[Grant N.]

Greetings chemical forums personnel,

My name is Grant and I am a Junior pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry with a Biochemistry Emphasis,  minor in Biology and Environmental Science.
I just joined the Chemistry Club at my University this semester and actually plan to engage in the program. Additionally, I just assisted writing the step by step manual for how to perform an experiment determining the concentration of a metal in a solution using the Flame Atomic Absorbance Spectrophotometer in our instrumental lab. I plan on doing similar write ups on additional instruments when I have time this semester.

At the end of my undergraduate degree program, I plan to have completed:
Gen Chem I / II & labs,
O Chem I / II & labs (Honors lab II),
Inorganic Chem & lab,
Analytical Chem / Instrumental Analysis & corresponding labs,
Biochem I / II & lab (one semester of lab),
P Chem I / II & labs
5000 level Environmental Chem

Also, at the end of this semester, I will know how to operate just the normal instruments you learn to use in the course of getting a B.S. in Chemistry eg:
Fluorescence
HNMR
UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
FAA
FTIR
Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
GC-MS & GC-FID
and HPLC

I suppose I could put that I got my Eagle Scout when I was younger to get points for character, but that doesn't say anything about my ability to comprehend chemistry or critical thinking.
I would like to attend a graduate school in sustainable/green chemistry. 

So, my question is, is there any good CV / Resume "beef" anyone can recommend tailored for this specific graduate program or just anything to set me apart from the guy/girl next to me? To clarify, aside from the obvious TA-ing, or a summer internship (I'm applying to several right now). Any additional information is appreciated.

[Jasim]

By the time I graduated with my undergrad I had a couple of publications. I wasn't near primary author of course, but it was something to add a little meat. I know not all labs are as giving with sticking names, there are ethics involved and even more politics...

The write-ups might be some good experience, did you take a technical writing course?

There are a wide-range of ways to write a resume/CV. Starting out you are likely to have something closer to a resume than a CV. A CV will develop as you get more publications and experience.

Human resource departments are increasingly relying on automated systems to sort through job applicants. Utilizing a "Summary of Skills" section somewhere on your resume may allow you to list specific techniques and instrumentation that you have used. You could also include a "Subjects Studied" section. I would avoid cluttering up your resume by mentioning stuff like general chemistry - though advanced or specialized subjects may be more appropriate.

Some professional staffing services will offer free help with writing your CV/Resume. Kelly Scientific really helped me out with mine awhile back.

Additionally, you may have resources right on your campus to utilize for assistance. You could ask professors or recent graduates, seek help at any writing-assistance centers, or through a business or English school.

Listing instruments and techniques is a great start! They look for specifics!


EDIT: Just saw the grad school note at the bottom. My advice is for job seeking. For graduate school, they are probably going to examine your personal statement more closely. I would focus on that.

[Grant N.]

Thank you for the response, I found it very enlightening and helpful.

[408]

Staple a ziploc baggie of ground beef to the application.  guaranteed to memorably "beef up" any application.

[Grant N.]

Not so enlightening, but thanks for the humor .
"Where's the Beef?"

[TheUnfocusedOne]

I agree with the statement that at the moment you're more likely to write a resume instead of a CV. In my experience, a CV is a better method of conveying your research experiences than a resume. By the sounds of it, you're a bit lacking in the research area (no offense!). There are plenty of examples of both for chemist online, do a little bit of research and I'm sure you'll see some.

To be honest, I don't like 'beef' in peoples CVs or resumes. You can see it 9/10 times, and it tells me you haven't done much worth noting. Less is more in my opinion, especially when applying to jobs or graduate programs. They say a recruiter spends much less than a minute on each resume they see, so write concisely and clearly about what exactly you've done that shows you're an excellent chemist.

If you're really interested in a graduate program, I suggest getting involved in a research project as soon as you can. Your project writing on a manual doesn't really show me that you're a good researcher.  A good applicant shows that they were able to achieve high marks in chemistry courses, while working on a side research project. Were as As and Bs show you're a good student, publications and presentations suggest you're a good researcher.

Get to it.