Resumes 101: What makes you 'pop'?
by Jessica Petzel, posted Sept. 4, 2007
Your career’s future often comes down to one solitary piece of paper. This flimsy thing will sum up your qualifications, and it is up to you to determine what it will say.
The Resumes 101 program, held at 5 p.m. Sept. 5 in Eckles Hall, intends to prepare students for the CAFNR Career Fair, which will be noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 26, in the MizzouRec student recreation complex. Preparation is gained by getting resume feedback from professionals who say, “if this paper is all I had, this is what I would do,” according to Stephanie Chipman, CAFNR career services director.
In its second year, Resumes 101 is part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Connections Program. The CAFNR Connections program is a mentorship program that focuses on providing students with career information and advice.
The Resumes 101 event kicks off with “the good, the bad and the ugly of resumes,” Chipman said. During the bulk of the time, the students have one-on-one interaction with professionals.
Organizations including Missouri Department of Natural Resources, MU Advancement, Boone County National Bank, Agrilliance, Alpha Scouts, MFA and FCS Financial will send company representatives to critique students’ resumes. Last year, industry professionals staffed 10 reviewing stations and Chipman plans to have more stations this year.
At the reviewing stations, professionals will critique resumes based on visual appearance, content, objective, education, experiences and activities as well as ask practical questions such as “does the name ‘pop out’?”
Grant Schwader, a junior studying agricultural economics, is the representative this year for Alpha Gamma Rho, which is again the program’s student sponsor group. Schwader got involved this year because he “received a lot of professional help and greatly benefited” from his participation last year.
“As a professional fraternity, we do our best to prepare our members to not only succeed once they enter the professional world, but also to prepare themselves to get there," Schwader said. "Resumes 101 is a perfect setting for our members and all students to learn how to best present themselves.”
Schwader said he is looking forward to the participants immediately improving their resumes and also being able “to see a resume from an employer’s perspective and craft theirs accordingly to stand out among the rest.”
Travis Heman, a senior studying agricultural systems management and agricultural economics, said the program last year brought up resume writing strategies that he had not thought of before. He is currently looking for a job in an agriculturally related field, probably in sales, and hopes to eventually be back on the family farm in Napoleon.
“The best part of the workshop was actually meeting with employers and networking with them,” he said.
Dress is business casual for the program. Students should bring several copies of their resume for critique.
