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CAFNR Connections April 2007: Vol. 2, No. 1

Happy April!

Things are going well in CAFNR Career Services. Students are accepting offers for internships and full-time positions. Salaries are strong, with many accepting full-time offers of $40,000 and more, and some over $50,000. Your willingness to be available for online questions and on-campus career programs continues to be an impressive and major component of our resources. As we look back at our college-wide career programs this year, we realize that every single program involved one or more CAFNR Connections mentors. So, a big thank you!

Welcome to several new mentors since December:

Scott Cowger, Cereal Ingredients
Mary Ann Fink, Missouri Botanical Garden
Larry Knipp, Rabo AgriFinance
Jennifer Lindsey, Danisco USA, Inc.
Kristen Stanberry, Edward Jones
Joe Dubbert, Agriliance
Kathleen Baska, Land O'Lakes/Purina Feed

Our current mentor database stands at 171. If you have a friend who would enjoy participating in the program, please feel free to refer him or her to the Web site at www.cafnr.missouri.edu/career-services/connections/. You are also welcome to share my e-mail and phone number with anyone who is interested in learning more.

I also encourage you to check the CAFNR Connections Web site. Mark Esser, a graduate student in journalism, is in the process of profiling ten more mentors. Kelly Diedring, Busch Gardens-Tampa Bay, and Karla Klingner, Senator Bond's Office, are two newly added faces; more are coming!

Career programs this spring have kept students connected to career development and employment opportunities:

Agribusiness Academy 2007: John Brown and Dickinson Scholars

Thirty-seven students were selected to participate in the 2007 Agribusiness Academy for one week in January: 16 John Brown Scholars spent the week in St. Louis and 21 Dickinson Scholars learned in Kansas City. Mentors helped to facilitate learning on both sides of the state during these programs. Cheston Easter (Anheuser-Busch) and Bob Bockserman (Conatech Consulting Group, Inc.) joined former John Brown Scholar and CAFNR Alumnus John Redd in sharing advice with 2007 Scholars during the kick-off dinner, while Dallas Ford (Alpha Scouts), Julie Deane (Tierney-Deane Restaurant Services) and several other CAFNR alumni assisted with the orientation in Kansas City.

Over 70 individual student applications were submitted for the 2007 program. This year's group represented nine majors in the college. Companies who hosted Scholars included Anheuser-Busch, Bank Midwest, Bunge NA, General Mills, John Deere, Monsanto, Premium Standard Farms and T.C. Jacoby and Co.

HireMizzouGrads.com Career Fair

Held on March 6, 2007, Mizzou's first all-campus, all-majors fair was a success. Nearly 150 employers and 750 students participated. CAFNR was well represented with over 60 agriculture and hospitality companies represented and almost 25 percent of the student participants representing CAFNR majors. Seventeen companies stayed on campus to interview on March 7th.

Hindsight is 20/20: What I wish I had known before I started my job!

Although we all know that experience is an excellent teacher, we want our students to graduate with maximum chances for success! Thus, our first senior roundtable on Tuesday, March 13 at the Heidelberg featured four recent graduates and Connections mentors: Kristen Ellis, Clay County Prosecuter's Office; Dan Engemann, Missouri Department of Agriculture; Cara Riekhof, Heartland Farm and Lawn; and Nathan White, FCS Financial. The group totaled nearly twenty and included animal science faculty member Duane Keisler. Amazing advice was offered; the following stood out as particularly wise:

When you make a mistake at work, go immediately to your supervisor, share the mistake and participate in the solution.
Remember, you are not being hired to simply do a job. You are being hired by a company to add value. Always know how you add value. Your job may change; be ready for this by understanding how you add value.
Use online networking sites to your business advantage! Several young professionals use Facebook and other sites to generate leads.
Alcoholic beverages will likely be a part of the social scene. Be careful! Don't take advantage of the "open bar" at the company party. Memories of young "professionals" who have had too much to drink don't fade quickly and may be barriers to promotion.
Be available. When your boss offers an opportunity that matches your skills and interests, get involved. Help to solve problems. Be a "can-do" person.
NETWORK! What you know, WHO you know and WHO knows YOU matter!

FFA Agricultural Sales Competition

The state FFA convention will be held at Mizzou on April 19 and 20. On Friday, April 20, twenty-four of the best FFA Ag Sales teams will compete for the state championship. Several Connections mentors have agreed to help with this FFA Career Development Event: Larry Knipp, Rabo AgriFinance; Joe Dubbert, Agriliance; and Cathy Herren, Mizzou Alumni Association.

Financing Your Future

Our last career program for this school year will be May 3 and focuses on successful financial planning and targets our soon-to-be CAFNR graduates! Connections mentor Dennis Henks, Henks Financial Group/Lincoln Financial Advisors, will present some tips and be available to answer questions about 401k's, mutual funds, loans, investments and general financial decision-making.

"Shape Up Your Career" Fair 2007

Join us on September 26, 2007, for the CAFNR Career Fair! We expect one of the largest fairs ever with the Mizzou Recreational Center as our venue. We will definitely need your help as we prepare our students to "Shape Up" their resumes and interview skills in preparation early next fall. Watch for a list of fall programs, as well as an invitation to participate, this summer!

"Follow your passion, and be flexible. The real world isn't the picture you have in your head as a student, but it is a great adventure waiting to be discovered!"

-Kelly Diedring

May your adventures this spring be great and happy!

Stephanie and Crew
Career Services