6 Ways to Refresh Your Life Over Spring Break

By Melissa Wyatt, Toppel Peer Advisor

Trying to balance classes, extracurriculars and work is tough for any college student – so it’s no surprise that spring break is one of the most anticipated weeks of the year. While it’s important to have fun and relax, spring break is also a great opportunity to get ahead. A little bit of effort can go a long way, and preparing for what’s ahead will allow you to end your semester on a high note. Here are six easy ways to refresh your life this spring break:

1. Update Your resume

When homework deadlines are looming over your head, it’s easy to put career readiness on the backburner. With a free schedule, spring break is the perfect opportunity to update your resume. Templates and advice are available at HireACane.com, so you can accomplish this in no time! You never know when you’ll need a resume, so it’s important to keep yours updated.

2. Catch up – and get ahead!

Spend an hour or two every day catching up on class readings and getting ahead on homework assignments. A little bit of effort now will prevent many long nights in the library, especially as final papers and projects pile up in the coming weeks.

3. Organize your room and study space

It’s hard to stay focused when your notes are unorganized and laundry has piled up on your floor.  Now that you don’t have as much on your plate, take the time to organize your desk. A clean room is key to a clear mind – don’t underestimate how these small changes can make a big difference in your productivity.

4. Send in your last internship and job applications

It’s time to stop procrastinating and submit the last of your summer internship/job applications! Finish up the applications you’ve already found, and continue to seek out new opportunities. You never know what you’ll find - your dream job could be waiting.

5. Get rest

Don’t forget to treat yourself well. Be sure to get ample rest over spring break, because this will ensure that you are in tip-top shape for the rest of the semester. Having an adequate amount of sleep will also increase your overall productivity and happiness.

6. Learn something new

Have you been hoping to sharpen your Photoshop skills, but just couldn’t find the time? Use spring break as an opportunity to hone your existing skills and develop new ones. The Internet is full of online tutorials and advice to help you learn something new. Each unique skill you have makes you stand out in a job, so take this time to diversify yourself as a candidate.

These are just a few ideas to have a productive spring break – you could try your hand at volunteering, exercising, or just spending more time outdoors. Have a fun week off and enjoy unwinding from the stresses of everyday life! Don’t forget to stop by the Toppel Career Center when classes are back in session.

You don’t have an internship? You don’t have to sweat it

By Maura Gergerich, Toppel Peer Advisor

As many of you have experienced, the past few months have been a rush of applications and interviews in order to figure out what you’ll be doing with your life for the summer. For those of you who have heard good news from companies, congratulations! Some of you may not have had the best of luck, but don’t start your panic just yet. Summer has just started, so there may still be opportunities out there for you. Although it may seem like every position has been filled there are many large companies that have less rigorous recruiting periods and can still include you as an intern. You may also feel like there aren’t any postings in your field. If this is the case you can send a letter of intent to companies that you want to work for and inquire if they happen to have any openings that just might not be posted in the places you’re searching. This is basically the same format as a cover letter except you won’t be applying for a specific position. Even if the companies you contact don’t have openings at this point in time it will show that you are eager to work for them and will probably up your chances should you decide to apply there in the future.

Internships aren’t the only way to spend your summer. Maybe you can expand your search to find a day job so you can start saving up money. This can benefit you by giving you some extra references and also extra pocket money never hurt anyone. It might help to save up in case down the line you get an unpaid internship. You can also try to do some volunteering or acquire a research position in the area. Talk to professors and see what they recommend. There could be on campus jobs that you might not be aware of that would be perfect for you.

While having a summer internship is a wonderful opportunity, it won’t make or break your career. There’s nothing wrong with taking your time off to actually have a break and do things you enjoy. Hanging out with friends from home or catching up on Netflix could be how you want to spend your summer. There’s always the option of fall internships or just waiting till next summer.

Will I be Homeless for my Summer Internship?

By Marian Li, Toppel Peer Advisor

You know, finding an internship/job isn't the ONLY stressful thing students need to worry about post-spring-semester. The reason why employers value students who do internship experiences over summer is that not only do the students gain knowledge of the industry at hand, but they also grow as individuals ready for the real world – which includes paying rent, driving commutes, and generally fending for themselves away from their parents and home. As a student though, you’re not alone! The struggle of growing up is a shared pain, so here are a few tips to make the housing process a little easier!

Do your research – Always start early! Depending on the time frame of your internship/job, you may have to review some of your housing options and how flexible they are with lease agreements. You should do some recon and get a lay of the land around your job’s location. You should consider commute time, the safety of the neighborhood, and amenities. These traits help you determine a good middle ground for your job.

Find Roommates! – First and foremost, the easiest way to cut costs is to find someone to share the cost. A lot of times, students have the opportunity to travel out of state and it’s a little scary to do it alone. Most times, though, classmates of yours may be working in the same area as you so meet new friends! Although you may not be working for the same company, having some company outside of work is comforting and it lightens the financial burdens of looking for housing by yourself.

Extended-Stay Hotels – Think housing is too difficult? And you wish booking a hotel was an option? Well, surprise! Some hotels actually have the option of extended-stay for weeks, and even months. Hotels are abundant no matter where you end up, but just be wary that this option may be a bit pricy!

AirBnB – The up and coming website students tend to overlook is AirBnB. The idea behind AirBnB is for people who had space to share to host travelers looking for a place to stay. Much like extended-stay hotels, the duration of your stay is pretty flexible as long as the host agrees to it! AirBnB provides a unique experience since you’ll essentially be a tenant of theirs but you learn more about the area.

Subleasing – If your internship/job is located near a college/university, there’s a good chance there are students living around the area as well. Most house/apartment leases are on a 10 or 12-month lease minimum, and if the students aren't staying for summer, chances are, they’re looking for ways to supplement their monthly rent.

Happy house hunting!

The Summer Internship Hunt

By Kelly Martin, Toppel Peer Advisor

It’s that time of year again: the humidity is creeping back into our weather, professors are starting to remind you to actually start that final project you’ve known about for the whole semester, and the “what am I doing this summer?!” panic sets in as you realize we are a little over a month away from the end of the year. So inevitably, we here at Toppel are hearing the same question over and over: how do I find a summer internship?

As college students we are constantly being told how important internships are to our future career, but often, heavy course loads and on campus involvement makes it difficult to balance an internship during the school year. Summer is the perfect time to dive head first into an internship and get some valuable experience. So, how do you find that elusive summer internship?

To start, check out HireACane.com. After logging in with your CaneID information, click on the “Jobs” tab and start searching. Use different keywords to narrow down your search and find exactly what you’re looking for.

Can’t find your perfect internship on HireACane? Here’s where you might have to do a bit more work. All of the internships and jobs I’ve ever gotten have come from just doing a Google search and seeing where that takes me. I follow tons of organizations in my field on Facebook and Twitter, and constantly keep up to date on what they’re doing to see if they’re places I’d be interested in working at, and sometimes they’ll even put job/internship postings on Facebook.  

So what if you find your dream company, but there’s nothing posted about internship openings? While many websites will have a “careers” or “internships” page, you might have to dig a little further with others to find the opportunity you’re looking for. You can send a letter of inquiry to a company expressing your interest in working for them and asking if they have anything available. They might turn you down but you really have nothing to lose!

Once you find the internship opportunities you want to apply for, come to Toppel for walk-in advising and we can help craft the perfect cover letters and resumes for those applications. Before you know it, you’ll have an awesome summer internship lined up!

So you just finished an internship… Now what?

By Maura Gergerich, Toppel Peer Advisor

Summer is the time when most students that are planning on interning at a company do so. If you are one of these students, your experience with a company just ended. Now that the actual work is done you may be wondering what you should do with all of this wonderful new experience.

Evaluate what you learned

The first thing you want to do is evaluate your experience. Did you enjoy your time there? If not, try to figure out the reasoning behind it. Were your expectations of what you would be doing unrealistic? Did your employer not provide you with relevant projects? Or did you over/underestimate your skill level when applying for jobs? Each of these factors can impact your experience at a company, but should be utilized to learn what to look for in the future. If you loved your internship (which I hope most of you did) think back over what you worked on and evaluate things such as what skills you may have gained/improved upon, or what knowledge and insight you gained throughout your experience.

Send thank you’s

You can never say thank you too often. Even if you have thanked your co-workers throughout your internship you always want to follow it up once it’s over. First and foremost thank your supervisor. This is probably the person who gave you the most training and experience so they are your top priority. Next comes anyone else you may have worked with or interacted with regularly during your experience. The best idea is to send handwritten notes (and make sure not to just copy a message over and over!) each note should be specific to the person including specifics of how this person helped or influenced your experience.

References

Start making a list of people to ask to use as references; anyone who can attest to your skills and work ethic. Ask their permission and willingness and start compiling their information so you have it readily available for the next job application you fill out. Also, if you want reference letters from any employees make sure you don’t wait until you actually need one to ask! You wouldn’t want to end up needing one for an application due the next day and not having it readily available. You want to give each person about a week so that they have enough time to give you a well written letter.

Document it on your resume

Now it’s time to update that resume now that you have an awesome new experience to add to it! You (hopefully) have already evaluated your experience, so make changes to your skills section for new or improved skills and add your internship in your experience section. Don’t sell yourself short when describing your responsibilities. For any questions about this feel free to check out our resume guide http://www.sa.miami.edu/toppel/mainSite/Students/ResumeDevelopmentGuide.aspx or come to Toppel for walk-in advising (Monday-Thursday 10-4:30).

The MYTHS about clicking SUBMIT

By Samantha Haimes, Assistant Director of Experiential Initiatives

True or False: If someone advised you that the best way to begin your internship search was to refer to the Classifieds section of Sunday's newspaper, you might laugh in their face, assuming they must be joking.

If I know you, and I think I do, your answer is…TRUE. Ok, even though I don't know you, we are on the same page…

Now answer me this: If someone advised you that the best way to begin your internship search was to start by visiting specific websites, perhaps the company’s website or a site more all-encompassing such as HireACane or Indeed.com, you'd probably take their word for it.

Once again, also probably [and hopefully] your answer is TRUE.
 
Utilizing online portals such as HireACane is an excellent strategy; on these sites you typically learn about available positions, read about various companies, and can even submit your resume electronically.

Last question (I promise): After exploring these amazing sites with tons of opportunities listed, you submit your resume electronically and then wait for the company to contact you. Maybe you'll submit a cover letter too (if they ask for it). Ultimately however, the company will reach out to you if they like you.

Last but not least, I am willing to guess that the vast majority of students would say, TRUE. This seems like a great plan, right? Submit your resume to a couple of postings and then wait for companies to contact you?

…FALSE!

One of the biggest misconceptions for students applying for jobs and internships online is that that's all there is to it—applying online. In reality, the truly successful way to obtain jobs and internships is to utilize the online application process as just a part of the process. Not the process.

I know, I know. Your mind is boggled right now. "What are you talking about, Samantha? Applying for positions online isn't enough? But that's the only way I know how to find out what companies are hiring for?" Do not fear- I promise there are easy [and dare I say fun] ways to take your application from the mediocre click-of-a-button-resume-submission to a strong, outstanding, and competitive application for consideration. Here are some of the ways to get you started:

Research, Research, Research!
Doing your research before you actually click submit is critical. For starters, it will give you a glimpse into the organization and will help you decide if this is a good position for you. Don’t be fooled by job posting titles- really read the descriptions and spend some time researching the company so you are confident that it is a good fit. The better fit you believe you are for the job, the more this will shine through in your resume and cover letter (which should be tailored to each position you apply for).

In addition, don’t be limited to the company website. Check out the organization on various social media outlets, see if they have YouTube videos, and scope out what headlines they are making in the news and media. The more informed you are, the better all around.

Use your personal network
Everybody knows somebody. And while you may not realize it right away, there’s a good chance that:

A) You know someone at the company you are applying to
B) You know someone who knows someone at the company you are applying to
C) You have something in common with someone who works at the organization (i.e. graduating from UM, being a runner in south Florida, originally from the northeast, etc.) - even if you don’t know them personally.

Tapping into each of these connections for help or advice is called utilizing your network. Before and/or after you submit your resume online, try to find out about specific people that hit all three of these targets. If you are delving into your network before you apply, try to talk about the company or position with someone you know- this will make you even more knowledgeable during your application process and will give you someone to reference in your cover letter (with their approval, of course). If you choose to wait until after you apply, be sure to let the individual know when you applied for the job and for what specific position, so that they can reach out to the right individuals are their company and put in a good word for you.

You might be asking yourself, HOW do I get in touch with people that I have something in common with but that I don’t know personally? The secret is….LinkedIn!! LinkedIn is an amazing resource for connecting with individuals in this exact situation. You can cross reference the college someone attended with their current geographic location, current employer, and industry they work in—it is a gold mine! Then you can connect with these individuals to learn more about an organization. This handy-dandy tool is at the tip of your fingers, just click here.  You will need to login to your LinkedIn account, however, so if you don’t have one, make one ASAP. Here at Toppel, we critique LinkedIn Profiles and can show you how to effectively use this helpful LinkedIn widget, so come on in!

Become the company's #1 Fan (if you aren't already) & Follow Up
When you are submitting job or internship applications, it is easy to get complacent and a little bit tired. You might be asking yourself, “Do I really need to write a whole new cover letter just for this one position?” or “Should I actually follow up if I haven’t heard back from them in a while- I don’t want to be pushy.”

The answer is Yes. Always YES.

One of the biggest pet peeves for companies is to receive a general resume or cover letter that is clearly also used for 1,000 other positions, in addition to their own. Companies want to get the feeling that you want to work for THEM not just that you want a job. 

• Follow the company on social media – find their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Company Page, and Instagram account. Start liking their content 
• Set up a Google Alert to keep up-to-date on what’s happening with them
• Connect with employees at the organization utilizing LinkedIn and/or your personal network 
• Meet people who work at the company (personal networks or structured networking events)- be friendly and knowledgeable…oh yes, and smile

Additionally, companies only want to interview candidates that are passionate and excited about the job because that means they will be committed to the position and are more likely to be a strong fit. One of the best ways to convey this to an employer, outside of your initial application, is to follow up. No, this is not pushy; this is committed and organized. I would encourage you to wait about two weeks after you submit your resume to follow up directly with the hiring manager, via email or phone. You could write something along the lines of:

Good morning _______, “I am writing to confirm that you received by application for the _____position with _____ company. I am really looking forward to hearing from you as I feel I am an excellent fit for this role. If you need any additional information from me, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”  Thank you! Sincerely, ________

This is not the end-all, be-all template, just a beginner’s suggestion.
  
I hope these tips have been helpful for you. I challenge you to keep all of these important points in mind during your fall internship search or if you are actively seeking full-time opportunities. If you forget anything, don't hesitate to reach out to me; I am happy to remind you!

HAPPY SUBMITTING (and so much more)!