4 Red Flags to Look Out for in Your Resume

April 17, 2023 in Career and Job Search Tips, Resume Tips

 

Laurie Hyllberg

Laurie champions Kinsa Group’s position as the top food and beverage recruiting firm in the nation and its presence in the global FMCG marketplace. To her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Business Management, and Marketing she adds over 20 years of executive search experience in the food and beverage industry at Kinsa. Building a network of executives and professionals through membership in the Women’s Foodservice Forum, Institute of Food Technologists, FaB Wisconsin, Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network, and maintaining professional expertise in recruiting as an Executive Board Member for the Recruiters Of Wisconsin association, Laurie is able to connect top talent in the food industry with food and beverage processors and foodservice providers growing their teams at the C-Suite, VP, Director, and Management level. Connect with Laurie today!

 

Is your food & beverage resume full of red flags, or does it green-light you as a candidate? If it’s the former, it is a perfect time for a resume redo.

Hiring managers are carefully trained to detect warning signs in your resume you might not be aware of, even if you’re an experienced job seeker. So, if you’ve resolved to overhaul your resume, do yourself a favor – and look at it through a food & beverage recruiter’s eyes. Make sure your resume doesn’t contain any of these red flags that could be preventing you from landing food industry executive job interviews:

Resume Red Flag #1: Your Food & Beverage Resume Doesn’t Address the Job Requirements

A one-size-fits-all resume may be convenient for you to send out, but it does little to improve your candidacy. Before you hit “upload,” scan the job posting carefully, looking for opportunities to customize your information so that it answers that all-important question: “Why are you the best person for this position?” Here are a few tips:

  • Identify a handful of core skills in the posting that are essential to success. Highlight accomplishments on your resume that demonstrate those skills.
  • Look for keywords in the job posting that are relevant to your specialization within the food & beverage industry. Include those keywords in your resume, where appropriate.
  • Replace a generic “career objective” statement with a few bullet points that summarize why you’re the best candidate for the job.

Resume Red Flag #2: Inaccurate or Inconsistent Dates of Employment

Nothing screams “I’m hiding something” more than murky employment dates. Make sure yours are spot on:

  • Format your dates consistently throughout your resume. We recommend a “month/year to month/year” format.
  • Never, ever try to cover up a gap by fudging dates. Recruiters can see right through that shell game. Include an asterisk with an explanatory comment to explain a glaring gap in employment, or address it in your cover letter.

Resume Red Flag #3: Lack of Career Progression

Does your resume show a logical career path in which you assumed positions of increasing responsibility? (Hint: that’s what recruiters want to see!) Career stagnancy – or, worse yet, regression – can be a big cause for concern if you don’t handle it properly. So be proactive:

  • If you took a step backward to change industries or adjust your career path, make the reason why clear.
  • If job-title naming conventions (and not level of responsibility) are the issue, provide a reasonable substitute title in parentheses. One caveat: if your former boss wouldn’t use the revised title to describe your role, you shouldn’t, either.
  • If there’s another reasonable compensating factor to explain why you haven’t steadily progressed in your career (e.g., you were forced to relocate), briefly explain it in your cover letter.

Resume Red Flag #4: It Doesn’t Jibe with Your Online Presence

Your online presence is an extension of your resume; you should treat the information contained on your social profiles with the same care and attention as you do your resume. When you make updates to your resume, make those same changes to your LinkedIn profile, professional website/online portfolio, industry association profile(s) and any other social platforms you use. Bottom line, make sure anything a potential employer could find out about you online is accurate and improves your employment prospects.

Best Executive Resume Writing Service: Resume Pilots

Kinsa Group has partnered with Resume Pilots, an executive resume writing firm, to help prepare highly effective resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles that drive results.

Resume Pilots is a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. All Resume Pilot  writers are Ivy League educated experts who leverage their extensive skills and market knowledge to craft resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.

“Excellent suggestion! I did use Resume Pilots, and Michael did a fabulous job revising my resume!  I would recommend Resume Pilots to anyone, they do a great job!” – Category Manager, Kinsa Candidate

Special Offer

To take advantage of the preferred terms generously offered to Kinsa Group, use discount code KINSA10 when placing your order. If you have any questions, please email the Resume Pilots team at resumepilots.com or call (312) 428-6048.

Resume Pilots

Kinsa Group’s recruiters and our broad network of food industry executives are always looking for top talent and we’d like to help you find the best opportunity to match your skills. Submit your resume below and our recruiters will reach out as new roles open up!

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