This post originally appeared on WayUp, the go-to place to find jobs and internships for college students and post-grads.
Want to make your love of cooking, trying new restaurants, or growing your own backyard veggies into your career?
It is possible to turn your passion into a job in the food industry—if you take the right approach.
There are so many incredible professions tied to food that require a variety of skills—opportunities like becoming a social media manager for a consumer food brand, working as a software engineer for a food delivery startup, or making sales for a restaurant supplier. Even Fortune 500 organizations like Unilever (the makers of Ben & Jerry’s and Hellman’s Mayo) offer incredible full-time jobs and internships in marketing, supply chain management, R&D, and more.
No matter the type of role you are applying for, the best way to differentiate yourself from other candidates is to show employers what makes you unique. Most students and grads don’t realize that companies care about who you are as a person, and what makes you, you. It’s not all about your past work experiences!
Check out some of the tips below for what to talk about on the job search, and how you can shape your “personal brand,” to land your dream position in the food industry.
Talk about your leadership experiences.
Strong leadership skills are vital for success in any role, especially in the food industry. Leadership means many different things, but at its core, a leader is someone who can ”guide or direct a group.”
Think through past experiences in which you displayed leadership. Did you lead your group project in your finance class to an A grade? Were you one of the editors of your school’s Spoon U chapter? These are both excellent examples of leadership that show any prospective employer that you can work well within a team, and collaborate towards a common goal.
However, leadership can also be shown in less apparent ways. Perhaps you worked as a nanny in college to make extra money to pay for your books. Or, managed your family’s diner on the weekends to help your parents make ends meet. Both of these examples of leadership show that you take responsibility, and aren’t afraid of hard work.
Make sure to mention your hobbies.
Believe it or not, companies want to know who you are outside of work or the classroom. Employers today are incredibly focused on hiring teams with diverse interests, which you can bring to life through your hobbies.
No matter what your hobbies are, make sure to talk about them to employers…especially if they have to do with food! Do you bake your own desserts with ingredients you source locally? Are you obsessed with reading biographies of famous chefs? Or, perhaps you binge watch Chef’s Table on Netflix!
Pro tip: By sharing your hobbies, you might even find you have something extremely rare in common with the person who is interviewing you!Show off your social media presence.
Finally, social media is not just a place for tagging friends in memes and posting pictures from a recent formal. Social media provides an excellent opportunity to brand yourself professionally and curate the image you want others to see of you online.
Maybe it starts with posting about some of the hobbies mentioned above on your channels. Or, perhaps you can create a separate set of handles to feature the delicious foods that you cook, or, the adventurous dishes you try wherever you eat out. Many employers (particularly in creative fields) are excited when applicants show who they are online in a professional but colorful way.
Don’t be afraid to make your social media presence a part of your next professional conversation. Just make sure to curate the image online that you want them to see.
So, start utilizing your leadership, hobbies, and social media presence to help you form your personal brand. In doing so, you’ll be able to convey what you’re passionate about and demonstrate your value in a way that will make you an even more desirable hire to any employer!