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Overheard: Executive in Residence

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Last week I overheard an interesting conversation between students and an agricultural industry leader. I attended a zoom meeting, keeping the camera off and just listening. And I was surprised and impressed!

The Agricultural Business Management (ABM) program hosts an Executive in Residence program when students engage in a career talk with an industry VIP. The students are encouraged to ask questions and in this instance, after one brave student broke the ice, many questions followed. Wyatt Richardson (an ABM alum) is the Area Business Manager at Bayer Crop Science and was the Executive in Residence on September 8th, 2020. While I listened to Mr. Richardson, this is what I overheard.

Mr. Richardson’s Key Resources for Interviewing:

  1. Build your grades and get involved while in college. Show you are interested in gaining leadership skills.
  2. Grow your resume now. Internships and participation in professional development activities are desirable to future employers.
  3. Practice your opening statement. It should be crisp, clear and concise and should highlight your successes. It should not last more than 2 minutes.
  4. Always go to an interview with at least 5-10 questions written down. This shows you are interested and curious in the company.

Wise Tidbits 

  1. Mistakes can be a conduit to success.
  2. The person with the most desire often lands the job.
  3. Be ready to answer “How have you handled failure?” during your interview.
  4. “My favorite class? Ag Law.”

The students asked important questions and I could tell Mr. Richardson enjoyed answering them. His sense of altruism and generosity in sharing his life lessons will give the students a headstart when they enter the job market.