How Do I Choose a Favorite?!?!?!

By Ali Rodriguez, Director of Employer Relations

My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip. But I also really love Cherry Garcia. No...wait, chocolate chip cookie dough is delicious and makes a wonderful milkshake. What I've learned over the years is that you don't have to just have one favorite.

Think about how you can apply this notion to finding a career you will find satisfying. Have you ever worried about finding a career you will love? I know I did. Having family members who enjoyed the work they did, I remember being in college and trying to find that one thing that would resonate with me. We all have different interests at various points in our life, depending on experiences and life circumstances.

Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to figure it all out in too short of a time frame. Instead, open your mind to the variety of possibilities that exist. Look carefully at the companies who recruit at the Toppel Career Center for full-time jobs and internships. Consider things that are also a good fit: is part-time work, freelancing, or starting your own business a better choice? Don't judge an opportunity by the organization and/or job title alone. Often times, at smaller organizations, you have the chance to get exposure and experience in a variety of capacities.

Let me share an example to illustrate my point. For the past several years, UM students have consistently rated Google as the #1 company to work for.* It used to be that Google did not recruit on campus (now they do), but the brand recognition was so strong and company culture transparent that students ranked the company highly. Now I will challenge you to think about the fact that for every Google, there's a Jazwares. You may never have heard of Jazwares, (they invent toys and related products that are new to the marketplace, featuring the licenses that kids want) but we have UM alumni working there and the workspace fosters creativity.  And what about the Miami Dolphins?  The organization has provided internships for numerous UM students over the years, and they have rated the experience positively. 

So, the next question is, how do I get engaged? Of course, I am biased, but attending Toppel events (such as career fairs, industry nights, and career programs hosted by employers) is a great way to build connections.  I challenge you again to think of other ways to do that. Attend a Launch Pad event. Talk to faculty and discover if any of them work in your industry. Talk to family members. Try to get as much info as you can that will help you make an informed decision and find your “fit.”

One important aspect of my job is to bring companies and organizations to campus to recruit at the U for jobs and internships. This keeps me busy! In my role, I help expose students to the variety of options that exist. Google is like my mint chocolate chip, Jazwares resonates with me like Cherry Garcia does, and I can liken the Miami Dolphins to chocolate chip cookie dough. I don’t/can’t have a favorite, there are just too many options!

Do you have a company that you've always wanted to work for who doesn't recruit at UM? Please don't hesitate to let me know by emailing me at alrodriguez@miami.edu.

*Source: Universum survey

Career Toolbox: UCAN Internship Exchange

By: Bree Blair
Part of the Career Toolbox Series

Looking for an easy and efficient way to find internships? UCAN is perfect for you! UCAN stands for University Career Action Network, which means that it is not just affiliated with the University of Miami. UCAN is connected with Boston College, Harvard University, University of Notre Dame, and 18 other colleges across the United States. To get started, just log into your HireACane account, and click the link on the left, which will take you directly to the UCAN website. If you haven't set up a UCAN account yet, use your collegiate email address to get yourself started. Once you have been an approved user, you're free to roam the site and find the perfect internship for you.

After creating an account, it will prompt you to set up your profile just like HireACane. Actually, they're both set up very similarly, so if you are familiar with HireACane, then you might just already be a professional on UCAN! There is even a documents tab if you want to upload your resume. On the home tab, there are always announcements and notifications available. For example, one announcement on the home page right now is the chance to win an iTunes gift card by taking a UCAN survey! How cool is that- a nifty site that helps you find internships and even win some prizes here and there. Speaking of internships, UCAN has more to offer
than what meets the eye.

Once you figure out the website and all its wonders, you will discover a really handy search agent that makes finding internships a piece of cake. Just click the internships tab, and follow that to the search agents tab (tricky, I know). Anyway, UCAN lets you set up a scheduled search for internships! It doesn't get any easier than that; all you have to do is read your emails! It allows you to set it up how many times a week or month that you want to receive emails about internships pertaining to the keyword or phrase you chose.

UCAN even helps you if you are just looking for a specific company. Just click on the employers tab and search away! If you are mainly interested in finding an internship with a certain person or company, UCAN can help you there too. It even provides a contact directory so you can get in touch with the companies via telephone or email. What's really awesome is that the person's title is listed with their contact information, and we all know how important that is, especially when writing a cover letter! As you can see, UCAN has a ton of ways to help you find the perfect internship; it even does the work for you! So if you are even considering an internship, you should create an account on UCAN because it CAN help you find the perfect match! It's almost like an online dating site, except not really, and it's free.