a similar enrollment in the spring,” he reports.

Building Self-Confidence

According to Matlock, one word sums up the main benefit for his students: confidence. “It’s a whole process from beginning to end, and students report that they feel more prepared, and ultimately more confident, in their abilities to get a job,” he says.

It’s a process that Matlock has evolved over the years. “In the beginning, I was teaching more about the process associated with getting a job, but as I grew into the space, I shifted some of my focus to the mindset and self-assessment,” he explains, noting the interactive, hands-on nature of his approach.

“You’re the product, and you need to understand the attributes of your brand, and how to market it,” he likes to tell his students. “You need to understand the recruitment cycles, as well. Don’t wait to begin a job search until the spring, when it may be too late.”

Setting Students up for Success

For Matlock, watching his students develop “right in front of my eyes in 12-13 weeks is my biggest joy. I really pitch this class as a family – we all learn from each other,” he says.

“Tom’s passion to mentor, catalyze change, and develop students has been infectious to those going through the course,” says Brown. Jaritza Powell, an associate quality manager at Nestlé who earned her BS in mechanical engineering in 2018, has since returned to campus to mentor emerging SoE talent.

“This was a course that set me up for my career. I learned the fundamentals of preparing for career fairs, interviews, and even navigating the job offer,” Powell remembers. “I was able to put together how to build my brand and communicate it to others. As a hiring manager today, I often utilize the tools the course provided when giving feedback to candidates.”

Students like Nicholas Percarpio, an Honors College student who has taken “Skills to Succeed”, view it as a key component in fostering eventual career success. “It helps engineers to develop the vital and often under-taught soft skills needed to enter the workforce. From resumé critiques to interview preparation, the class provided invaluable information and practice that complemented the technical skillset I acquired in the classroom allowing me to be competitive in the modern job market,” says Percarpio, who expects to graduate in 2025 with a degree in industrial and systems engineering

Master’s degree student Kasi Oguonu holds an SoE BS in electrical and computer engineering. For her, the course gave her not only a foundational understanding of professionalism and industry expectations, but also an environment where students could speak candidly about their job hunts. “Professor Matlock encouraged our openness, and the course always felt like a welcoming and safe space for me to build my knowledge with students with common goals,” she reflects. “I’m more than grateful for this class.”

Ranadive insists, “Professor Matlock goes above and beyond for his students on their professional journeys. I recommend this class to anyone looking to do well in the professional world.”