With over 30 years of experience supporting NASA’s human spaceflight program, Rob Gest is a trusted expert in technical leadership, team development, and career mentoring. As a veteran NASA contractor manager and propulsion systems flight controller, he supported 42 crewed missions from within the Mission Control Center (MCC), playing a key role in mission success during some of the most complex operations in spaceflight history.
In addition to his flight control experience, Rob served as Chief Engineer for the Flight Operations Directorate at United Space Alliance —NASA’s core organization for real-time spaceflight operations. He also spent over 20 years as a hiring manager, reviewing thousands of resumes and selecting and hiring more than 100 new college graduates for high-performance technical and operational teams.
Now, Mr. Gest brings his deep industry insight to students and recent graduates across all majors. Whether you’re studying engineering, business, communications, liberal arts, or science, he offers tailored consulting services to help you stand out in a competitive job market. His services include personalized resume review, interview preparation, and strategic career guidance—all grounded in real-world hiring experience at one of the most elite technical organizations in the world.
Passionate about helping early-career professionals launch with confidence, Rob Gest now serves as a consultant, mentor, and interview coach for students ready to take the next step toward meaningful, impactful careers—regardless of discipline.
First of all—congratulations. You made it. Four years of hard work, late nights, countless lectures, projects, and exams… well done! You’ve earned your degree, and that is a major accomplishment.
But let’s be honest: as significant as that achievement is, it didn’t prepare you for what comes next—your first real job interview. And that’s where we come in.
You have about two hours—maybe less—to share the best parts of your four-year college journey in an interview. That’s roughly $100,000 and four years of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, that now rides on a short, high-pressure single conversation. Don’t blow it.
“You only get one chance to make a first impression.”
That’s not just a cliché—it’s the truth.
In your interview, you need to do more than talk about what you studied. You need to articulate your experience, qualifications, and who you are as a person. Show that you’re not just a skilled candidate, but a well-rounded, likeable professional ready to contribute to a team—and stay for more than just a stepping stone.
Consider the employer’s perspective:
They’ve already invested heavily in you—reviewing resumes, holding phone screens, often arranging travel, and taking managers off the floor to meet with you. That adds up to thousands of dollars just to see if you’re the right fit. They want you to succeed, however hiring the wrong person is expensive and time-consuming.
They’re watching for red flags—candidates who seem entitled, hard to manage, or just coasting until something better comes along. Let’s make sure that’s not you.