Resumes and Winery Marketing--not that much different

Yes indeedy, wine industry recruiting is seasonal. Got a new slew of requirements to work on, and plenty of work to keep me busy.

As I slog through my resumes this morning, I noticed how some resumes tell a good story about someone's career, and others leave me wondering. When I started thinking about it, it reminded me about recent wine industry events I've attended. Several meetings have called attention to the need for wineries to tell a compelling story, and then weave that story through their marketing materials, their branding, and sometimes most importantly, into their label. When you see that dancing coyote on the bottle, it makes you wonder what the brand is about, and then you read the marketing material and have a sense of the winery. And if all gels, you buy the wine, often.

Looking at resumes I sometimes become that Cranky Recruiter. Please, not another objective statement to overlook. But when I see a great resume, I totally understand the person's career history and motivation for looking for a new job. I see their career progression, and possibly career tangents, but understand where they have been and where they want to go. That resume conveys their personal brand, and quickly tunes me into roles they would excel in.

Generic resumes leave me wondering what they really want to do, and why they are contacting me.

So take the time to weave that personal story into your resume. While there most likely won't be a crazy critter on your resume, your personality may just make me call you, often.

Look for Information Everywhere

Last night I plowed through my pile of wine industry magazines. This morning I woke up a bit early, and thought, I'll read some fun magazines. Reading through the May 2010 issue of Vogue I was enjoying the fashion, current events, socialite news, etc. Then I read about the COO of Facebook. It was quite an interesting article about Sheryl Sandberg, and chronicled her career path and explained how she has been so successful. Prior to Facebook, Sheryl was involved in turning Google profitable, bringing in revenues instead of being a free portal for information.

I have noted here my recent Women for Winesense presentation, and one of the points I stressed was the need for people to get information, learn new things, and be aware. While I was just skimming through a fashion mag, I came upon a great article about a female executive that was very interesting and informative. Learning about Sheryl Sandberg's knack for personal interactions was enlightening and thought provoking. What are you good at, how can you use that talent to excel, and how can learn more about it? Look for information everywhere.

And the piece on Sarah Jessica Parker was very good too!