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Professional Bio Statement

Calendar IconImportant Dates

  • Dec 28: Project due by 11:59 PM
  • Dec 29: Grace period ends at 11:59 PM

Goals

Icon showing people connectedbuild community by introducing yourself to the class and connecting with one another Globe iconidentify ethical/intercultural and global issues that you care about and will expand on during the term Recycling iconthink about audience and purpose as you create something you can use later in your career

Hand-drawn Profile with person's image and identifying textThe Project Assignment

Imagine that everyone in this course is joining a new start-up on campus. The CEO wants to build collaboration, and the first step is getting to know one another. Write a biographical statement for the company newsletter to tell your new coworkers about who you are, your career preparation and experience, and what you enjoy.

Step-by-Step Details

Step 1: Consider the specific audience and purpose for your bio.
Everyone who reads your bio will be a Virginia Tech student, and you probably already know quite a lot about that audience. In this particular class, students are typically in majors in the College of Engineering, the College of Science, College of Natural Resources and Environment, or the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The course requires junior standing, so students are all juniors or seniors.

Step 2: Review the rubric for the project.
You can aim for the grade you want to earn for each project in this course. Make sure your work is error-free, fully-developed, and ready to share with a professional audience. Any work that is incomplete or that contains multiple errors will not earn an A or an A-.

The Professional Bio Rubric outlines the specific requirements for the project. There are several mathematical scenarios for each grade level. Generally speaking, however, you can follow these guidelines:

  • To earn a C, turn in work that meets the satisfactory rating for criteria 1, 2, & 3, and earns at least a C-level rating for criteria 7.

  • To earn a B, turn in work that meets the satisfactory rating for criteria 1, 2, 3, & 4, and earns at least a B-level rating for criteria 7.

  • To earn an A, turn in work that meets the satisfactory rating for criteria 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6, and earns at least a A-level rating for criteria 7.

Bomb icon (indicating a warning)Warning: Watch Basic Writing Errors!

Everything you write should use accurate/appropriate image editing, grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and formatting. These are important basic writing skills that you should have developed in high school.

If your work has 7 or more errors, it fails the entire project, no matter how well it meets the other criteria. In the workplace, basic writing errors make work unusable, and by extension, a large number of errors make a project unacceptable.

Step 3: Write your biography statement.
Write your biography statement in your word processor. As you compose, focus on details. While your scenario is imaginary, the details in your biography should be current and accurate. Do not make up information.

Use the example bios to guide your work. You can share your draft with your writing group for peer feedback. Use the advice you receive from your readers to revise your bio before the due date. There are no rewrites or revisions after work is graded.

Step 4: Write your cover memo.
I want to be sure that I understand your project, so I ask you to write a cover memo that tells me about the work you did on your project. This memo should be the first page of your project. Your bio statement will be the second page. Both documents should be in one file.

Your memo should use standard memo format, with the headings of To:, From:, Subject:, and Date. Include this information:

  • Tell me about the work you put into the project.
  • Tell me about anything that you had difficulty with in the project.
  • Tell me how well you met the rubric requirements and what grade you believe your work will earn.
  • Tell me anything else you want me to know before I grade your project.

Be sure to explain the background on your piece fully. This cover memo is where you tell me about the work you put into the project and provide some self-evaluation of your work. The cover memo is the first thing I will read, so it is your opportunity to make sure that I have all the information that I need to understand your bio statement. The cover memo is a part of your project so check it carefully for basic errors before you submit your project.

Step 5: Submit your project in Canvas.
When you are finished with your cover memo and bio statement, you will turn in your work in Canvas, following the submission instructions.


 
Last updated on 23rd December, 2016, 6:44 AM

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