Food Industry Career Conversations: 5 Part Series

I am asked questions about job searching, interviewing and networking on a daily basis from keen students and graduates about to start their journey in the food and beverage industry.

We have a variety of blog posts that cover these subjects, but never before have I had the opportunity to brainstorm ‘best practices’ on these important subjects with an expert in the industry who also happens to spend A LOT of time with students and grads as a professor at Northeastern University.

Dr. Darin Detwiler and I cover what we know to be the most popular questions from students and grads based on our experiences.

If you like the sound of the conversation and plan a career in the food and beverage industry, create your FREE profile on FoodGrads.com to access these video conversations as well as other cool perks!

1. Job Searching

2. Resume / CV / Cover Letter

• The purpose of a resume versus a CV and do you still need a cover letter? What are employers looking for? 
• This can be challenging for students/new grads with limited work experience, so we share ideas to add the ‘meat’ to your resume.
• Align your resume with the job you want. We share ideas to get creative in your messaging so you can showcase why you are a good fit for the job. 

3. Social Media presence / Networking

• Employers have been forced online right now. We discuss why now more than ever a professional online presence is important. 
• How a great LinkedIn profile or Instagram/FB page showcasing who you are, is a wonderful compliment to a resume/cover letter. 
• Networking is the king of ways to find a new job, now is a great time to ‘get out there and network’ without leaving your home. 

4. Interviewing

• The interview process will be different in the age of COVID-19. We talk about video/telephone interviews and how best to prepare.
• We discuss the questions you should be asking to ensure you are confident that the employer is doing everything they can to protect their staff and customers from the virus.
• You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.  We discuss the fact that there are good and bad in every industry and how you must advocate for yourself in these precarious times.

Related: Job Searching While Navigating COVID-19

5. Job ‘versus’ Career

• Darin shares great insight into how you can always be working towards your career regardless of the job you want or have right now.
• We discuss how the jobs available right now might not be exactly what you had in mind and how you can make lemonade from lemons right now.
• We discuss the fact that the majority of companies hire from within– meaning they look to their current staff to see who might be a good fit for career advancement based on their education, skills, work habits, dedication and desire to move upwards–and how this can work for you.

If you have any questions about anything we discuss, your job search in general or your chosen career path–please get in touch! Email nicole@foodgrads.com or leave a comment below.

I guarantee if you have a question, other people have the same one, so we want to hear from you 🙂 We LOVE feedback!