Create a Power Résumé to Land the Executive Food & Beverage Job You Want
Whether you’re a C-suite executive, a product manager, or a quality supervisor, when you’re on a job hunt you have to do everything possible to make yourself attractive to prospective food & beverage employers. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a “power résumé.”
So what is a “power résumé” and how do you write one? Simply put, a power résumé is one that represents you accurately, distinguishes you from other candidates, sells your unique value and ultimately yields the results you want. To create yours, use these recommendations from Kinsa:
Go beyond job duties. Make your résumé a cut above the rest by demonstrating how you made a difference at each company. Provide specific examples of how each employer benefited from your performance. When developing your achievements, consider:
- how you performed the job better than others would have;
- the problems or challenges you helped your company overcome;
- the measurable results you achieved;
- awards, special recognition or promotions you received as a result of your performance.
Replace your career objective with a tagline. Is your career objective so general that it could apply to almost anyone who does your job? If so, it’s wasting valuable space on your résumé. To grab the reader’s interest, consider switching to a tagline, which is a statement of what you do or what your area of specialty is. Here is an example:
- Too general: Seeking a sales and marketing position allowing me to further my professional goals.
- More specific: Highly skilled sales and marketing professional with 15 years of Food Industry experience in two Fortune-100 companies.
Choose an appropriate length. What’s the right length for your résumé? The answer is: it depends on a number of factors. To determine the appropriate length for yours, consider your occupation, industry, years of experience, scope of accomplishments and education. Most importantly, make sure that every word in your résumé is essential – and sells your value as a candidate.
Use parallel formatting to organize information. Your résumé is filled with complex information. Make important points easier to read and understand by using consistent formatting. For example, bold type, capitalization, underlining and horizontal rules, when used consistently throughout the document, can highlight key information you want your reader to notice.
Don’t rely on spell-check. Spell-checkers can identify potentially misspelled words, but they shouldn’t replace proofreading. So once your résumé is complete (and spell-checked), put it away for a day. Then read it carefully. Does it make sense? Have you omitted any words? Have you used the proper spelling of the word you intended? Once you’re satisfied, give your résumé to a trusted friend or colleague who is well versed in grammar and punctuation. Two sets of eyes are better than one.
Need more help with your food & beverage résumé?
- Check out these earlier posts from Kinsa: Don’t Let These Résumé Grammar Mistakes Hold You Back, and How and Why to Update Your Résumé, Even if You’re Employed
- Get great food & beverage résumé writing tips and other résumé critique resources in Kinsa’s Career Edge Library