Toppel Stars - Cristine Befanis

Meet Cristine Befanis, author of the blog post Interview Tips. Cristine is a May 2012 University of Miami graduate who majored in Marketing and minored in Accounting.  She is interested in fashion and is about to begin two internships: Photography Intern with Mega Models and Retail Sales Intern with Nordstrom. We interviewed her to learn more about her internship search and how she became successful. 

Why did you choose the University of Miami and your major in marketing?
I transferred to UM my junior year after two years at another university. I was originally premed, and after doing research and taking upper level classes, I realized I preferred the business track. Fashion had

always been a passion of mine, but I thought it was more of a hobby. I began to realize that I wanted to pursue it as my career, so I transferred back home to Florida where a better business program was offered. I transferred to UM and have loved it ever since.

 How did you find out about the internships at Mega Models and Nordstrom?

I actively used the resources offered at Toppel to research jobs. I knew that I wanted an internship after graduation, so I met with my advisor to explore research tools. I first used HireACane.com to search for internships which was where I originally found the Mega Models internship. I continued to apply to other internships and updated my LinkedIn account where I also began searching for jobs. I found the Nordstrom position through LinkedIn and immediately applied.

What other jobs and internships did you have before applying for these internships?

I was working as a Sales Lead Manager at Ann Taylor LOFT at the time of my internship search, but I was prepared to leave the company should any internship offers arise. I was also working (and still am) as a volunteer intern at Dress For Success but planned to continue working a couple hours a week. I applied for all of my internships within the same time frame and was offered the Mega Models internship originally. I accepted and was offered the Nordstrom internship shortly after. Fortunately, it worked out in my schedule to accept both positions. 

What was the interview and recruitment process like?

For the Mega Models internship, I submitted my resume and cover letter through HireACane.com. I was contacted within two days via email about setting up an interview. I responded back, and we set up an interview for the following week. When I came into the office, the interview was very informal, and the interviewer used the time to tell me about the position and asked me what I could bring to the position. I was there for about 20 minutes, and he told me to email him my availability upon leaving and that he would let me know. I emailed him right away, and the next week, I was told I got the position via email.

For the Nordstrom internship, I applied through the company's main website after being referred to it from LinkedIn. I received a call back the next day and scheduled an interview for the following week. I originally interviewed with an HR coordinator, and after the interview, she asked me to interview the next day with the Store Manager which was a good sign. The next interview went really well and I was told I got the position on the spot.

What made you choose the company?  

I am very interested in the Fashion industry and knew I wanted to work for a large company selling upscale merchandise, including a major designer or department store. When I saw the model internship, I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn more about the modeling and photography industry. I was also happy when I saw the Nordstrom internship because that is one of my favorite department stores. 

If you could give one piece of advice to other job seekers, what would it be? 

I would tell other job seekers not to get discouraged in their job searches and always keep your head up high. There are so many opportunities out there as long as you are active with your job search. Don't let one rejection discourage you.

Interview Tips

Written By: Cristine Befanis

The Introduction

 In my experience searching for jobs and internships as a graduating senior, I have come across three different styles of interviews: the original, the informal, and the behavior-based interviews. While several common interview questions and suggested answers can be found online, nothing is more helpful than personal experience. The established guideline below is meant to serve you and offer you interview tips from a fellow student to prepare you for the “real world.”

With any of the three types of interviews, most often, you will wait for the interviewer in a lobby after confirming your presence with a receptionist or other co-worker. During this time, it is important to maintain your composure and perhaps show interest by making observations about the office that you can then bring up upon meeting the interviewer to build rapport. Rarely do interviews begin on time, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be at least 10 minutes early.

Always be mindful of your nonverbal body language especially because other parties may be observing you as well. Maintain your posture, and keep your phone in your pocket or purse to avoid distractions. When it finally comes time to meeting the interviewer, be sure to greet him or her with a strong, firm handshake. The handshake shouldn’t be too strong that you leave a mark on the interviewer’s hand, but you also don’t want it to be too soft either. A good handshake communicates to the interviewer that you are confident and ready for the interview. From there, you will follow the interviewer into his/her office or some other room while most likely engaging in some small talk asking how each party is on the way. The interviewer invites you in and you take a seat as soon as he/she offers it, and then the interview begins. Whether the interviewer asks or not, always start the interview off by handing him/her a hard copy or your resume.

The 3 Types:

The Original:

The original interview is standard for most companies and is most often expected by students. It starts with an about me tribute, follows with some questions for the interviewee, and then ends with questions for the interviewer. The interviewer might begin by telling you a little about him/her and the company, or he/she might just go right into asking you to tell him/her about yourself as soon as you sit down. You should already have an answer prepared for this question, so you don’t go mumbling on, but make sure you address the key points that you want the interviewer to know about you. These might include your hometown, year and school, current major, current job, and plans for the future. For me, I like to bring up the fact that I am a transfer student that switched majors to emphasize the fact that I have faced obstacles in the past and have overcome them to focus on what I love.

Additional questions may stem from your about me tribute, or the interviewer will continue on by asking other questions. There are several questions that are common for an interviewer to ask during the original interview, and many of these questions and possible answers can be found online by running a Google search. Additionally, I always have answers prepared for the following difficult questions below:

• What is your biggest weakness and how do you plan to overcome it?

 This is a tricky question as you don’t want to be too honest with the interviewer as to ruin your chances of getting the position, but you also don’t want to say that you are perfect since clearly, no one is. For this question, try to answer by listing a weakness that is nonessential for the job or list a quality that can be perceived as a weakness or a strength, but focus on how you can fix it to make it more of a strength. For example, I like to say that I am detail-oriented, and sometimes, I need to be reminded of the larger picture. I then give recent examples of how I have begun to overcome that.

• Why do you want to work for this company?

      Whether you want to work for the company or you just landed the interview by accident and are exploring your options, you definitely want to come across as excited for the position. In order to answer this question, you need to have done some research about the company. It helps to bring up recent news articles that the company was featured in or some of your basic knowledge of the company after research that appeals to you. For example, you can begin answering this question by saying, “I know that X company is ______, and I really want to be a part of that environment because _______.” Also, try to tie your strengths into this answer, and be sure to give the interviewer a clear cut answer as to why you are different from everyone else interviewing for the position and should be hired. What can you bring to the position?

• Who else have you interviewed with (or have you received any job offers)?

 In my opinion, this is one of the most difficult questions an interviewer can ask. The interviewer doesn’t have any right to know the answer to this question because your job search is personal. I had first noticed this question on a Google forum and went through about 10 interviews overtime before I was finally asked this, and I was definitely caught off-guard. The interviewer is indirectly trying to see if you are interested in the company or if you are pursuing other outlets. Additionally, he/she wants to see if you are active in your job search or putting all of your eggs in one basket. For this question, do not say that the employer is the only company you are interviewing with, and you also don’t want to list all the other companies you have applied to or are interviewing for. For this question, just say that you are really interested in the ______ industry and are excited to analyze the opportunities available within that specific company. If the interviewer continues to harp on the topic, just simply tell him/her that you do not feel comfortable discussing that at this time.

After answering a series of questions, the interviewer will most likely ask you if you have any questions for him/her. Always say yes and have a few questions prepared. Everyone’s favorite topic is to talk about him/herself. Therefore, try to start by asking how the interviewer got to his/her current position in the company. You can usually branch out and form some other questions from the responses he/she gives or you can continue asking those questions that you have prepared. Try to ask questions about the company as a whole and obstacles it might face in the future and how they will be overcome. Try to limit the questions you ask to 4-5 so that the interviewer doesn’t get uneasy or bored. You don’t want to switch things up to make the interviewer feel like you have switched roles, and you are now the interviewer.

The Informal:

The informal interview is most commonly found at a later round of interviews after you have already successfully gone through other interviews within the company and are now moving up the ladder, interviewing with more important people. This interview consists of very little, if any, questions for you. The interviewer will start by telling you about the position and/or company most likely because he/she has already reviewed your resume and application and has already heard a lot about you from the other interviewers.

I originally met this type of interview in a third and final round and was shocked when it seemed that the interviewer wasn’t at all interested in me. She told me about the company and position for 10 minutes, and after, she asked if I had any questions for her. She didn’t ask me one single question, so I was definitely thrown off-guard and proceeded to ask her several questions (definitely more than 5) to keep the interview going. When she seemed that she had enough questions, I summed up myself to remind her that I was a great candidate for the position and shook her hand. I left feeling pretty badly about the interview because I didn’t really get to give my rehearsed responses, but I ended up getting the position after all.

Later, in my Professional Selling class, I asked my professor about these types of interviews, and he said that I handled myself well. In these situations, it is best to listen to the interviewer and let him/her talk because a lot has already been communicated to him/her. The interviewer wants to see you interest in the position, and you can show this by agreeing with statements he/she makes and asking intense questions that show you have done your research. At the end of this type of interview, always summarize yourself with a personalized mission statement.

The Behavior-Based Interview:

Behavior-based interviews are usually conducted by larger companies narrowing down a large pool of applicants. The interviewer might start off by asking you a few questions about yourself and then will switch to the behavior-based questions. Behavior-based questions consist of questions asking you to analyze a past situation or experience. For instance, the interviewer might ask you to tell him/her about a time when something occurred and how you overcame the problem. For these types of questions, the interviewer is looking for you to bring up an experience from work, school, or an extracurricular activity to show your involvement. He/she is looking to learn how you react in certain situations to see if you would be a good fit for the position. The interviewer might even have a pen and paper to take down notes of your answers. 

The best way to prepare for this type of interview is to think of 5-10 problems and obstacles you have faced and how you reacted. This way, you already have ideas in your mind and can pool from them depending on the specifics of the question asked. Several common behavioral-based questions can be found online so one can prepare. In the event that you are not prepared for a behavioral-based interview and are met by a surprise, the best thing you can do is think on your feet. A good way to buy yourself extra time to think of an answer when interviewing is to say things like, “That is a good question that I have never thought about before…” A statement like that is better than a long pause or saying “um.” You can even ask an additional question even if you fully understood the question just so you have more time.

Wrapping Up

At the end of any of the three interviews, depending on the position and the round of interviewing you are in, you may be extended an offer on the spot, be scheduled for another interview, or be told that you will be contacted by a certain date regarding the position. Always end by thanking the interviewer for his/her time and giving him/her a second firm handshake. If the interviewer doesn’t give you an automatic answer as to when you can expect to hear back when ending the interview, always ask because it shows you are interested and will also keep you from going crazy with the unknown while waiting to hear from the company.

Interviewing can be stressful, but as long as you take these tips with you and are confident and prepared, you will be more likely to feel good about your interview upon leaving. Remember to keep your head high and that there is always another opportunity out there for you.

Congratulations Graduates

Congratulations University of Miami 

Class of 2012!! 

Being a part of the "U"

by Oleg Ignatenko

As the spring semester comes to a close and there is only one more week left until the summer break, I wanted to reflect on the positives/negatives of the year and sum up what it’s like to be a Miami Hurricane. This has been my first official year at the University of Miami and I wanted to share with you my personal experience.

With so many highlights throughout the year, it is very difficult to pick one specific moment that stands out more than the other. The first moment I walked through the University, I knew I had picked the right place to study. The modern facilities, the warm weather, the sense of pride in the air and not to mention the palm trees that stand as tall as the spirit of the Canes. If I could use one word to describe it, that word would be “paradise”. This isn't just your typical college where you dread going to class and can't wait for the semester to end. This is a place where you can't wait to be. Every day you wake up with a sense of excitement of what the day might bring. Every week there is a series of events or occurrences which you do not want to miss. Just to name a few: Dodgeball Tournaments, Festivals, Canefest, Homecoming, Video Game Tournaments, Workshops at Toppel, Art Shows, Fashion Shows, Lectures with keynote speakers and much more. Speaking of classrooms, they are not as boring as many of you may think. The professors at this university have a polished knowledge of the subject they are teaching and are always willing to help students who may be struggling.

During my first two weeks I was able to discover that UM had plenty of resources to help me gain more knowledge about what I had to take care of first and foremost as well as being aware of how to get around campus and locate other helpful places that may come in handy throughout my time here. It seems as if this university has everything a student needs to feel ready and confident about what they're doing and their future student experience. There is the Toppel Career Center which is a great place to get career advisement, to set up a practice interview, to have your resume and cover letter critiqued and to go to different educational workshops that will be extremely beneficial towards your professional future. There is the Office of Financial Assistance that allows students to get information on how to go acquire grants, scholarships, basic FAFSA information and be aware of their tuition and or housing expenses so they can keep track of what is happening. These are just a couple of the resources that are available to students but without going into much detail, here are some of the others that every student should know about: Academic Resource Center, Student Activities, the Wellness Center, Office of Student Employment, the Honors Program and the Office of Academic Enhancement.

Now, let's jump to the fun activities (not that the previous ones weren’t already mind-blowingly awesome). The first football game at the Sun Life Stadium was something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Whether you tailgate or not, the atmosphere around the stadium is extraordinary. The barbecues, the music, the drinks (being that you are age appropriate) are just a few things that make this event something not to miss. Walking into that stadium, standing in the crowds, cheering for the team with everyone else you could sense that you were now a part of something special, that you were now a Miami Hurricane.

So what does it really mean to be a Hurricane? It’s not simply attending the University of Miami. It's getting involved in the hundreds of activities that this place has to offer each week. It's participating in events that will express your personality. It's communicating with your classmates, peers, teachers and advisors who all have their stories and experiences as former or current Canes. It's maximizing your knowledge about the campus, resources, and its history. Be a Miami Hurricane by participating in everything you possibly can while showing your spirit and your experience here will stay with you for the rest of your life!

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.