Ten Things I Learned In the Wine Business : PALATE PRESS

Ten Things I Learned In the Wine Business : PALATE PRESS

Blog to Share: Hot for Teacher | dear winebuyer

I just read this blog from a wine sales rep, and thought it might be interesting reading for others in the biz, as well as people going for their wine certifications.

Hot for Teacher | dear winebuyer

Reading Between the Lines: What a Job Description Can Tell You

Last week I was glancing through the Winejobs.com listings, and read this in a job description, "ability to adapt to and thrive in a fast-paced, changing environment."  This made me laugh.  Often you can get a glimpse of what the potential employer's culture is like by reading the job descriptions. 

Let's take a look at some recent job descriptions:

• Looking for an enthusiast and honest person with integrity, energy, drive and persistence, emotional intelligence and good interpersonal skills.  To me, this position outlines the perfect person.  If only it was this easy to find Mr. Right.  Maybe the last person here wasn't the right one.
  
• Must be able to juggle multiple situations, and able to work independently.  Reading this one leads me to believe that this company needs someone who can work on their own and who can make decisions and has good follow-through on projects.  Additional skills that often go along with this are organization, goal setting and problem solving.  Often these qualities are needed at a company with looser corporate structures or macro-, not micro-management.
• Strong leadership, self-starter, interpersonal skills and good communication skills. Yet again looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right. 
  
• Tenacious, unflappable, not easily discouraged.  This leads me to think that the company needs someone who is able to work in a dynamic environment and someone who is self motivated to work hard.  This may not be the best environment for someone who has worked in a structured environment or has not had their ideas challenged in the past. 
  
• Excellent active listening skills.  If you can't listen or follow directions, probably not the best place for you.
• Solid business and financial acumen as it relates to operations.  Perhaps this position has not brought in strong profits in the past but needs to.  Also, you should be good at running numbers and reporting them to ownership/management. 
  
• Versatile, flexible, and a willingness to work under competing priorities with enthusiasm.  This may mean you have several different supervisors.  Also could demand someone who can "grin and bear it" while working very hard.  Could be a situation where others have gotten discouraged in the past.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.  There's that dynamic word again.  What does this really mean.  I always take it to mean an environment that is quickly changing, of shifting priorities and results oriented. 
  
• Must have good organizational skills and attention to detail.  If you don't have them, don't apply.  You won't be happy pouring over spreadsheets, reviewing numbers and keeping track of things if you take this position.
  
• Professional attitude and a strong work ethic.  While this should go without saying, in this role you will be required to always act professionally, no matter what is going on around you, and you will be expected to work hard.  You should have a good head on your shoulders to do well in this job.
  
• Demonstrated ability in multi-tasking and prioritizing workload while keeping in check quality and time constraints.  This sounds like the mantra we should all have to get ahead in life.  Often this implies a need for self-management and someone who can get things done.  May not be an overly structured environment. 
  

While job descriptions can be boring, these little descriptors can let you see a little bit about the inner workings of a company.  Also, reading through this list, it makes me think sometimes what they list are the qualities previous employees lacked.  Do you have what it takes to succeed in a possibly dynamic, unstructured environment?  Do you have strong attention to detail?  Well, then go after a job with those requirements.  When you send in that resume, you may know a lot about the company from reading between the lines.


Cranky Recruiter Note:  No job descriptions were harmed in the making of this list.  This list is for illustration and entertainment purposes only.  Any similarities to actual jobs is not intentional.

2011 Salary Review Published

The October issue of the Wine Business Monthly has the annual salary review for wine industry jobs.  Go to www.winebusiness.com to find out how to pick up the latest issue.  Past salary reviews are available online, and the recent one will be available in coming months.  And a perk, I was quoted in the 2011 copy--so you can learn what I and other recruiters have to say about the wine job market.  Overall salaries have increased this year and it seems like companies are hiring again.

Does Size Matter: Working for a Big or Small Company.

Every morning I wake up and say I need to post today.  I have been delinquent in posting new items outside of news articles, but have had a lot of ideas swirling in my brain.  As I battled with a large corporation to get my billing information correct this morning, I started thinking about the differences between large and small companies, and what they mean to an employee.

In the past I have worked for some huge companies, including Ford Motors and the Day and Zimmermann Company.  I've also worked with smaller organizations, and now of course work for the smallest version of a company, my sole proprietorship.

There are definitely some pros and cons to all sizes of business.  I think you need to examine your own needs when deciding on your future employer.  Here's a quick overview of some of the pluses and minuses to different organizations:


Large Company:
Pros: 

• Name recognition
• Stability (oftentimes, but not a guarantee)
• Employee development programs and specific training programs
• Excellent benefits including health, dental, vision, 401(k), stock purchase plans, STD/LTD, life insurance and related benefits.
• Organization structure and defined career paths
• Standardized compensation models
• Potential relocation for regional, national or international assignments

Cons:

• Rigid organizational structure
• Slow to make changes
• Compensation models that do not allow incentives for performance
• Expectation of employee dedication can translate into required promotions or relocations to satisfy corporate/management requirements
• Can feel like a part of the machinery, not like an individual

Small Company:
Pros:

• Nimble response to issues and matters affecting the business
• Can be key contributor to company's success
• Can affect change
• Can become integral member of staff with added compensation and trust

Cons: 

• Little or no name recognition
• May not have outlined company structure which leads to ambiguity of job responsibilities
• Compensation models may be outdated or not reflective of your entire role
  
• May have significant personalities to manage 
• Benefit program lean to nonexistent
• Training and employee development programs may be absent, or not complete.
• With many responsibilities, your role can be too broad, causing you to be overworked
  

Knowing what you want your career to look like helps out a lot in deciding where you want to be.  If you are hoping to have a big corporation on your resume to show people your experience and accomplishments, it only makes sense to look past any downsides of big business.  If you are entrepreneurial and enjoy developing new programs, a smaller organization may be the best fit for you.

Having worked in lots of different sized companies, I do think you need to dig deeper into each organization before you decide what is the best one for you.  Some big corporations have excellent programs that foster innovation.  Some small places have excellent benefits and resources to provide you with the tools to flourish in your career.  Some big companies are broken into different business units, allowing key employees total autonomy to succeed.   And some smaller companies have overblown management models that make any decision impossible.  So talk to others who work there or have worked there to find out what it is like.  Getting that information, and determining what you yourself need in a position will allow you to steer towards a great position.

Off to file some paperwork.  Off goes the blogger hat, on comes the administrative hat.  Need a bigger hat rack. Wouldn't have it any other way.