How She Got There: Kristen Ruby, Founder of Ruby Media Group LLC

Name: Kristen Ruby
Age: 24
Job Title and Description: President and Founder, Ruby Media Group LLC
College/Major: Boston University College of Communications—Public Relations
Website: rubymediagroup.com
Twitter Handle: twitter.com/sparklingruby
 
Her Campus: What does your current job entail?
Kristen Ruby: My current job entails managing social media campaigns for my clients. This include creating content, writing status updates, editing posts, editing photo albums, engaging with fans, creating campaigns to increase likes/fans, as well as overall brand identity work and pitching. A typical day includes all of this for multiple clients as well as client calls, meetings and managing a virtual staff and interns.
 
HC: What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
KR: My first entry-level job consisted of numerous internships prior to graduating. I started my company directly out of school 2 months after graduating.
 
HC: What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
KR: I wish I knew that others in your industry are not necessarily your “friends.” When there is a new person in town, a lot of people in your industry will try to work with them or outsource them in the beginning or even acquire them to stop the competition. Once they realize that you still want to continue with your own business, they suddenly become your competitors. Be very careful whom you form strategic alliances with.

HC: Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
KR: One person who changed my professional life for the better? Esther Davidowitz, Editor at Westchester Magazine has coached me with my writing. The best piece of advice I got from her was “write as if you’re talking to a friend.” That definitely changed the way I write for the better, and I always like to pass that advice onto others that I work with now.

HC: What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
KR: I am my own boss, but I would say that “one day at a time” is extremely valuable for dealing with clients and projects that seem insurmountable.

HC: What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
KR: One mistake that I made along the way was losing site of the 10 to 1 ratio that comes with sharing in social media. As you gain more publicity, you lose track of this and what to share all of your press hits or accomplishments with people. However, this is not necessarily the best way to use social media because it needs to be less promotional. I learned that it is definitely important to take digital detoxes and if you find you are too promotional, to make sure that none of your posts contain the words “I” or “me” in them for 30 days to retrain yourself and get back on track.
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HC: What is the best part of your job?
KR: The best part of my job is being able to create my own schedule, which enables me to work from my office in Mt. Kisco or my office in Greenwich (where I can be by my dog). Being able to create my own schedule also gives me the flexibility to reschedule things so that when an amazing opportunity is presented (like going to The White House with Scott Gerber and the Y.E.C) I can drop everything and go, and I have no one to answer to.
 
HC: How important is it that college students engage in philanthropic work?
KR: It is important for college students to engage in work period. Whether that means philanthropic work, an internship, or even paid work, students need to gain a sense of work ethic prior to graduating. Philanthropic work is extremely important because it gives you a sense of something larger then yourself, and cuts back on a sense of “entitlement” in the work place when you realize how many other people you can help, and that it’s not all about you.
 
HC: What do you look for when hiring someone?
KR: The most important quality I look for is the ability to write well. The first thing I look at is their social media profiles. It’s easy to send over a well-polished resume, cover letter or writing sample, so you can really see how someone writes and behaves the second you look at their social media profiles. I always find it amazing when people send over writing samples with profanity. When did that become okay to do? It’s not. It’s an instant red flag for problems ahead. I also look at people’s status updates and can very quickly assess whether or not they will be a “loose cannon” in the work place based on what they are writing and their frequency of posting.

HC: What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
KR: The best advice I would give is to clean up your social media profiles and don’t let them get in the way of getting your dream job. I see so many highly qualified applicants blow their chances at great jobs because of this. The other advice I would give is to not be entitled. Third piece of advice—even if you are working for a young entrepreneur close to you in age—is that you still need to stay off your cell phone in the work place. When you are on your phone during the workday, it sends the signal that your personal life is more important then your current professional one and job at hand. It shows you are not dedicated, and many employers pick up on this.
 
Co-Founded by Natalie MacNeil and Scott Gerber, Y.E.C. Women is an initiative of the Young Entrepreneur Council (Y.E.C.), an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The Y.E.C promotes entrepreneurship as a solution to youth unemployment and underemployment and provides its members with access to tools, mentorship, and resources that support each stage of a business’s development and growth.
 

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