Resume/Experience

[melliemel]

Hello everyone!

I am currently looking for either a part-time job or internship at a bakery while I'm at school. The problem I keep coming up with again and again is that the bakeries keep asking me for my resume. How can I provide them a resume of my experience if I don't have any? I'm sure they don't want to see that I've worked in the IT dept for 5 years. The only thing I have at this moment is that I'm attending culinary school for baking and pastry.

Does anyone have any small suggestions as to how I can work with this? Is there something I can say or write to at least get an interview for an internship? Any suggestions you could provide would be most helpful.

Thank you again!

Mellie

 

[jim berman]

I think you are holding the answer. Here's what I mean: You have 5 years' experience in an IT department. So, I am assuming, you posses organizational, time management, physical resource, and fiscal responsibility skills, among others. So why not say that? Why not explain the schooling with which you are involved. Certainly you can use some 'artistic' wording. But, you know, the resume isn't the only thing that is going to get you the job. Sell yourself with energy and excitement for meeting the new challenge. Offer a 'stage' where you work a week or two gratis and see how it goes. If they like you, they can pay you. If not, shake hands and move on.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[melliemel]

Hmm..I never really thought of it that way. I guess putting in that I was a studio assistant and teacher at a pottery studio would be a good thing too - shows I do posess artistic ability.

Thank you!

 

[kyheirloomer]

A resume should reflect your strengths, and ignore or minimize your weaknesses.

So, for instance, I could see a resume that starts with an introduction describing yourself as "a young, hard-working culinary student with good management and organizational skills, looking for hands-on experience as a baker or pastry cook."

The general rule is, if you're strong on experience you stress that. If your strength is in education, then that's what you talk about:

"Currently a second-year student in the baking & pastry sequence at X culinary school, where I've learned..........."

After than you can talk about your skills and abilities learned at unrelated jobs.

The whole point of a resume is to gain an interview, where you can sell yourself. And to do that the resume should be phrased in ways that make a prospective employer say to himself, "hmmmmm? Let's get this one in for a little talk."

 

[daves]

When I first decided I wanted to do this as a career yet had no experience in a kitchen yet I was told to put "cooking at home" in my resume with things I hadcooked. I'm not sure how well it worked but It got me work at a very good place actually and then was able to build from there.

Dave