I like to think I'm a passionate person, and I love it when people say they are passionate about wine. I have read countless interviews where someone in the wine industry describes their passion for wine, and how it drives them to create phenomenal things. Good, keep the passion flowing. Makes the world go round. But beware of loving wine too much.
I read emails daily from people who want to follow their dreams of working in wine. Good, makes sense why you are emailing me. Glad to hear you dream. Cranky Recruiter has dreams too. The jaded reader that I am always wonders, hmm, what does it mean to be passionate about wine, and to dream about wine. Sounds vaguely similar to an addiction. And that's where I worry.
Yes, it is fun to sit with friends and dream big, and often the dreams are bigger over a couple glasses of wine. After a few they can get really big, really fantastic, and perhaps occasionally nightmarish. If I get your resume on a Tuesday morning and call you to discuss your background during working hours, are you a different person after-hours. If I put you in front of a client for an interview and the client offers you a glass of wine, are you going to down the glass, then the bottle and then leap on the table proclaiming your love of wine and this interviewer! Oh, I daydream too. But really, you need to temper your adoration of wine with evidence of your work ethic, your smarts and your stick-to-it-ness.
This Cranky Recruiter once was sitting in a cubicle, working through a database, and had aspirations of bigger things. While I often wanted to take over the world, (another allusion to my love of Pinky and the Brain) I sometimes had to rein my dreams in a little. When I started interacting with winery clients, a kernel of a dream to work exclusively in the wine industry took root. I slogged through plenty of database updates, direct mail campaigns, cold calls and dicey offer negotiations afterwards, and that seedling started to sprout some leaves, the trunk started to thicken up, and I had grown my abilities to make my dream a reality. Eight years ago I left a thriving technical services company to dive exclusively into the wine world.
People often ask me why I did this. And it isn't because I love wine. Yes, I do like wine. Yes, I drink wine, and yes I enjoy knowing everything I can about wine. But that isn't why I'm in it. I'm in it for the people. I place people at companies that are run by other people. I talk to people about how they have worked with other people, what types of people they work with best, and how they manage people. I don't usually talk to them about their favorite wine. I don't ask them how much they drink (I don't think I can legally ask that anyways!) And I don't ask them how passionate they are about wine. Yes, be passionate, but think about what it is about wine that is stirring this passion. Then take that information and use it to help you figure out what you want to do in the wine world.
Wine is an ancient beverage, something that has been written about for centuries. There are ancient ruins of wine vessels, murals depicting winemaking, and works of art depicting people enjoying wine. Yes, it has a lot of allure, but remember that I am looking for a capable person who can do the job I am recruiting for. Not an accomplished drinker. I have written before about what I want to see on a resume. Check it out. You may notice on there that I don't mention "passion for wine" once. It is all about how you handle yourself, and what you can bring to the table.
And one last morsel of advice here folks. Make sure you enjoy yourself responsibly. We can all have our a nights of bacchanalian revelry with friends and live to love another day. Make sure you realize how to do this as hedonistically as you wish, but safely. What do I mean? Don't drink and drive. Drink and drive, and you could lose your license. Drink and drive and you could lose your wine job. If you have a DUI on your driving record, some companies won't even consider you for employment. Get a DUI while on the job, and you'll possibly lose your job and your license. So be careful if you follow your passion for wine and commit your career to the wine industry. If you happen to get a DUI, you may just have a lot fewer prospects for your next job. And of course, we all want our roadways free of reckless drivers. Don't Hesitate, Designate. And there are plenty of very friendly and competent chauffeurs happy to help. That pricey limo or taxi ride could be a very wise career decision.
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Why I Chose to Focus on the Wine Industry: Life of a Wine Recruiter
Last night my husband and I had a wonderful evening at Tra Vigne in St. Helena at the Wine Spectator's Bring Your Own Magnum party. The staff at Wine Spectator pulled out all the stops to host a wonderful party with great food, shared wines and dancing.
As a newbie to the event, I didn't know what to expect. Driving up to the event we saw the big tents and scores of people walking in--most with a magnum slung under their arms. Searching for parking up and down the area, we finally made our way to the event. Seeing lots of familar faces, we waded through the sea of people to stop in at the appettizer tables, to grab a taste of various wines at the pouring tables, to eat a great dinner and to dance the night away.
Sitting down with some industry greats, my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful evening meeting winery owners, converts to the way of the vine, and the talent that makes exceptional wine. Talking with some veterans brought home to me why I decided to focus on the wine world.
In my past life I worked with all types of technical companies; pharmaceutical, biotechnology, engineering, semiconductor, software design, website development, aerospace, hospitals and of course wineries. I enjoyed interacting with all of the industries, but always felt that winery personnel were much more personable. Sales calls were never high pressured meetings, but conversations where we got to know each other. Topics ranged from the personnel they needed to travel, food, art and countless other topics. My personal life was not an issue with winery insiders, but just another facet of me. Meetings were chances to catch up on business and each other's lives.
Another big reason I chose the wine world was that the clients I enjoyed working with the most also had a true passion for what they were doing. This included the young lab technician who wanted to find out as much as she could about how wine was made, all the way to the self made millionaire who spoke eloquently about his choice to start up a winery and the enjoyment he took in the hard work that is required to make great wine.
And although it gets blurred in the romance of wine--wine is an agricultural product, tightly tied to how the season shapes up and how the fruit is handled through the production process. For this reason most winery personnel have a close relation to the growing cycle, making them very "down to earth". They don't get caught up on small things, but are looking at the bigger picture. If this year doesn't shape up the way they want, there's always hope for next year. And vice versa, if this year was exceptional, most times they realize their luck and prepare for potential problems next year.
Working with these professionals makes my business a pleasure, and one I will stay in forever.
As a newbie to the event, I didn't know what to expect. Driving up to the event we saw the big tents and scores of people walking in--most with a magnum slung under their arms. Searching for parking up and down the area, we finally made our way to the event. Seeing lots of familar faces, we waded through the sea of people to stop in at the appettizer tables, to grab a taste of various wines at the pouring tables, to eat a great dinner and to dance the night away.
Sitting down with some industry greats, my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful evening meeting winery owners, converts to the way of the vine, and the talent that makes exceptional wine. Talking with some veterans brought home to me why I decided to focus on the wine world.
In my past life I worked with all types of technical companies; pharmaceutical, biotechnology, engineering, semiconductor, software design, website development, aerospace, hospitals and of course wineries. I enjoyed interacting with all of the industries, but always felt that winery personnel were much more personable. Sales calls were never high pressured meetings, but conversations where we got to know each other. Topics ranged from the personnel they needed to travel, food, art and countless other topics. My personal life was not an issue with winery insiders, but just another facet of me. Meetings were chances to catch up on business and each other's lives.
Another big reason I chose the wine world was that the clients I enjoyed working with the most also had a true passion for what they were doing. This included the young lab technician who wanted to find out as much as she could about how wine was made, all the way to the self made millionaire who spoke eloquently about his choice to start up a winery and the enjoyment he took in the hard work that is required to make great wine.
And although it gets blurred in the romance of wine--wine is an agricultural product, tightly tied to how the season shapes up and how the fruit is handled through the production process. For this reason most winery personnel have a close relation to the growing cycle, making them very "down to earth". They don't get caught up on small things, but are looking at the bigger picture. If this year doesn't shape up the way they want, there's always hope for next year. And vice versa, if this year was exceptional, most times they realize their luck and prepare for potential problems next year.
Working with these professionals makes my business a pleasure, and one I will stay in forever.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Do What You Love
Why do you want to work in the wine industry?
This is a question I ask every single one of my job hunting candidates. I sometimes get sheepish smirks, knowing looks, and rarely blank faces. Although this seems like an innocuous question to most, it tells me a lot about why people are in this business.
Although the wine industry may, at first blush, seem glamorous and intriguing, it isn't without it's downside. Long hours during harvest, cold or hot temperatures in the cellar, back breaking labor, and occasionally tempermental co-workers can put a crimp in anyone's spirit. If the reason someone wants to work in a winery is for the high pay and upward mobility I re-examine their future in the wine industry.
Now, if I ask the question and someone's face lights up and she says, "I have a passion for wine" I think she might have a chance in this business. For this person, that love of wine will make her a quicker learner about the industry and how things are done. She might take the long hours at harvest easily in stride, because of her proximity to the fruit, the intimate interaction of the winemaking process, and the magic that results.
Many people go to college and graduate with a winemaking degree and go straight into a winery. Many more people start a career in a different field, and through their interest in wine, decide to make a switch. I have worked with many successful wine industry converts, and encourage anyone to think about making the switch. But first you have to ask yourself why. Love and Passion make it a lot more fun. In wine and in life!
This is a question I ask every single one of my job hunting candidates. I sometimes get sheepish smirks, knowing looks, and rarely blank faces. Although this seems like an innocuous question to most, it tells me a lot about why people are in this business.
Although the wine industry may, at first blush, seem glamorous and intriguing, it isn't without it's downside. Long hours during harvest, cold or hot temperatures in the cellar, back breaking labor, and occasionally tempermental co-workers can put a crimp in anyone's spirit. If the reason someone wants to work in a winery is for the high pay and upward mobility I re-examine their future in the wine industry.
Now, if I ask the question and someone's face lights up and she says, "I have a passion for wine" I think she might have a chance in this business. For this person, that love of wine will make her a quicker learner about the industry and how things are done. She might take the long hours at harvest easily in stride, because of her proximity to the fruit, the intimate interaction of the winemaking process, and the magic that results.
Many people go to college and graduate with a winemaking degree and go straight into a winery. Many more people start a career in a different field, and through their interest in wine, decide to make a switch. I have worked with many successful wine industry converts, and encourage anyone to think about making the switch. But first you have to ask yourself why. Love and Passion make it a lot more fun. In wine and in life!
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