Established Professionals: They Were Once in Our Shoes!

By Trish Vega, Toppel Peer Advisor

Have you ever come across a successful individual and thought to yourself, “Man, they work so hard and are doing so well! They must have superpowers or something.” Well, I’ve definitely been there. But even though someone’s current position may be awe-inspiring, it’s important to remember that they too were once in our shoes!

I had the chance to interview Mary Anne Viegelmann, the Global Employee Experience Manager within the Human Resources department at LinkedIn, and she shared with me her best career advice for college students like us.

Ready? Let’s go!

Mary Anne Viegelmann/via LinkedIn

What can college students do to prepare for their careers while they are in school?

"You don’t really know exactly what you’re gonna do in life, but you generally know the things you like doing. Be aware of those passions and skills that you have and try to find the intersection between those two." 

"Talk to as many people as possible no matter what they do! Learn about people from all different backgrounds, it doesn’t even have to be “formal networking”. You never know what those conversations might bring. Most people don’t have a figured out plan for their work but a lot of times it

starts with a simple conversation. People are so willing to talk to college students because they want to help you succeed. Take advantage of that now!"

What qualities do you believe makes a career-ready individual?

"Especially with college students, it’s so important that you are coming into the workplace with fresh new eyes. Your viewpoints and actions are not jaded, you’re not stuck in the mentality of 'that’s the way we’ve always done it'. You’re more open and willing to see things differently and you should use that to your advantage. Employers like people who are positive and willing to take on anything. Saying yes to almost anything and trying almost anything will get you pretty far. And when I mean 'saying yes' I mean being willing to take on projects you may not even know a lot about, because it is all a learning experience. Also, be willing to ask a lot of questions! All this helps build new skills too."

"This is huge especially in the tech world. In the four years that I’ve been in Silicon Valley, I’ve seen constant change. So adapting to that and figuring out how to change your programs quickly is so important."

Shift happens throughout careers and throughout life. How have you learned to deal with unanticipated changes in your career journey?

"When I deal with change, I try not to dwell on it too long. As long as the change does not interfere with my values, I think, 'Okay, there is probably a change for a reason.' Some change you obviously can’t control, like when a company is growing, but I try to look at the pros and cons of the change and work with it. If there’s a change that you think is bad, you should still question it and bring your opinion to the table but do it with an open mind. And I think that comes with a certain attitude of positivity and

openness. It’s better to do it with a positive attitude than with a negative attitude, because you have to do it anyway! So why be a grump about it?"

Any other advice?

"One of the biggest reasons of why I’ve been able to be successful in my work is because I’ve taken to heart one of our core values at LinkedIn, which is that relationships matter. And so the way I always approach every situation is to always think about the people first. It doesn’t matter what my motive is, they’re people first. Usually people are more willing to help you out if you have a strong relationship, so by focusing on the person, I almost won’t even have to ask if I need something because they already want to help you. That’s been hugely important for me, building on the relationships without any expectations, because it’s important to know the people you are affecting. And even if there’s nothing they can do for you, that’s okay. You’ve built a relationship and maybe you’ll get to work with them later on. If you can adopt that trait in college, your network will be huge."

"I think college is such a great time to explore and see what’s out there. I don’t think you have to have it figured out. I’ve been working for 15 years in different kinds of roles, and I’m still learning a bunch of different things. Always be learning, always find different opportunities to build your skills. Volunteering is such a huge part of that. You create such great relationships. And showing your skills in something other than schoolwork will help you too. Employers like to see that you are well-rounded, and they especially like to see volunteer experience, especially good employers. Those companies who care about people first will ask those types of questions and notice that type of thing on your resume or LinkedIn profile.

"Lastly, just have fun!"

~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Mary Anne! So what do you think? In what ways have you experienced that relationships matter?

Toppel Stars: Priyanka Surio

Written by Oleg Ignatenko

This month Priyanka Surio is being recognized as one of the Toppel Stars.  She is originally from Lakeland, FL and she recently graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Political Science.  Currently, Priyanka is employed as a Medical Scribe through ScribeAmerica Program at Florida Hospital in Kissimmee/Orlando, FL.

As a UM student, Priyanka had several internships and research positions.  Some of her internships included the Health Policy internship on Capitol Hill with Health and Medicine Counsel of Washington where she learned firsthand the health needs of hospitals, organizations devoted to medical causes, and medical schools and how politics plays an important role. Her second internship was with Watson Clinic, LLP in Lakeland where she shadowed doctors and nurses and assisted several departments including Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Allergy. Her research positions have been with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital where she was able to learn about the endeavors of personnel and doctors in these institutions. She also learned how their research was helping benefit patients, hospitals, and doctors' efficiency.

Recruitment was very subtle. She learned about this program solely by observing someone at her local hospital and asking them about what kind of work they do. Then she looked up the website ScribeAmerica.com and applied to a few places in neighboring cities. The interview consisted of similar questions on the application as well as about her future career goals and availability.  Only a few weeks after applying, she received a call for an interview.  Priyanka ultimately chose the company because she believed it to be the perfect job to have before continuing on with her studies in Medicine.

This is her advice for other students.

"The main words of wisdom I impart on other job seekers is to never give up, never get too comfortable, and know what you are and aren't willing to sacrifice.  It is important to not put all your eggs in one basket and count on that one dream job reaching back to you in a timely manner. Personally I had a few job offers throughout my time after graduation but none seemed to appeal to my needs. I kept pursuing other options because I knew I was deserving of a certain salary, and that I wouldn't be able to relocate somewhere far, and also needed something flexible. Finally after about four months I was able to secure this ideal job."

Priyanka also wanted to share a paragraph with Toppel, in which she described why she wanted to be a scribe on her application

My name is Priyanka Surio and I have obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Political Science from the University of Miami. I recently became aware of the Scribe America program through observing a few people working as scribes in the local hospital I volunteer for. After asking them about their experiences I knew that acting as a Scribe strongly aligned with my interests and prior skills as a secretary, health policy analyst intern, and research assistant for several years. A Scribe is someone who is efficient and effective in recording down the important information in a hospital to minimize the time it takes doctors to record data. I have often been given the name of “encyclopedia” not only for my efficiency in being able to relay information effectively but for continually being resourceful and extremely organized in my collection of important documents. Work ethic is an important factor in my ability to provide such efficiency. It is my work ethic that drives me to know more, ask more, and even demand more of myself so that I can continually help those around me and simplify complicated endeavors. Currently I am applying to Medical School but I have recently graduated and have some time off before starting medical school. Acting as a Scribe is exactly the type of experience I wish to accumulate before beginning a medical career.

Forming Great Note-Taking Skills!

by Oleg Ignatenko

Lately, I have come to the realization that many times students struggle (including myself) with exams or understanding the material in certain classes due to bad note-taking and lack of a focused and clear study guide. It seems that often when students take notes in class or notes from the book, they tend to focus on areas that are not that important which becomes very unhelpful to them as well as time consuming. The entire point of taking notes is to have a clear visual and an understanding of the given material without having to carry around a bunch of 25 pound books and then having to list through them to find a specific line to read or a definition to recall. Since this is becoming sort of an epidemic, I am here to give you some advice to help you ease your way into the course by developing great note-taking skills.

First, let’s all agree that copying word for word from the book does not work for everybody. Sometimes the way an author may explain or define something might seem like they are using a completely different language. So what would be the point of you jotting down their exact words? Instead, try to understand the straightforward meaning of their words and write it down in your own words.

Second, another extremely helpful method is to use different markers, pens or highlighters when taking down notes. During a lecture many of us don’t have time to organize our notes due to the fact that we must consistently write things down until our hands feel like they are about to fall off. With the use of the highlighters or markers, you can set up a system of colors in which you know what area relates to a specific topic and definitions that you will more than likely will need to know for the upcoming exam. It is just another way of making an outline but by using this system it will save you a lot more time.

Third, this is most likely the most important rule that is usually overlooked. Learn and understand the way your professor conducts his or her lectures. This is something that you should get used to by the end of the first two weeks of your new class. Each professor uses his own developed way of teaching and communicating with the classroom. Once you realize that he or she focuses on specific details or that literally everything he or she  discusses will be on the test, you will have a much greater advantage and understanding of what type of notes you should be jotting down. Many times students realize this after the first tests, depending on what type of questions will be asked, but instead of adapting to their professors way of teaching, they will still continue taking bad notes and struggle on exams.

Here are some other quick hints when taking notes:

• Take notes on only one side of the paper

• Use pictures, diagrams and tables to help you visualize and relate ideas

• Before the upcoming lecture, read the chapter that you will be focusing on next

• Go back and make sure that you didn’t leave any blanks, and if you did, remember to fill them in

Lastly, don’t forget to use your notes when it comes to exams and other assignments. If you took out the time to write all of this information down, make sure it goes into something positive. It is so much easier to learn something and to remember it when you have it clearly and precisely written down.

Don’t Buy Shoes or Pick your Career without Testing them Out

By Ali Rodriguez

If you want to buy a car, you typically do some research ahead of time. The same goes for renting an apartment, buying a new home, or taking that dream vacation. So why doesn’t everyone do a significant amount of research before committing to a career?

Research sounds boring, right? Think of it this way, research allows you to make informed decisions.  I can think of numerous occasions when alumni have come back to see me for career advising. They had this image of what a “real job” would look like after graduation. Oftentimes, the pretty picture they had painted was not realistic. They had seen their dream job on TV and pursued their college major based on a fantasy. My first piece of advice, do not decide to be an entrepreneur because “Two Broke Girls” are starting their own cupcake business and it looks cool!

When I think about research, my mind immediately jumps to networking.  We have all heard the term networking thrown around quite a bit. At times, this tends to elicit fear and intimidation. How do I get started? Who do I ask? What do I do once I get there? Pause, take a deep breath, and reboot! Networking is really about meeting new people and finding out more about their interests. And to be honest, most people love to talk about themselves, so it may be easier than you think. Networking is also a key part of your research when identifying people that you want to talk to about how your college career leads to the real world. Keep in mind that you don’t have to go at it alone. The Toppel Career Center is here to help you, and these tips will help you get the process started. My second piece of advice, visit the Toppel Career Center and utilize the fantastic advisors who are there.

When deciding on a major/career path, there are so many options, it may seem overwhelming. We all know there is great information online for researching potential careers, including the Occupational Outlook Handbook and O-Net. While this important, I believe that nothing can compare to actually talking to people who are happy and successful in their respective careers.  You can do this informally at networking events, but also during an informational interview. This gives you the opportunity to talk to a professional in a field of interest, and is a great way to find out more about what you may like in a job or career. It is also a good time to evaluate a specific company. Take a look at our handout for Informational Interviews. It includes questions how to prepare, questions you can ask, and how to follow up.

You are still struggling with whom to conduct an informational interview with, right? If you are shy, start with a family member or friend of the family to practice. Maybe it has been always been your dream to be an attorney. Set up an informational interview with someone you know, so you are not too anxious. Once you get one under your belt, you will be a pro! As I mentioned, Toppel staff can help you identify contacts, but you can also utilize an outstanding resource we have on HireACane.com called Career Shift. This search engine allows you to search for contacts based on industry, location, and company size. It also had a feature that allows you to search for UM alumni. I know that if I get a call from a student from my alma mater, the first thing I want to do is help them. I have never said to no to someone who wants to connect! You are students and we want to help mold you into wonderful professionals.

My third, and last piece of advice, is to take what you have gleaned from these professionals to learn more about yourself and the career you want to have. Informational interviews can help you when evaluating internship opportunities.  They may give you an idea of the type of work settings that are comfortable for you, especially if you visit the professional on-site. Do you like an office setting? Do you like to travel to visit clients? By learning more about others, you learn more about yourself and that is why informational interviews are your gateway to success. Happy interviewing!

Freshmen...Senior Reflections

Written By: Priyanka Surio

Only one more week of classes and two weeks unitll graduation and I have been trying to figure out how to make time stand still because it keeps flying by too quickly.  Yeah, Priyanka, but everyone says that. Because it is true, maybe as a sophomore feeling the beginnings of senioritis you don’t see it but the time will slyly creep up on you and before you know it, your throwing your cap in the air yelling Class of 2012. Now that I am finally a soon to be alumna and graduate everyone keeps asking me for the tell all advice and wisdom to how to make it through college. While it seems pretty self explanatory, I have put together some of the highlights of my college career and how to survive these four years!

SAGE WORDS OF WISDOM:

Let me start off by saying college is full of obstacles. They are bound to happen at some point but as long as you can learn from them, move on and carry a positive outlook regardless you should be fine. I am the type of person who doesn’t take no for an answer, and I think college should be like that for everyone. This is the time to make your mistakes and learn from them, to test the waters, to challenge yourself and learn about who you are.

COLLEGE LIFE for DUMMIES:

Don’t attempt to go to class in a less than conscious state, but if you must fall asleep, at least make sure it is not in one of those 2 people classrooms and sit in the back with the lecture on record to listen to later.

Professors hate texting, caking, fbooking, any and all forms of social media at least during their class time, so allow yourself to be alone for that hour or hour and a half, the world is not going to end just because you don’t status update.

Actually visit places on campus instead of witnessing the same surroundings of dining hall, dorm, and the RAT. These places include the Toppel Career Center, the Writing Center, the Library, yes people actually study there, not just frolic in dance parties. Take advantage of all these places teeming with valuable information and resources that will only expand your future opportunities.

Take everything with a grain of salt and a mind as open as the sea, because you will find that college and your peers will challenge you. In some way shape or form conflict will find you; whether its an argument with someone in your student organization, to missing important deadlines, to sleeping through an exam, to running out of Uprint dollars when your 25 page paper is due, some crisis is bound to happen, its synonymous with being a college student and without that force field called parents. You have to learn to come to terms with each thing and look at it as a learning experience that will teach you better for next time.

What about real life?

Yes it is important to extend beyond the bubble that is the University of Miami. While college life seems like the real thing because you actually have to wash your own laundry and occasionally heat up some mac n cheese, it is nothing compared to how the real world will be once you enter it post graduation. Thus, it is important to gain some insight into this real world and what better way to do that then by doing something you might be interested in. I am talking about internships and jobs that will not only give you that real life taste but also help you later on with your potential real life career.

Truth hurts but it is better to be honest with yourself and others than live a beautiful lie that won’t last, and trust me it won’t last. You can take this as literally as not lying in interviews and on your resume to admitting when you have weaknesses and need help.  Lying on your resume is not only dishonest but also think of when you actually do an interview for a job and put that your fluent in Spanish when you know you only took Beginners Español. All of a sudden your interviewer bursts out in full on Spanish conversation expecting responses. Point is, you will be highly embarrassed if you say you’ve done one thing or are skillful at another and it isn’t true because guaranteed, your interviewer will be able to tell when you don’t know what you are talking about.  The only way we continue to learn is by asking questions, so it is never a wrong move to ask others for help. Knowing when you need help is just as commendable of a characteristic as achieving something on your own. It is better than trying to do everything and more on your own and then falling into the black hole of overwhelmed.

Superman is still a story. The one thing that us UMiami students think we can do is be invincible, you will see us pull all nighters, partying and being unproductive, and then go to class the next day to give a presentation that is worth thirty percent of our grade, to ace it.  While this occasionally happens, because of course we boast being the number one school in Florida, so it is only given that we are smart enough to adapt to last minute changes, there will be that one time that everything just crashes or blows up in your face. I am talking about when you procrastinate so much that all of a sudden your room is full of empty Monster cans and your mind is on meltdown overload because you have three papers and two exams in the next two days. It is all about preparation. Yes you may not have homework every night and all this free time with no Friday classes, but it is important to do some school every day, after all most of our official occupations are full-time student, so treat it like a job and spend some effort and time to advance yourself.  The same advice tips apply for jobs and extra-curricular activities. It is important to manage your time, know your limits, and be sure that you are asking for days off when you need it, because even Clark Kent didn’t fight evil forces 24/7.

IF YOU HAVEN’T READ ANYTHING ELSE…

I say this on all my President’s 100 tours and I will say it to you Toppel Peers blog followers, the Toppel Career Center is probably one of the most important buildings you will ever use throughout your four years here, besides your advisors office, voicemail and email address. I am not just saying this from a biased point of view since I work here as a peer advisor, I am telling you from past experience that Toppel fulfills what your goal should be from attending college; to hopefully figure out and obtain a career post graduation. We all come to college to potentially learn about what we want to do with the rest of our lives and pray to our respective entities or cross our fingers that once we have graduated that career goal will begin to materialize into a concrete reality.

Why is Toppel so awesome? Not just because as a freshmen I was able to pinpoint exactly what I was interested in and declare my major to Biology, not just because that same summer freshmen year I got an internship on Capitol Hill and accepted to a program at Georgetown University, not just because I got to partake in two more research opportunities and one more internship, not just because it made my cover letter, resume, and interviewing skills exemplary, not just because I received a US Department of State scholarship for study abroad in India, not even just because I have options post graduation, but because overall, my college experience and career journey would be in an incomplete sorry state without Toppel here to hone my professional development. It was through the dedication of the career advisors to help me improve my marketability and application, through their relentless search for opportunities and contacts once I made the effort to build that relationship with them, through their amazing programs and career fairs that brought potential experiences to my door knocking, and through their patience to critique my interview skills and resume that I am able to stand before you with the multitude of experiences I have accumulated in just four years. The advisors, career tests, guides, programs, networking opportunities, and career fairs provide you with more than a fair share of access to achieve everything I have and more.

Utilizing a Portfolio to Acquire a Job

by Rob Vanisko




When applying for internships, it is always good to have something that helps you stand out from the rest of the applicants. Quite often, the applicant that stands out from the crowd and catches the attention of the employer is the one that lands the coveted internship.

As a Public Relations student in the School of Communication, I have built up a collection of writing and design samples over the past semesters. After I would turn them in to my professors they would just sit around taking up space on my hard drive. It was not until my graphic design professor assigned my class to make portfolios full of these samples that I realized their true potential. Having a portfolio is the perfect way to stand out in a crowded pool of applicants applying for an internship. It gives students a chance to show off their skills and creativity in addition to their resume.

Here are a few tips to follow when creating your own portfolio:

Be sure to edit your samples
One of the biggest mistakes that students make when creating their own portfolios is not thoroughly editing their writing and design content. No matter how good your portfolio may look, potential employers will always be deterred by typos or grammar mistakes. Show off your attention to detail by eliminating any mistakes in your content, whether they are writing or design samples.

Be creative without being obnoxious
It is always good to be creative on your portfolio to show off your individuality, but be sure to do it in a way that does not distract from the actual content of your portfolio. You do not want you portfolio to be boring, but you also want to make sure your overall design highlights the content rather than overshadowing it. A simple color scheme and overall design should do the trick.

Highlight your different skills
When building your portfolio, you should include different types of writing and design samples. For example, if you are a PR student, you will want to include a Press Release, a Backgrounder, a Media Alert, and a Fact Sheet. For your design samples, you will want to use a mix of samples from InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. This will show off your versatility in different writing styles and different design programs, making you a much more attractive candidate.

Consulting Basics

By Pallavi Pal

Consultancy is a fancy title for those who are paid to give their advice in their field of specialty. Although consultants exist in all types of industries, from health care to sports, management consultant positions seem to be a hot commodity for the recent graduate. With their high pay, great benefits, constant travel and not to mention the luxurious lifestyle, it is not a surprise that many choose this industry.

Management consultants or business consultants are those paid by large companies to help make strategic decisions for company’s internal processes, such as change in corporate structure, or external processes, such as entrance into different markets or industries. The consulting firms tend to look for analytical thinking and proper application of business processes that have been learned in a classroom environment and applied to real world examples. Also if you have a strong mathematical ability as well as intellectual curiosity, you could be the perfect candidate.

However, being the ideal candidate isn’t the end all be all. Acing the rigorous consulting interview is the end goal in this highly competitive process. Since this type of job is a hot commodity, the hiring process is far more competitive than an average job interview. Usually, the best and brightest find themselves receiving offers from consulting firms and only with a lot of preparation and practice can one navigate through these interviews effectively. Take a look at a few tips below to get yourself started.

Normally, the first round or the beginning of the interviews will be based on a generic interview prototype. Many questions will be asked to get you to talk about yourself and your past experiences. These are behavioral questions and if you follow the link below you can get more help on preparing for this portion of the interview.

The second part is the killer part of the consulting interview process. These will consist of a mix of case and estimation questions. This requires that you prepare yourself well in advance; some even start preparing 6-8 months in advance. Questions such as these will test your level of analytical reasoning, ability to work under pressure, ability to advise others as well as your mathematical capability.

For case questions you will be given a case that consultants typically work on such as a case regarding entrance of company A into a specific industry. You are expected to know how to effectively reason out the situation given a few pieces of information, make accurate assumptions and provide the interviewers with a confident response. They are not necessarily looking for the correct answer but rather a correct manner of approaching the problem and reasoning it out.

Furthermore, the estimation type questions are a little more abstract and require creativity in how you maneuver your response. An example would be “estimate how many shoes are sold in the U.S. each year.” Given no further information or assumptions, you are expected to come up with an answer with a pen and paper. Although daunting at first, practicing these types of questions will make responding a lot easier and pain-free. Usually one would respond by considering the possible assumptions for the question and estimating an answer.

Do you have any further questions? Well, you should! As an ever curious candidate, you should learn everything you can about the industry and prepare yourself fifty times harder than what you did to prepare yourself for the SAT. Learning about the industry and the type of questions is key and the best industry guides can be found on Vault.com. Since Toppel has subscribed on behalf of all UMiami students, the easiest (and cheapest) was to access it would be by logging into HireACane.com. Then once you have logged in scroll down until you see “Career Insider: Vault Career Online Library.” After that click the “Industries” and type in “Consulting” and you will find a multitude of articles.

Moreover, read up on the case interviews, especially, Case in Point by Marc Cosentino should be your guidebook. Also, check out the following links for more guidance!

Case Interviews
Case Interview Frameworks
Nailing that Consulting Interview

Advice from Graduating Seniors

We can’t believe how fast these past four years have gone by and if you don’t believe us just wait and see for yourself. With this in mind, upon graduation we would like to leave you with some words of wisdom from Graduating Seniors:

Words to Live By
1. Don’t Stress—No matter how important that test or paper may seem, remember that college is about learning and growth. While it is important to always try your best, don’t worry so much about individual grades, and focus on the journey instead. Things are never really as bad as they seem, so relax.

2. Get Involved—the biggest regret we have in college is not getting involved earlier. Try as many different clubs and organizations out as possible to make yourself well-rounded and use this time as an opportunity to gain experiences and try things you will never be able to again. Also by having more activities and commitments, it will help you out with time management skills in the long run.

3. Get Experience—Internships are a great opportunity to learn more about what it is you really want to do with your life, and are also great for helping build your resume. It gives you a chance to build contacts as well and get an idea of what life may be like after school is finished.

4. Time off for good behavior—if you have the opportunity, take some time off after graduation and relax. You have earned it! Travel, see friends, and figure out what your next step is. It’s ok to take a step back before taking the next few steps forward. Don’t take life too seriously, be proactive but just remember things always work out for a reason.