Getting into the Wine Industry: 2019 Redux

The most popular post on my blog is Getting into the Wine Industry that I posted back at the end of 2010.  With over 9,000 views of that post, I've gotten a great response over the years, and also have learned about a lot of successful transitions into the wine biz that the post facilitated.  Recently, a finance professional reached out to get a bit more personalized information on that.  Here's his query, along with my answer for today's job market.

Hi Amy,

I hope this note finds you well.  After spending 15 years in finance across various industries (wine/alcohol not being one of them), and getting my MBA along the way, I've decided that I want to work on the business side of wine.  However, getting the transition started has been rather difficult.  I wanted to reach out to see if you can provide any advice on how I can make the transition.

My ultimate goal is to be CFO of a winery but I understand I may have to take some intermediate steps before landing a finance role at a producer.  I live in New York City and job postings for companies in any part of the wine business seem to be few and far between.  And relocation most likely isn’t an option, although my wife has said she’d be willing to relocate if I land the right role in the right geography (i.e., northern California).  I’ve contacted the very few alumni from my business school who work in the industry and scheduled one informational interview so far.  I’m also considering sitting for Level 1 of the WSET certification so that I can add it to my resume.

I wanted to see if you have any additional information to offer, or if there’s anything you can recommend specific to my situation, such as types of companies I might not be considering, how to go about finding networking opportunities, or anything else I can do to make myself more attractive to potential employers.  I’d greatly appreciate any guidance you can provide.

Sincerely,

NYC MBA

Dear NYC MBA,

I'm glad you found that post from 2010, and it is definitely time to put up a new take on getting into the wine business.  Reading my post from 2010, I think a lot of it is relevant for your situation.  First of all, finance experience translates well to a broad array of businesses, including wine.  Having your MBA, from a very prestigious east coast school, is also very impressive and gives you a great foundation in business management that many companies will find valuable.  So you have a strong footing to get this transition going.

As you mentioned, networking is key.  I'm glad you put out calls to fellow alumni.  That's a great first start in building your network.  And you've reached out to me, which is helpful for us to build a relationship and for you to gain more industry information.  Keep doing that with others.  I would recommend reaching out to finance people at some of the wineries you like, and see if they would be up for an informational interview.  Most likely it would be a phone interview, given that you are in New York City.  

You mentioned that you would relocate to Northern California.  What about looking at finance positions that are in smaller markets?  Sometimes there are more viable candidates in the epicenter of the wine business than there are in smaller geographies, and you could set yourself apart by bringing an MBA and business experience to an underserved location.  And some of the other markets outside of Napa have major players in the wine business including Oregon, Washington and Upstate New York.  

But perhaps your goal is also to work in the wine industry in Northern California.  There are bigger companies that have more finance and business management needs in the major winemaking areas.  They also are facing fierce competition from their neighbors for the same talent.  The salaries and compensation packages do tend to be better in the bigger winemaking regions, with Napa Valley leading the way (please see the Wine Business Monthly Annual Salary Survey for more information).  Also, larger companies tend to be more willing to bring in professionals from outside of the industry, partly because many industries are so closely related, especially in finance, and because they have more ability to train and develop employees than smaller companies do.

Now, while the product wineries make gets all of the attention, there are a lot of ancillary businesses that need finance professionals.  Vineyard management companies, equipment suppliers, software development companies, fulfillment operations and packaging suppliers all support the wine business.  Don't forget to look at positions with companies that sell products and services to the wine industry.

And with three-tier distribution still alive and kicking, most states have importers, distributors and brokers supporting wine suppliers efforts to sell their wine.  These companies also need finance people, and have locations nationwide.  New York City has many importers and distributors right in your neighborhood.  

I do encourage you to dip your toe in wine education.  Right now, your LinkedIn profile doesn't reflect any wine knowledge.  Getting a first level certificate from WSET or the Court of Master Sommeliers will be a badge you can put front and center on your LinkedIn profile, and on your resume.  As I've blogged about before, you must show some interest in wine in your job search communications and your resume needs to show your strengths.  

I hope this is helpful, and I look forward to staying in touch.  Keep me posted if you head out to Northern California!

Sincerely,

Amy Gardner

WineTalent

You Can Do It: Writing Your Own Resume

Recently I've been talking to several people who are just starting to put out feelers for a new job.  Some people haven't updated their resume in a couple of years, others for decades.  Now, a good resume writer can be a great way to get your resume up-to-date, but the DIYer in me says you can do it yourself.  Here are some pointers on drafting up your new resume:

Make it easy on the eyes:  First, I think using a free resume template is smart.  Canva.com has some great, free templates you can use.  Some people have also found good templates on Etsy.

Make your resume get noticed: Using a template with some color-blocking or splashes of color is my advice.  Nothing brightens my day like a smart, well-written resume with some good subject headers and some color, any color.  Please!

How do I reach you?  Yes, put your contact information at the top of your resume.  Name, phone number, email and your city and state of residence is what I want.  I recommend not putting down your home address.  Let's keep some personal information private, for your safety.  

Quickly, who are you?  For most people with some industry experience, put a professional summary section at the top of your resume.  It doesn't need to be long, but putting your career highlights in there is smart.  I like seeing numbers.  Percentages of revenue increases, number of new customers brought in, total increases in revenues you were responsible for.  Now, not every job has a lot of numbers, so use information that is important to your role.  Quality improvements in winemaking, new efficiencies in your administrative management, reduction in staff turnover, new software implementations, etc., are all good things to put in there.

Education or Work Experience:  I think if you've been working in progressively more advanced roles for about the last 10 years, start with work experience.  List Title, Company, Dates of Employment, and City or State you worked in.  Now, there are a lot of companies out there, even lots of wineries in wine country.  Don't expect someone to know the company you are working at.  Put a short blurb underneath this info that summarizes what the company is.  I like it in italics underneath.  Something like this shameless plug works:   WineTalent is an executive recruitment company that focuses on individualized searches in the wine industry.   

Give me bullet points!  Within your work experience, call out the main functions of your job.  This can include similar items as I mentioned in the Professional Summary, but keep it unique to each section, not copied from another area on your resume.  List major responsibilities.  For sales positions, I like to see key customer relationships, key accounts, and related information.  For hospitality positions I'd list information such as how the tasting experience is conducted, how you grew your wine club or how many staff you managed.  For winemaking positions list your involvement in the vineyard, your responsibilities in the cellar and in winemaking decisions and your involvement in customer/trade engagement.

Logos?  I like it when people use company logos on their resume in the experience section.  A nice, easily identifiable logo goes a long way, so use it to your advantage in your resume.  But make it look right.  One company logo in a list of several different companies doesn't work.  Too many logos and it starts to get busy.  But think about using them if it looks right.  

Can you list your education now?  If you are a fairly recent graduate, highlight your education above your experience.  Or if you are a newly minted MBA, scream that at the top of your resume.  But if your work experience has eclipsed your education, list education information afterwards.  You need to make the judgment call here, but those are my words of advice.

Do you have hobbies outside of work?  I may be old fashioned, but I like seeing some interesting facts at the bottom of the resume.  It lets me see you a bit more multifaceted.  Be smart, think about what you are putting down.  

Keep it to one page!  I know, I know, you are so much more than one page!   But I can have a 22 year old recent graduate and current Barista with a three page resume and an industry veteran with 30 years of work experience who has a one page resume.  You really can be concise and wow me with your experience and do it all on one page.  Please!  But if it doesn't feel right, make it two pages.  Stick to two pages or less.  

Avoid Errors:  Have someone check your spelling, grammar and details.  I have had to throw out too many resumes of candidates that can't spell, have terrible grammar or odd dates of employment.  Don't end up in my circular file.  Check your work, have someone else check it over, and maybe another person too, just for good measure.    

Check for formatting issues:  Not only do resumes end up getting tossed for errors, formatting issues can cause you headaches too.  Some headers don't show up on programs, meaning your name and contact info is invisible, and in turn, you are invisible.  Send your file to some friends and make sure it looks okay on their computers.  And read this article about how to format your resume best for applicant tracking systems.  

Now get to work and write your resume!  I know this is a good DIY project for you.

How to Find a Resume Writer

Quick pointer here for people looking for help writing their resume.  Go to the Professional Association of Resume Writers website at www.parw.com and search their database of certified resume writers.

Also, for you DIY folks out there, I just came across a great website with templates for resume writing, www.myperfectresume.com.  And as I've mentioned before, there are tons of free resources online for resume templates and content development.

Happy Writing!

Making a Cranky Recruiter Smile: Adjectives/Terms/Qualities to Describe Me

Cranky Recruiter has been filing lots of resumes this week, and while looking over a new resume I saw this subject area:

Adjectives/Terms/Qualities to Describe Me

Able, hard-working, determined, accountable, conscientious, down-to-earth, responsible, creative, team-player, initiator, open-minded, out-of-the-box thinker, collaborator,  leader, innovator, professional, diplomatic, flexible, tactful, driven, self-improving, realist, diligent.

This was a fun way to say a lot of the things we all throw on our resume. While this may be a bit of flair, I think those descriptors probably are apt or the person wouldn't call them out specifically.  

Now, I'm a fan of making resumes fun for the reader to view.  I have posted before that if you are in marketing or branding, your resume had better stand out.   What if you put these descriptors at the top of the resume to make them stand out.  Maybe add a little color and some variation.  How about this to set off the top of the resume:

Adjectives/Terms/Qualities that Describe Me

Able hard-working determined accountable conscientious, down-to-earth responsible creative team-player initiator open-minded  out-of-the-box thinker collaborator  leader innovator professional diplomatic flexible tactful driven self-improving realist  diligent

Okay, that might be a bit busy on the top of a resume, but worth a shot.  Maybe craft a little word cloud that would be catchy and space saving.  I do like more avant-garde resumes, but know that they are not to every hiring manager's liking.  You have to craft the resume you feel comfortable with.  But take time to craft something that will be informative and interesting to the reader.  

After reading the resume I wanted to use these adjectives as an example for this blog.  I asked this candidate if he'd be up for me posting about it.  I loved his response, "Yes, you may use my Adjectives/Terms/Qualities to Describe Me section as long as you give me credit publicly on your blog. If you can describe me as a college graduate with an innovative streak in New Jersey who is looking to break into the wine wholesale business, that would be wonderful."  So Evan Bruder out of New Jersey, I definitely will give you credit for making my day.  

Now to see if his descriptors match what I've witnessed in my limited interactions with Evan.....  First, he is highly accountable, citing his name, what he wants and where he is located, publicly.  Scanning those words I come on team-player.  He is letting me use his info for my blog--that's team playing in my book.  All of his communications have been professional and tactful, so those match up.  And i do have to give a nod to the innovator descriptor.  His addition of these items was new and I think highly informative.  

So Evan Bruder out of New Jersey, thanks for putting an original item together on your resume.  If I know of any sales roles within the wholesaler world out in New Jersey we'll be in touch!