BIOCHEMISTRY

BIOCHEMISTRY 1090
DUE: on or before April 28, 2017 in class
Assignment
Step One: Answer, in paragraph form, the following questions: What is your current major? What do you like
most about your major? What do you like least about it? If you could or had to change majors, what would be
another choice? Why?
The career options worksheet may help you determine your correct major and career path:
https://cafnr.missouri.edu/cafnr‐career‐services/explore/find‐career‐options/. You do NOT have to turn this in, but
I encourage you to explore it to help you with your self‐assessment.
Step Two: Complete the 3 steps for writing your resume at https://cafnr.missouri.edu/cafnr‐career‐
services/succeed/resumes/. What does an ideal candidate for your career possess? Answer the questions: “What
are my top three unique qualifications for the position/career I want? Are there any qualifications important to the
position/career that I do not possess?”
Step Three: Utilizing the following resources, write a resume:
Resumes
 Tips and samples: http://www.hiremizzoutigers.com/students/resumes.php
 Action words: https://cafnr.missouri.edu/wp‐content/uploads/2016/09/action‐words.pdf
 At this site, step 2 contains a sample resume: https://cafnr.missouri.edu/cafnr‐career‐
services/succeed/write‐your‐resume‐step‐2‐start‐writing/
Step Four: Have your resume critiqued, using the online questions: https://cafnr.missouri.edu/cafnr‐career‐
services/succeed/write‐your‐resume‐step‐3‐critique/ (and on the back of this page). You must get two critiques:
1) one from a peer (this may be someone in class or another friend of yours) and 2) the second from CAFNR Career
Services or the MU Career Center.
If you are a CAFNR student, you can schedule an appointment with Matt Arri in CAFNR Career Services via
MU Connect. If you are not a CAFNR student, you can email him directly (arrim@missouri.edu); please give him a
couple of dates and times that you are available and he will get back to you.
Walk in appointments for resume reviews are available at the MU Career Center from 9 am – 5 pm.
To receive credit, turn in:
1. your paragraph about your major choices [10 pts]
2. a first draft of your resume with critique notes (signed by the two people giving you the critiques) [25 pts]
3. a final error‐free copy of your resume that has taken into account the critiques [25 pts]
Major and Resume
Learning Outcome: Students consider their current major and determine if it is the correct path for them. Then
students produce a mechanically error‐free resume that is focused on the employer, graduate/professional school, or
career of choice.
Rationale: Writing an effective resume is typically required to move to the next phase of a selection process. Both
content and mechanics are essential to success. This exercise encourages thought in terms of unique, marketable
qualifications, how to share those in written form, and the importance of error‐free documents.
BIOCHEMISTRY 1090
DUE: on or before April 28, 2017 in class
Write Your Resume: Step 3: Critique
Look at the resume you have created and ask the following questions.
Visual Appearance
 Does your name “pop?” Will the hiring manager be able to read your name easily?
 Is the white space balanced and visually appealing?
 Is formatting consistent? For example, are like items (i.e., all headings, titles, etc.) all in same size and style of
font?
 Is your contact information easy to find? E‐mail address appropriate? Voice message concise and professional?
 Is the font style easy to read and the size appropriate (body between 10 and 12 point)?
 Have you filled a full page? If you have chosen to use two pages, is your second page at least half full and does it
include your name and a page number?
Content
 Are important items prominent? Have you incorporated key words?
 Have you listed the most important points first?
 Is it free of errors: grammatical, spelling, punctuation and factual?
 Are dates consistently listed and specific enough?
Objective
 Is it specific and employer‐focused? For example, “An internship using my laboratory experience and research
skills” versus “A challenging internship that allows me to gain experience.”
Education
 Have you listed the “University of Missouri” as your university?
 Did you list a GPA if above a 3.0?
 Is your degree listed? What about major/minor programs of study?
 Is your anticipated graduation date listed?
 Are international education experiences listed and described?
Experience
 Have you quantified and qualified accomplishments?
 Are bullets used to draw attention to important tasks and accomplishments?
 Is your most relevant experience listed first? If not, can you divide experiences into two sections: Relevant and
Other?
 Have you highlighted significant volunteer, club/organization and even class experiences that are relevant?
Activities
 Are activities organized well with lists of no more than seven entries? (If you have a list longer than seven,
subcategorize it.)
 Have you mentioned leadership positions?
Honors/Awards
 Are scholarships and awards referred to by their names and defined in terms of why you received them?
Research/Publications/Presentations
 Have you listed any publications or major research papers or presentations?
Skills/Qualifications
 Does this section address abilities relevant to the position not obvious from other parts of the resume?