TOPPEL IS HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!

TOPPEL IS HERE TO SAVE THE DAY!

By Pallavi Pal

“Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO! It’s Toppel!” Are you a senior and you’re looking for a job? Worried about how to get a job in this economy?

Fear not, Toppel is here to save the day! With the start of the school year, Toppel has been in full-gear to help students find jobs in this struggling economy.

We have a variety of Information Sessions held by the employers themselves so you can get a chance to hear firsthand about the opportunities they have in store for you. These sessions are more than just a way for you to learn about the company of your dreams but also for you to speak to the recruiter one-on-one and have them learn more about you as a candidate in a less formal setting.

Some of the employers that we have coming out for information sessions are listed below. Make sure to RSVP on HireACane.com to save a spot for yourself! We hope to see you at these events!

Information Session Schedule
Organization Name, Start Date/Time, Location

CITIGROUP, Sep 13, 3:00 pm, Toppel Library

MICROSOFT CORPORATION, Sep 14, 5:00 pm, College of Engineering, MEA 202

NIELSEN, Sep 14, 6:30 pm, Toppel Library

APPLE, INC., Sep 15, 6:30 pm, Toppel Library

SEO (SPONSORS FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY), Sep 20, 6:30 pm, UC Flamingo Ballroom

SEO (SPONSORS FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY), Sep 21, 3:00 pm, Toppel Library

For a complete list, please click here.

Kick Off the Year Right!

Written By Pallavi Pal

Are you a senior looking for post-grad opportunities? Or a student interested in graduate school? Look no further! The Toppel Career Center has the answers you are looking for.

In the upcoming weeks we have several events for students to network with employers and help students decide the next major steps to take for their future. Now is the time to explore your options through Toppel’s Career Kick Off.

Start the Career Kick Off with EPIC on Wednesday, Sept 7 where you can sit down with the recruiter of your choice prior to the career fair to have them critique your resume or interview style. You can get advice directly from the employer so you know what you are doing well and what you can improve on.

On Thursday, Sept 8 and Friday, Sept 9 the Pre- Medical Mock Interview Program will be held to help students navigate the medical school interview process. Students should prepare for a specific medical school and will be given advice on their interview strengths and areas for improvement.

For all those who need help with their resume or would like a quick read through before the Career Expo, Resumania on Monday, Sept 12 will be the best way. Come to Toppel and bring a hard copy of your resume to the event!

The Opening Doors Networking Event on Tuesday, Sept 13 is a great way for students to connect with recruiters in a relaxed setting before the Career Expo. It is a chance to meet with them before the hundreds of other UM students speak to them at the Career Expo!

Finally our Career Kick Off ends with our long awaited Fall Career Expo where many recruiters and employers will be coming out to meet specifically with UMiami students. On Wednesday, Sept 14 at the Bank United Center, the Fall Career Expo will be a chance for students to learn about the job opportunities at the company of their dreams and learn about the expectations of the position.

Start the year off right not only with your books and pencils, but also with the skills you need to land your dream job! Come out to these events to help you prepare to network, interview, and meet employers.

How to Weather the Storm like a Hurricane

Welcome Back Hurricanes!
By: Priyanka Surio

With Irene nearby, we are all holding on to our seats and crossing our fingers that Miami can weather the storm, or that it miraculously passes us by. However, the school year is another hurricane altogether and something we cannot avoid. Therefore, the Toppel Peer Advisors have decided to come up with a few things that will help you this year, academically, professionally, and mentally!

- Plan Ahead in all cases (if you want an internship for the spring or summer, look now.
- Be Organized - Make a list of dates of when you have important projects and tests due so you know what to prioritize and when to work on them
- Leave five to ten minutes earlier than the time you designated to be somewhere (you never know what can happen or what storms may come upon you)
- Try something new! This old adage can go a long way towards making this a great year vs. just an okay year. So join a club, be a leader, get an internship, learn a language, BE PROACTIVE.

Toppel featured in The Miami Hurricane!

CONQUER CAREER FEARS
Posted by Alysha Khan on The Miami Hurricane

Conquer career fears with help from the Toppel Career Center.

The Toppel Career Center is a campus resource that aids student and alumni in developing career skills that will allow them to pursue a successful career in the industry of their choosing.

“We empower students to choose a major and we help connect students to employers and alumni in order to help them find internships and jobs,” said Christian Garcia, the director of Toppel. “Ultimately, we help students take control of their careers.”

For students facing the difficult choice of declaring a major, Toppel offers career aptitude tests, individual career advising, and programs on different industries and companies.

A staff of advisors is also available to provide students with guidance on a variety of topics, including major choice, career decisions, and job preparations.

Budding entrepreneurs can launch their own businesses through the Launch Pad, an on-campus entrepreneurship resource center.

Online, students can find Toppel on numerous social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr and YouTube.

The Toppel Peers Blog, which is written and developed by students for students, features posts every week by different bloggers with a unique approach. Topics such as “Interview Fight Club” uses the seven rules of “Fight Club” to teach you better interview skills.

“It’s like an outreach for students. If they don’t come into Toppel, they can go online,” said Monica Page, one of Toppel’s peer bloggers.

Megan Garber, assistant director of career development and outreach, said that the blog is a great way to attract reluctant students.

“We wanted it to be more appealing to students, to give it more of a student perspective since we know that students have different learning styles, and this is just another way for students to get information from the career center,” Garber said.

The bloggers have found that working with Toppel has helped them to improve their own skills.

“The advisors help you one on one with your resume, they can help you pinpoint what you want to do,” Page said. “Working at Toppel has helped me zone in on what I want to do and how to go about achieving that goal.”

The Toppel Career Center has also been rated by students as one of the best career centers among similar private institutions in the country by the Universum’s Student Survey.

For more information, check us out online at HireACane.com or visit the Toppel Peers blog at toppelpeers.blogspot.com.

HEAT up your Career with a Life in Sports

By Steven Glasser, BBA '10, former Peer Advisor


Just because you can’t play with the pros doesn’t mean you can’t work with them. Sport, like any other industry, is a business and is populated more by people off the field than on it. While ample opportunities are available, it remains one of the most challenging fields to break into. With this in mind here are some tips that can help turn your workplace dream into a reality.

1. Practice Makes Perfect – Translation: Experience is everything
If you are serious about a potential career in sport, no matter what medium -- whether it be broadcasting, journalism, management, coaching etc. – it is essential that you have sport related experience on your resume. No matter how small a role you play in an event or with a team it will continue to add to your credibility. Having just been a part of such an event will make you more desirable to potential employers. Opportunities are available in the form of internships, volunteer work and part time jobs. However, most of the positions are likely unpaid so that is something to account for. Still, these experiences go a long way towards helping you feel more comfortable around the industry. It will also prepare you for what can be an extremely stressful day-to-day environment. Ultimately, having this experience will help you be ready to pitch in right away when you do finally land that job.

2. Work on All Parts of Your Game – Translation: Diversify your skills
The importance of experience cannot be stressed enough, especially if this is a field you would like to pursue professionally. However, the biggest trap one can set is to develop only one skill. Part of getting the experience is not only learning what you would be doing, but also learning what everyone around you is working on and how he or she came to grow into that role. This can serve two-fold, giving you the opportunity to learn other parts of the sport field you are looking to get into and leading to potential career opportunities that you had not previously considered. The goal though is to diversify your skills to make yourself an increasingly marketable candidate to potential employers.

3. Take Advantage of Learning Opportunities – Translation: Get Educated
With the industry continuing to grow, more and more opportunities are becoming available in areas that didn’t exist even five years ago. While a Bachelor’s degree is now a mere formality to any position off the courts, those with graduate degrees are opening themselves up for further advancement opportunities. Getting your MBA or going to Law School can help to diversify you from other candidates and can open doors to management positions.

4. Call For The Ball – Translation: Focus on Networking
Building and using your contacts can go a long way towards helping you build a career in sports. No matter where you meet someone or what he or she does, it is of vital importance to exchange contact information. Building your network can help open you to opportunities in the industry that are not listed online or in publications such as Sports Business Journal . If you don’t know people who are in the industry don’t be afraid to reach out. Often on teams/leagues/companies websites there are e-mail addresses for notable employees in various departments. People in the industry are often very willing – and excited – to help out potential newcomers who show a passion for the arena and a true willingness to learn. It is imperative not just to build your list of contacts but also to put them to use. Make sure you keep people informed of what you are doing and check in to learn about new ventures they are currently involved in because you never know when an opportunity will arise.

5. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – Translation: Make yourself teachable
The sport industry is highly demanding and can be highly stressful. No matter what area of the field you may find yourself in you will always be subject to criticism. What separates the lifers from those who spend a short time in the industry is the ability to handle the criticism and turn it into teachable moments. In this field you will often make mistakes – some larger than others – and what you learn from these mistake usually proves to be more important than the mistake itself. If you can prove to those around you, the people who have carved out a niche in the industry, that you can handle yourself professionally in these moments and learn and improve from them, it will demonstrate the maturity needed to survive in the field. Never be afraid to ask questions, as people are always looking to teach and help out newcomers; and if you prove to be an adept student they will often go out of their way to help you start out your career.

Career Advisors Having Fun?

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Don't Get Beat: Experience Virtual Career Fair in Solo High Definition

Written by Priyanka Surio



Whether you own a pair of Dr. Dre's HD Solo beats or not, the Virtual Career Fair is a newly designed Career Fair option for students who either missed the annual career fair in the fall, or who wish to continue the job search hunt over the summer.

Employers are recruiting for full-time and internship positions, and they represent a variety of industries, including accounting, retain, biomedical, government, sports, education, construction, engineering, and insurance.

This virtual fair gives you all the perks you would normally get with a career fair with the minor spin of taking place over the internet in your own personal area where you can either be solo or with a group of friends. The convenience afforded with an online career fair is the true definition of High Definition.

The fair is going on now until July 15. Students and alumni can participate by logging into CaneZone There you will see the companies that are recruiting. Click on the company you are interested in and you will see their profile and you will also find the positions they are recruiting for and their chat schedule. Click here or login to CaneZone for more info!