About Us

YOUR College thinks you are ready for work, but will the workplace?

We can help.

Our students learn proven, time-tested techniques to achieve their career goals.

We Are Career Counseling Experts for College Students & Graduates

For the past 20 years, we have advised managers of Fortune 500 companies how to develop and implement strategies to achieve success. We’ve taken our collective knowledge and experience to develop coaching programs and processes designed to specifically help college students and recent graduates make the important leap from student life to their first job out of college.

Now we are teaching college students and recent college graduates how to communicate their ability to solve the business problems that a company faces, how to network online and offline, how to interview, and how to gain confidence in the overall process. 

Watch below to learn more about us. Then complete our brief form to schedule your free consultation.

Professional career coaches for college students

We Are Professional Career Coaches & Experts in Jobs after College.

Z

The right preparation at the right time.

Early preparation is necessary to get ahead in the job market. Investments in SAT and ACT prep get you into college, and early career strategy preparation is critical for what happens after college graduation. Career coaching helps college students learn what value and benefits they bring to the table early in the process. Early career counseling for students sets the foundation for getting a job out of college.

Z

Matriculating students and recent graduates is our sole focus.

We understand the challenges of young professionals and the guidance that is needed to create confident, focused candidates that put them at the top of a company’s candidate list. Professional career counseling and internship guidance for college students is what we do.

Z

We have proven business experience and we understand what businesses expect of recent graduates.

We have guided Fortune 500 firms to create sound strategies and sales plans with overwhelming success. We have translated those techniques to share with college students and enable them to think like the person hiring them. Students tell us this is unique to what they have learned in school or from other career advisors. Next Great Step provides career coaching and proven techniques for making the transition to an internship or job for a college graduate.

Meet Our Expert Career Consulting Team that Helps You Find the First Job after College

Beth Hendler-Grunt

Beth Hendler-Grunt

President

Beth Hendler-Grunt is a dynamic leader, adviser, and facilitator who has extensive experience consulting from start-ups to Fortune 500 firms. She has proven success with guiding firms, sales teams and individuals to achieve their sales performance and strategic planning goals.

Ms. Hendler-Grunt has leveraged and scaled her corporate expertise to guide college students to help them succeed when they graduate. This is based on a clear understanding of the career development process and the requirements needed to succeed in today’s competitive environment. Next Great Step has facilitated student strategy and development sessions for recent graduates and current students at leading universities as well as one-on-one consultations.

Ms. Hendler-Grunt earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis and a Masters of Business Administration from the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University. Ms. Hendler-Grunt has over 20 years of business and sales leadership success in the high tech and management consulting sector. She has enabled hundreds of clients to achieve success and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, SiriusXM Radio, and ZipRecruiter to name a few.

Lauren Aaron

Lauren Aaron

Vice President

Ms. Aaron is an experienced leader in both the financial sector and non-profit world. Her experience ranges from corporate finance at a large bank, to leading several boards in the non-profit sector, including the Charles T. King Student Loan Fund, providing need-based, interest free loans to further educational goals of local students. Her strong financial and analytical roles help her bring creative solutions to complex situations. As a ‘go-to’ problem solver, she adds another dimension to guiding students and graduates by simplifying the career search process.

She earned her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Rutgers University Graduate School of Management.

Rachel Scherzer

Rachel Scherzer

Ms. Scherzer brings a wealth of experience as a HR leader from the investment banking industry. Her expertise in organizational development and career advancement adds value to clients in guiding them to their first job out of college. She possesses strong interpersonal and rapport building skills, with an ability to easily connect and develop new relationships with various individuals. Her ability to assess core needs for both the individual and the company to enhance performance and profitability while at the same time building long-term, trust-based relationships will complement our other advisors at NGS. Ms. Scherzer’s HR experience includes recruitment, performance management, compensation, employee relations, training and development and reductions in force.

She holds a B.A. from The University of Michigan in Psychology and a Masters in Management from The New School.

Remy Mendez

Remy Mendez

Remy Mendez is an experienced life and executive coach specializing in organizational skills and leadership. She has worked with clients on topics such as career, relationships, time management, motivation, and communication skills. She effortlessly creates a trusting and safe environment for her clients, allowing them to open up and move forward confidently. She understands employer expectations of recent grads and what it takes for a candidate to stand out to land the job. She has strong communication skills and the ability to connect with young adults in helping them navigate the career search process.

She holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt University in Psychology and a Masters in Executive Coaching and Organizational Consulting from New York University.

 Tim Barton

Tim Barton

Tim Barton is an entrepreneurial and service-oriented business advisor with 25+ years of experience in accelerating business growth and delivering the revenue objectives of startups, small businesses, and high-growth companies. He has co-founded and run three businesses and been an early-stage investor in several businesses across the United States.

Mr. Barton brings his experience as a business and marketing consultant/advisor to the early careerist niche to empower students and new grads to find their passions, develop their brand, and land the job. He is a life-long New Englander, having grown up in Vermont and now living just outside Boston.