The butcher’s guide to writing an ideal resume
This resume guide is targeted at butchers, teaching them how to tailor a resume for their industry. Topics covered include formatting, how to write a resume summary, skills to include, and how to properly list work experience and education.
Butchers play a critical role in kitchens, grocery stores, butcher shops, and more – without them, where would we get beautifully cut and selected meats? To write a job-winning resume, it is crucial to tailor each section for the job to prove to employers you have the chops to be a professional butcher.
In this guide, we will discuss all the essential elements to include on a butcher’s resume, including key writing tips and examples.
Keep reading to learn about:
- Which resume format is best suited for a butcher
- How and why a butcher should write a resume summary
- What key butcher skills look great on a resume
- How to optimize the work experience section to show your butcher credentials
- How to properly list education on a resume as a butcher
1. Which resume format is best suited for a butcher?
Your experience level as a butcher will have a tremendous impact on which resume format is best for you. While the reverse-chronological format is the standard expected by most employers, there are other alternatives that may be a better fit for your experience level.
Here is a breakdown of the 3 main types of resumes and when to use them as a butcher:
- Reverse-chronological: This resume format focuses on work experience, listing your most recent job first and working backward from that point. The RC format is ideal for applicants who have enough relevant work experience to fill a large, central section on a resume. Ideally, you want at least 3 positions to include in this format, but it can also work with 2 if you have enough responsibilities and accomplishments to detail from these.
- Functional: The functional resume focuses on education, skills, and unpaid experience, rather than prioritizing work experience. This type of resume format is well suited for applicants who recently graduated either high school or a higher level of education and do not yet have enough work history to fill an RC resume.
- Hybrid: The hybrid resume combines features of both the reverse-chronological and functional resumes. While this resume will include work experience, it splits priority more evenly between all sections. This format works well for applicants who have limited work experience, are switching career paths, or have large gaps in their work history.
2. How (& why) a butcher should write a resume summary
A resume summary is a brief statement that resides at the top of a resume. In two to three sentences, this summary should introduce you, as the applicant, to the employer.
Resume summaries are important to include, as they help to make a lasting first impression on employers and hiring managers. These first impressions are crucial and can often be the deciding factor that determines if an employer is interested in interviewing an applicant or not.
To illustrate how to write a resume summary as a butcher, check out the following examples:
Incorrect butcher resume summary example:
Butcher with years of experience working behind the deli counter in a grocery store. Familiar with all types of meats and the related cutting methods. Very physically capable with a high stamina level and great attitude.
What's wrong with this example? This resume summary highlights some important skills to have as a butcher but is not attention-grabbing or memorable. To make this summary stronger, the applicant should focus on including more details and specificity.
Corrected butcher resume summary example:
Competent Butcher with 4+ years of experience working in a commercial grocery store setting. Highly knowledgeable of the full range of meat products and how to cut and prepare them. Excellent knife skills and a friendly demeanor, enabling efficient and satisfactory service for customers.
Why is this better? In this corrected example, the applicant provides greater specificity around how many years of experience they have. They include more keywords and offer greater context around how they apply their skills within the workplace.
3. What key butcher skills look great on a resume?
When working as a butcher, you will need to have an equal level of competency in dealing with customers as you do with handling meats. As such, it is essential to include both technical and interpersonal skills on your resume to show your full range of abilities that qualify you for the job.
Here are 10 examples of both technical and interpersonal skills that look great on a butcher’s resume:
Technical skills
- Cutting and deboning meats
- Knife skills
- Weighing and labeling meats
- Knowledge of OSHA standards
- Physical strength and dexterity (Job postings for butchers will often list minimum strength requirements. Make sure to pay attention to these and reflect the minimum requirements accordingly.)
- Grinding and tenderizing meat
- Meat storage and inventory management
- Machinery operation and maintenance
- Sanitization practices
- Stock rotation and product markups
Interpersonal skills
- Exceptional customer service
- Verbal communication
- Fast learner
- Independent worker
- Multi-tasking
- Personable
- Teamwork
- Safety-conscious
- Spatial awareness
- Detail-oriented
4. How to optimize the work experience section to show your butcher credentials
As you write your work experience section, you should focus on providing details that do more than cover your basic responsibilities. You should strive to list your basic abilities within your skills section, allowing your work experience section to focus on your greatest strengths and accomplishments.
Here is an example of a work experience entry from a butcher’s resume:
Butcher | Paul’s Specialty Groceries
Orlando, FL | May 2015 to August 2019
- Provided exceptional and friendly service to customers, leading to a 1.5-star increase in store’s rating on Yelp.
- Collaborated with a local food bank to donate meat scraps and products close to expiration, reducing food waste by nearly 30% and increasing local awareness of the shop.
- Operated and maintained machinery including the grinder, cuber, floor jack, and saw.
5. How to properly list education on a resume as a butcher
Due to the high level of technical ability required to work with butcher equipment, knives, and more, it is essential to clearly describe your educational credentials as a butcher.
There are many pathways to becoming a butcher, from earning an Associate’s Degree and completing a certification program to completing an apprenticeship under an experienced butcher.
No matter how you came to enter the industry, make sure to include on your resume:
- Your highest level of education
- The school or institution you attended
- Your date of graduation or completion
- Any certifications you hold & the certifying organization
- When your certifications expire
If you have many certifications, it will be to your benefit to create a dedicated certifications section that is separate from your education section.
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