Patricia and Harold Toppel Career Center
(305) 284-5451 | toppel@miami.edu
The Toppel Career Center provides innovative and dynamic career services to students and alumni of the University of Miami. The Center’s six interview suites, professional headshot photo booth, technology lab, conference room, and multipurpose Loft offer a variety of spaces for students to meet their career-related needs. The Center is often described by visitors as “like no other” and is a model for career services throughout the country. The 12,000 square-foot building on Ponce De Leon Boulevard houses career programs and workshops, networking events, practice interviews, drop-in coaching, company presentations, on-campus interviews, and more. Toppel also offers virtual services!*
Career Education
Regardless of the path you take, a comprehensive career planning process begins as soon as you step on campus. Career coaches at the Center assist students with their career development utilizing a three-part model that provides the tools necessary to Explore (strengths, interests, values, skills, and abilities), Prepare (career and industry research, practice interviews, and internships), and Connect (building meaningful relationships and growing a professional network).
Coaching Services
During an individual or small group coaching session, highly-trained peer coaches with industry-specific knowledge can provide you with guidance on potential career paths, resume critiques, and job/internship search tips. You can drop by any time Monday through Friday, 10am - 4pm, no appointment necessary.* The Center also offers online career assessments that can help you narrow down career options by building self-awareness.
Programs and Workshops
Career programs and workshops are offered throughout the academic year. Students and faculty can request a workshop tailored to their organization or class. Workshops provide information and skill-building activities in the areas of resume development, interviewing skills, social media for the job search, securing internships, and much more. In addition, programs designed to increase awareness of specific career paths and professional opportunities are offered. These are often conducted by outside speakers and panelists who are UM alumni and/or recognized specialists in their fields.
Career Preparation & Networking
Through the Center’s vision, Empowering and Connecting 'Canes to Achieve a Lifetime of Career Fulfillment, the staff encourages students to develop meaningful relationships with professionals in their area(s) of interest. The Toppel Career Center provides many opportunities for you to network with employers and alumni, including panel programs, career mentoring, on-campus recruiting, and career fairs.
Career Fairs and On-Campus Recruiting
The Job & Internship Expo is the largest career fair, typically bringing in over 100 employers and 1,000 students and alumni bi-annually in late September or early October and again in February. Toppel also organizes smaller industry-specific career fairs that focus on more specialized areas. Representatives from a variety of industries from around the world attend these fairs to meet, interview, and discuss career opportunities with students. In addition, the Talent Engagement program brings employers to campus for company information sessions and to interview students for jobs and internships. You can apply for these positions through Toppel’s free online career management system, Handshake.
Toppel Internship Program
The Toppel Internship Program (TIP) is designed to provide valuable career-related work experience through internships with participating employers. TIP allows students to earn a 1-credit transcript notation from the Toppel Career Center for internships they have already secured.
Handshake
Students can search Handshake for thousands of job and internship opportunities available to them. Handshake is UM's free online career management system where hundreds of employers from across the country, including all Fortune 500 companies, post open positions. Simply login with your UM Single-Sign-On credentials to activate your account. Then complete your profile with your interests and experiences and make your profile public so that recruiters can potentially reach out to you! Handshake will recommend different job openings to you based on what you've entered, making the job search process much easier. You can apply for the position directly on Handshake. Before doing so, we recommend uploading your resume to Handshake for an online critique and checking out the Handshake's Events page to register for Toppel events those employers will be attending.
Connecting with the Toppel Career Center
The Toppel Career Center’s vision is to empower and connect all 'Canes to achieve a lifetime of career fulfillment. Evidence shows that students who visit the Career Center are more likely to complete internships and ultimately have better career outcomes at the time of graduation. For a look at some of these post-graduation outcomes, check-out our online interactive data dashboard at miami.edu/outcomes. To make the most of all that Toppel has to offer, visit us in person at 5225 Ponce De Leon Blvd., online at HireACane.com, or by logging into Handshake and activating your account as soon as you arrive on campus! You can also keep up with what we offer by reading our weekly e-newsletter and following any one of our social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Plus, to stay up-to-date on career resources most relevant to you, you can join any of our industry-related Career Circles and check-out our identity-based resources.
*Several of our services are now being offered virtually. For more information on which services are virtual vs. in-person, please visit this page.
