One of my readers recently wrote to me about writing a resume for the wine industry. With permission, here’s the email followed by my suggestions.
Hi Amy, I have recently come across your wine talent blog and I am hoping to get some advice from you on how to develop an effective resume. I am not currently in the wine industry but, I am hoping to enter into it. I am currently a product manager and have a lot of transferable skills. I’m not sure how to create a new career change resume. Do you have any tips that you can share? or sites to direct me to? Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much.
My suggestions:
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- Having transferable skills is the most important element, and the part I would promote on your resume.
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- Chronological resumes with your most recent position listed first are the best format.
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- Put an experience section first on your resume. This is where you can highlight what you have done, and what is easily transferred into the wine biz.
- Use bullet points. Recruiters, HR managers, and hiring managers get resume fatigue. We like to have your abilities pointed out to us–easily found and easily understood.
After the format of the resume, I would encourage you to highlight the areas which are easily transferred. Program management is a discipline that can be used within sales organizations, marketing departments, management, and administration. Think about what areas could use your skills, and then write your resume addressing those areas. For other disciplines, look at them from a new perspective, and figure out new areas where you can capitalize on them.
Get involved. I say this from a wine perspective. I often see that people who successfully have made a transition steeped themselves in wine knowledge, news and started making contacts. This commitment shows potential employers that you are serious about your change. I recommend taking classes online, going to wine education courses and reading everything you can get your hands on.
Good Luck!
