John Brown & Dickinson Scholars

Looking for a chance to:

• Meet potential agribusiness employers?
• Experience challenges and opportunities in today's agribusiness industry?
• Combine classroom lessons with real-life experiences?

Now's the time to apply for CAFNR's John Brown & Dickinson Scholars programs schedules for January 2009.

Jonathan Kaiser went through both programs as an undergraduate and this is what he had to say:

"I was eager for the opportunities that John Brown offered. Both programs are really about having new and unique experiences. It challenges students to step out of their comfort zones and into the business world where they can learn about the real world. This program is like no other, it puts students in touch with leading professionals."

Don't miss this opportunity! Turn in your cover letter, resume, and references to Ag Building 2-64 by noon on Tuesday, October 21st!

And the Job Search Continues

As I am sure everyone knows by now, the CAFNR Career Fair was last Wenesday. Hopefully everyone made it out to take advantage of the many businesses looking to hire CAFNR students for internships and post-graduation employment.

I admit that I have not always been the best about making the most out of the opportunities the career fair offers, but since I graduate in December I decided maybe it was time to get serious about deciding what is next for me.

It was definately different going to a career fair looking for an actual career and not another internship. Don't get me wrong, internships are very important, but this was about finding a company that would fit me long-term, not just for the summer.

With that in mind, I did my homework and decided what companies I would talk to and how I would approach them. As an agricultural journalism student, I am interested in communications companies as well as general agriculture companies. I planned my personal sales pitch according to what company I was talking to and what type of job I may be able to do for them.

I talked with several advertising firms about using my communications background to work with them, and several other companies about using that same background, along with other experiences, to work in sales.

It can be hard for some companies to get past your major. They have an idea of what line of study will make someone work for their company. I have found this to be especially true with my agriculture journalism degree. Some companies think all I can do is write. While this is a definate strength of mine, it is not the only thing I have learned in the past four years.

The best solution I have found is to focus on telling them more about what skills I can bring to their company, and less about what classes I have taken. This can work for getting around steroetypes about any major. After all, I have found that more is learned outside of the classroom in college that insided. (Don't use this as a reason not to go to class, just include other experiences, too!)

With all of this in mind and a few resumes in hand, I was able to walk away from the career fair with several business cards and interveiw opportunities. I look forward to seeing where these connections might lead and will of course keep you up to date in the coming weeks.

I encourage anyone who went to the career fair to keep in mind that their work is not done when they walk out the doors. It has only begun. Follow up with the people you talked to, who knows what opportunities you might find!

-Taryn Dameron
Senior, Agricultural Journalism

Internship Central

Last week, CAFNR Career Services had an awesome opportunity for all CAFNR students—the career fair! I attended the career fair once again this year in pursuit of an internship. With more than 75 businesses present, the four-hour long career fair barely gave me time to speak with all the companies that interested me!

This past summer, I was taught the value of internships through hands-on experience at the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA). As a freshman, many people are not looking for an internship right out of their first year; most students go back home the summer after their freshman year in college. I, however, was the exception.

As I am completing my undergraduate work in three years, I was anxious to get some real world experience. An internship was the perfect opportunity! After interviewing a couple times and receiving those dreaded rejection letters, I finally interviewed with MDA for a marketing internship. As soon as I walked in the doors of the office in Jefferson City, Mo., the warm feeling was convincing enough that I had found an awesome work environment.

The longer the summer wore on, the more I realized how much I loved working for MDA. Growing up on a conventional dairy farm, I was learning so much as I was immersed in marketing for farmers’ markets, organic producers, and agritourism operations. My work was a lot of fun as well—I got to travel and visit farmers’ markets across the state as well as the operations of several producers. Finally to top it all off, my boss as well as my other coworkers were great people with whom to work. When you can go to work every day excited about what you are doing that day, then the job is a great fit.

This summer I only hope I can find an internship as rewarding as the one last summer. The internship experience is so valuable in the career search. Real world experience is the only way to find out if you will like a job or not. Thanks to the help from career services in CAFNR, we all have a great opportunity to find an internship that may pave the way to our first job.

Above right: Charlotte Jackson, Bret Fahrmeier, Veronica Nigh, and Lane McConnell at the first ever farmers' market in the Agriculture Building at the Missouri State Fair.

-Charlotte Jackson
Sophomore, Ag Education

Interested in an opportunity like this? It's never too late to stop by CAFNR Career Services or give us a call at 573-882-0088.

Looking for a Job?

One of CAFNR’s greatest opportunities is the chance to secure a partime job within your major. Especially as an animal science student, I know there are an incredible number of jobs where you can learn more about your interests while outside of the classroom and better yet get paid to do it.

My freshman year I worked with the University Soybean Breeders. While I worked at South Farm and Bradford Research Farm, I gained firsthand knowledge of two of our University’s main agronomical research facilities. More importantly, I learned one of the methods by which new varieties of soybeans are bred, and gained a larger appreciation for the work that goes into it.

As I began preparing for my sophomore year of college I was interested in a job more directly related to animal science. All it took was a simple request to my advisor and he put me in contact with Dr. Randy Prather. A short interview later and I was working with Dr. Prather’s research team as a pig caretaker. Since working there I have gotten the chance to work with green pigs which glow florescent green under a black light, Cystic Fibrosis pigs which exhibit the same symptoms as humans and thus will serve as our first truly useful nonhuman model, pigs which produce the healthy Omega 3 fatty acids that are typically found in fish, as well as the pigs which could be the first step towards whole organ transplants into humans.

The most rewarding aspects of my job are reading about the research I’m helping with in magazine articles, and getting the chance to talk with fellow students about the exciting research projects the animal science division is conducting.

I would urge every student to pursue a job opportunity inside of your division or even just inside the college. Take advantage of this rare opportunity where the University will pay you to learn instead of the other way around.

-Chris Perry

Junior, Animal Sciences

Looking for valuable campus job like this? CAFNR Career Services is here to help. Stop by Ag Building 2-64 or call 573-882-0088 for help today!

More than 75 employers on campus TOMORROW!

Starting the search for your summer internship or a full-time career? Tomorrow's CAFNR Career Fair is for you!

Stop by Reynolds Alumni Center from 12 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, October 8th to see what employers have to offer. Dress to impress in professional attire, and be sure to bring copies of your resume to share with recruiters you're interested in working for!

See you at the fair!

Rippin’ the Resume

It seems that when it’s time to turn in applications, every single one needs a resume attached. It also seems that a resume can never be perfect enough! October for me came quickly—and it has also come with many deadlines. Scholarships, applications for various awards, and new job opportunities take advantage of the new fiscal year as a great due date.

My roommate and I have been filling out many of the same applications the last few weeks. In preparation for the applications, I had the honor of ripping apart her resume! English has always been my favorite subject, but editing a resume goes beyond just looking at grammatical errors.

When revising your resume, the most important thing to remember is consistency! Consistency fixes so many problems. If margins are even and every single item is formatted the same, the resume will have a neat, attractive appearance. Even in the activities or accomplishments have little relevance to the job you're seeking, consistency with the presentation and organization will “wow” your reader.

The modern, up-to-date resume today has to grab the employer’s attention. On my resume, I actually have my name and heading in royal blue. The blue is not Legally Blonde’s resume on pink paper by any means, but it does add that little pizzazz which (hopefully) will cause an employer or scholarship critique to take a second look at it.

With the help of the CAFNR Career Services, I have worked on continuously on editing my resume. They can help you too—set up an appointment with Stephanie Chipman to get your resume ripped apart today!

-Charlotte Jackson
Sophomore, Agricultural Education

The Power of an Internship...or Three!

Last week I shared my thoughts on the importance of good interview skills. One of the places those good skills can take you is to a great internship.

As a CAFNR freshman it felt like everyone shoved the importance of internships down my throat....and they were right. Over the past three summers, I have had three very different internships, each with something unique to teach me.

My first summer was spent with Monsanto Company in St. Louis. This was quite a jump for a girl from a town of less than 400. While I did spend a small part of my summer scared to death, the bigger part of my time was spent learning invaluable lessons. My job was to travel to Monsanto test plots all across the county and photograph the effectiveness of different products. My travels took me all the way from Tennessee to Idaho and introduced me to a valuable network of agriculture professionals.

In my second summer of college, I shifted gears and went to work for Brownfield Radio Network in Jefferson City. I was hired as a Promotions intern, but the Promotions Coordinator took a different job a week after I arrived, so I basically took over her role until a new coordinator was hired 5 months later. My work at Brownfield included planning and assisting with promotional events the network put on such as showmanship contests at state fairs and 4-H youth awards. I also updated the web pages about these events and conducted interviews to with participants. Brownfield also provided me the opportunity to contribute to the daily news program by writing and broadcasting some stories of my own. I was offered an extension on my internship and stayed with Brownfield through the fall semester. This experience exposed me to a whole new side of ag journalism and taught me a wide variety of skills that I know I will continue to use throughout my career.

This summer I worked here in Columbia with Cummins Consulting. My primary responsibility was to help coordinate the judging for the American Ag Editors Association annual critique contest. This experience exposed me to many different aspects of farm publications and concluded with a trip to Florida for the awards ceremony where I met many of the leaders in agriculture journalism.

All of my internships have been in very different fields of my degree program, but share the commonality that they prepared me to make a decision of where I want to go with my future in agriculture journalism.

-Taryn Dameron

Senior, Agricultural Journalism

Looking for valuable internships like Taryn's? CAFNR Career Services is here to help. Ask CAFNR students about their experiences at the Internship Panel TONIGHT, October 1st at 5 p.m. in 154 Eckles! Need an alternative? Don't miss the Career Fair on Wednesday, October 8th to find your summer internship!

Internships 101

Started thinking about your summer plans? It's never too early to start looking for internships. According to a NACE Survey, 95 percent of college students have an internship before they graduate.

So what do you need to know? Join past CAFNR Interns to find out how to find the internship of your dreams.

Internship Panel
Wednesday, October 1st
5 p.m.
154 Eckles

The past interns will cover these areas and MORE!

• Biotechnology and research
• Animal and plant sciences
• Agricultural communications
• Sales and marketing
• Education
• Ag engineering.

Enjoy complimentary refeshments...and no need to dress up! It's a comfortable way to learn about your future! For more information, call CAFNR Career Services at 573-882-0088.