Search for Success: How MSEM Student Kevin Kim Landed His Dream Job

Kevin Kim, MSEM ’25, turned a road bump in his career journey into a launchpad for advancing into his dream job with the help of his MSEM experience and community.

When Kevin Kim, MSEM ‘25, was laid off due to budget cuts, his first instinct wasn’t to panic — it was to reach out.

“The first person I called was Sam Liggero,” he remembers. During this phone call, Sam, Director of the MS in Engineering Management (MSEM), offered Kevin support and advice to navigate this career road bump. The two discussed how Kevin could leverage his experience and connections within the MSEM and Tufts Gordon Institute (TGI) community to move forward.

What followed their conversation was more than a job hunt. It was a full-circle moment that put the skills, support, and network of Tufts Gordon Institute’s MS in Engineering Management program to the test — and helped Kevin land his dream job at Blink, an Amazon Company.

“The network within the TGI community was a huge advantage,” Kevin shares. “Whether I was asking for job referrals, connecting with the extended networks of my peers and professors, or getting feedback on my resume and LinkedIn profile, everyone was ready to offer their support.”

After a few weeks of applying for roles like it was his full-time job, Kevin landed interviews for a few different positions. His network helped open doors, but it was the MSEM program’s focus on leadership, ethics, and strategic thinking that helped Kevin walk through them with confidence.

“I was in the final round of interviews with the VP of Engineering for a company, and one of the biggest questions he asked was, ‘What is the most important aspect of leadership to you?’” Kevin remembers. “The night before, I had just finished a homework assignment for Jane Seminara’s Practice of Ethical Leadership course in which I talked about how great leaders need to have empathy. Because of that, I knew what my answer would be right away.” When Kevin saw the interviewer’s eyes light up in response to his answer, he knew he had secured the position.

At that same time, Kevin received a call that he was also moving further into the process of interviews for his dream role at Blink, an Amazon Company – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he knew he could not pass up. Kevin once again found that the leadership and strategic thinking skills he’d gained through the MSEM program would help him stand out against all the other applicants.

“I had always been thinking about my role in terms of being an individual contributor,” he shares. “But after my MSEM courses, I began thinking from a more strategic perspective, asking myself, ‘How does my work impact this company? And in turn, how does the company’s mission help bring about a better world?’ It’s rare when young engineers think about these types of leadership qualities, so I think having that mindset really made an impression in my interviews.”

Amazon’s notorious “loop interviews” — hours of back-to-back meetings with various levels of leadership — were strenuous but worth it when Kevin was offered a position as Product Design Engineer II. Kevin had successfully turned a road bump into a launching pad for the next stage of his career as an engineering leader.

With his job hunt behind him, Kevin offers his advice for anyone else chasing after their own dream job: “Have confidence in yourself! Understand that whoever hires you sees something in you. They recognize that you’ve put in the work and have the skillset to be deserving of where you end up. I want to encourage anyone who is navigating the job hunt process — believe in yourself don’t be afraid to lean on your community.”