Getting a Job Making Beer

1. Getting a Job Making Beer

2. Introduction • Hi, I’m Alex and I have been working in the beer industry for 10 years and I got started in Knoxville. • Syllabus • What to expect in a brewing job • Things you can do to improve your resume and marketability • How to write your resume • How to search for jobs and distribute your resume • How to interview

3. Brewery Salary Stats • Head Brewer or Packaging Managers can expect $38k / year at breweries up to 500 bbl / year, and up to $54k / year at 40k + bbl / year breweries • Assistant Brewers and Packaging Assistants can expect $27k / year at 500 bbl / year breweries, and up to $37k at 40k+ bbl / year breweries • At 2,500 bbl, half of employers will offer health insurance for full time employees • It is always good to know what to expect when applying for positions.

4. Brewery density, is relocation possible? • Cities with more breweries per capita will likely have more brewing jobs per capita. • The highest per capita cities (2016) in descending order are: Portland (ME), Asheville (NC), Boulder (CO), Bend (OR), Kalamazoo (MI), Portland (OR), Denver (CO), Missoula (MT) Seattle (WA), Grand Rapids (MI) • I was not able to find any statistics, but, in my experience, wages correlate in cities with higher costs of living

5. Professional Memberships • Master Brewers Association of the Americas • American Society of Brewing Chemists • Local and State brewing guilds • Brewers Association • Most range in price from $150 to $300 • In my opinion, the Brewers Association membership is the most valuable for access to mass amounts of data, including the BA Forum.

6. Certifcations • Brewing school! • Beer Judge Certification Program • Cicerone • Master Brewers Association Flavor Courses (Beer Steward Certificate Program) • Institute for Brewing and Distilling Flavor Courses (The Beer & Cider Academy)

7. Skills to Add to Your Resume • Learn how to make basic repairs to brewery equipment (much of this is covered in your education) • Mills and auguring systems • Boiler maintenance • Packaging line repair, basic understanding of pneumatics and mechanical adjustments • Plumbing • Basic electrical knowledge • Homebrewing, if you don’t already. • Basic computer skills, including MS Office. • Document your volunteer work!

8. Resume Writing • Always one page, brewers are usually busy • I prefer pdf for digital copies, hard copies are OK to, but should be used as a supplement to the digital copy. Try to avoid: • Word documents (they can contain viruses) • Copying the text into the body of an email (makes it hard to store in digital a HR file) • Only the most important information should make it to the resume. For each position, I like to see the official title, size of brewhouse, annual production, and job responsibilities (limit to top 3 to 5, it should fit on one line) • The most important information should be at the top!

9. Resume Writing • Always take the time to write a detailed cover letter and address it to an individual at the company whenever possible. It is OK to use a template that you customize. If you know their brand, make sure they know that. • Who do I send it to? • Larger breweries will have formal HR departments • At smaller breweries the owners usually hire • At mid sized breweries the Operations Manager / Head Brewer will usually hire

10. Social Media and Job Hunting Online • Job forums: • Probrewer • Brewbound / BevNet • Brewers Association • Beer Advocate • Always share that you are job hunting on your social media platforms. Your friends want you to find a spot too! • Post frequently and ‘bump’ your posts on forum sites. • Always post your resume in the ‘for hire’ section in addition to searching the current openings. • Strong email communication.

11. Creative Marketing of Your Resume • My favorite, the beer bottle resume! No brewer is going to turn down a beer and if they do not read your resume while drinking it, you don’t want to work there anyways. • The pastry resume… free stuff! • Build a website about yourself. • What are your ideas?

12. Most Importantly – Hang Out at Breweries! • I have hired about half of all brewery employees without posting a job. Get to know the brewers. • You have a huge advantage if folks already like you. • Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer (and document it)! • Attend beer releases, brewery events, and festivals. Support you local beer community and get to know the key influencers.

13. Interviewing • Dress well! Typical rule of thumb is to dress slightly nicer than the person interviewing you. • If possible, do not have any scheduling requirements. Hour restrictions, days that you are not available, previously booked vacations, etc… • Be confident! You graduated from brewing school! • Emphasize your volunteer experience and hands on experience as part of your education. • Always request a follow up interview. • Try to refrain from being the first to open a discussion about compensation, instead, focus on how you think that you could add value to the company. • Always emphasize that you are excited to learn and grow with the company.

14. Discussion • Let’s discuss!