University of Miami

University of Miami: Toppel Career Center

The University of Miami is one of the top 25 destinations for international students in the United States. There are more than 2000 international students currently enrolled at the popular university.

With approximately 14% of its student body attending from countries around the world, the University of Miami understands the diverse needs and expectations of its international students. The university dedicates a lot of time and effort to ensure its international student population has the resources necessary to thrive during their stay in the US.

Why Interstride?

To help its international students find success, the Director of Career Education at the University of Miami: Toppel Career Center, Carly Smith, employs a variety of tools and resources.

According to Carly, Interstride stands heads and shoulders above every other product the Toppel Career Center has tried. Student engagement, real-world application, and a wealth of resources come together to create real value, both for the career services office and the students.

Interstride Provides a Way Forward

Carly Smith has been able to provide real change for the international students who come to the career center looking for guidance. She does this by utilizing the various tools available on the Interstride platform. The features that Carly has been most satisfied with include:

• The ability to search through live databases of employers who have a history of working with and hiring international students. No other platform in the space provides as many opportunities for international students researching their employment options.
• The webinars and resources are highly useful. They are on par with the live sessions offered by the University of Miami Career Center.
• The immigration and legal guidance provided covers a wide range of scenarios that international students commonly face. The available resources cover issues related to life as an international student, as well as joining the workforce. The ability to access an entire library of such content has been a popular feature amongst the international student population at the University of Miami.

“Interstride boils down the various elements that are required for job searches. It allows students to focus on specific job search goals and strategies, without worrying about superfluous details. Having all of the necessary tools for job readiness, immigration updates and education, as well as personal development concepts that are essential for success in the job market, allows international students to really personalize their job search and find a position that truly speaks to them.”

Career Center Staff Feel Interstride’s Presence

In addition to the international student body, Career Center staff under Carly’s guidance have also benefited from University of Miami’s partnership with Interstride.

“Interstride provides exactly the same type of content that career centers are looking to provide. One of the challenges that career centers face when it comes to creating high quality content is that it takes a long time to create enough content to cover all the necessary areas of interest for international students. At Interstride, all of that content is baked in, and it is all highly relevant and of great quality.”

Applying Interstride: Enriching Lives

One of the most notable aspects of Carly’s experience with Interstride has been watching the student response to the tool. Interstride is in high demand amongst University of Miami international student boards.

Asked on numerous occasions to organize events and career fairs with Interstride as a partner was certainly a confirmation that her office was doing something right by providing the tool in the first place. “When the students themselves are requesting a tool, we know it not a product to be ignored.”