To make it easier for you to learn about relevant industry events, here are a few links to comprehensive 2010 calendars:

1. Meatingplace.com’s 2010 Event Calendar and 2011 Event Calendar provide links to dozens of food industry-specific conferences, expos, training workshops and forums.  Accessing these calendars requires signing up for free membership to meatingplace.com.
2. The American Beverage Association provides a directory of 2010 meetings and conferences specifically for beverage industry professionals.
3. BNP Media has several comprehensive calendars of events that include links to global trade shows, summits and expos for the food, beverage, and packaging industries:

            Master Calendar of Events

            Snackfood & Wholesale Bakery Calendar of Events

            Beverage Industry Calendar of Events

            Food & Beverage Packaging Calendar of Events

 Kinsa Group - National Recruiters for the Food & Beverage Industry

Kinsa specializes in recruiting professionals, executives and senior-level managers for the food and beverage industry.  Our promise is to deliver the talent who most optimally fit your company’s philosophy and culture.  By focusing on the best interests of both parties – and by drawing on food industry experience and assessment expertise – we are able to offer the best hiring solutions.  Contact us today.

You’re in an interview, dressed to impress and feeling totally in control of the situation, when the unthinkable happens – the interviewer asks a question that completely stumps you: 

“If you could have dinner with anyone from history, whom would it be and why?”

“Why is a manhole cover round?”

“Which fictional character would you say best describes you?”

If just reading these questions makes beads of sweat pop out on your forehead, you’re not alone.  In an interview situation, most of us would be stopped in our tracks by off-the-wall questions like these.  But that’s the point:  interviewers ask odd questions intentionally, to see how well job candidates thinks on their feet and respond to stress.

Because unusual interview questions can be about virutally any topic, they’re nearly impossible to prepare for.  Still, here are a few quick tips to help you handle them more effectively:

• Keep your composure.  The question was meant to throw you off your game – so don’t let it rattle you.  Keep your face neutral and recognize that this is the wacky question you’ve been anticipating.
• Take your time.  Smile, take a deep breath and avoid the temptation to blurt out an answer.  Don’t panic – if you have to take a moment to gather your thoughts, it merely demonstrates that you think carefully through a situation before responding.
• Relax.  When it comes to unusual interview questions, your answer is not as important as how you handle the situation.  In fact, most don’t have right or wrong answers.  So take the pressure off yourself.  You don’t have to be brilliant, you just need to answer honestly.

If you’d like some practice answering off-the-wall questions, consider the following popular ones:

• If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?
• If you had only six months left to live, what would you do with the time?
• If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
• If you were a _________ (insert:  car, animal, salad dressing – you get the picture), what kind would you be and why?
• If you won $50 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
• How would you rate me as an interviewer?

Seeking a Job in the Food and Beverage Industry?

Register with Kinsa today.  Our team of food & beverage industry recruiting professionals will listen to your needs, match you with a perfect career opportunity, and then prepare you to ace the interview.  Click here to learn more about our unique services for food marketing, food production, food scientist, food safety, research & development and executive management professionals.

The question is, how will your organization capture its share of this rapidly-growing market?

Over the past few years, research from a number of different organizations, including the Unilever Corporation a TNS study entitled the Hispanic Shopper 360, has critically examined Hispanic shopping behavior.  While the exact statistics vary from study to study, the research as a whole has identified a number of differences in the way Hispanic individuals shop. 

Here are a few recommendations from this research to help food and beverage companies reach this market segment:

• Put your products where they shop.  Hispanic shoppers frequent a wider variety of channels than the total population, and are much less likely than the general market to shop at supercenters.  Convenience stores are especially popular with Hispanic males.
• Use Spanish in your labelling and advertising.  Research has shown that the majority of advertising/labeling Hispanic shoppers notice is in Spanish or bilingual.  In addition, Hispanics show increased brand loyalty to manufacturers who use Spanish in their advertising.
• Key-in on their concern for health and wellness.  Heart disease, children’s health and diabetes rank among Hispanic’s top concerns.  They look for food and beverage products with the phrases such as “100% ,” “fresh,” ”real” and “healthy.”
• Think out of the box.  Hispanics are much more leisurely than the average shopper.  They are considerably more aware of and open to in-store tactics to drive purchases.  Consider novel ways you could use packaging and/or in-store displays to attract the Hispanic shopper’s attention as he browses.  Work with retail partners to brainstorm branding opportunities that encourage browsing and spending more time at retail.

From Brand Managers to Strategic Marketing Consultants, the Kinsa Group can recruit and assess the food & beverage industry professionals your company needs to capitalize on market changes.  Visit our website to learn more.

With the barrage of data pouring in from newspapers, TV, the internet, social media, RSS feeds, e-mails, voicemails and good-old-fashioned face-to-face meetings, finding the critical information you need amidst all the “white noise” can be exhausting.

Take the BLS Monthly Employment Situation, for example.  It contains monthly employment estimates for over 1,000 industries from its Current Employment Statistics program.  However, the changes in these overall employment levels tend to be delayed in the monthly labor reports – making it a lagging indicator of economic trends.

Sound like a lot of white noise?

Not entirely.  Temporary help employment numbers, which are part of the monthly BLS report, are generally considered to be a coincident indicator for overall employment.  This means that changes in temporary help employment tend to forecast subsequent changes in overall employment and coincide with changes in economic activity.  Why?  Many companies, including food and beverage industry firms, use temporary staffing as a means to quickly adjust their operations to meet fluctuating demands for their products and services.

Here’s how to stay on top of employment trends with temporary help data in the BLS report:

1. Go to the BLS Current Employment Statistics home page.
2. Then select either the HTML or PDF version of the “Employment Situation Summary.”
3. Data for temporary help services can be found in Table B-1 (page 30 of the report’s PDF version).

The BLS CES can also help you key in on highly specific industry employment numbers.  Custom data views are available for various food and beverage industry segments (food packaging, food and beverage distribution, food and beverage manufacturing, food and beverage processing, etc.) based on NAICS codes:

1. Follow this link to Create Customized Tables.
2. Select the data you wish to view, the industry super sector, and the industry.  For quick access to food and beverage industry NAICS codes, visit NAICScodes.com.
3. Select either “Seasonally Adjusted” or “Not Seasonally Adjusted” or both (Seasonally adjusted data will remove any changes in employment related to normal seasonal hiring or layoffs, thereby recording current trends or irregularities.).
4. Select “Get Data” to retrieve the selected information.

Kinsa Group is poised to help you manage your specialized food and beverage recruitment needs as the economy slowly improves.  Serving companies throughout the United States for over 25 years, we can deliver the highly qualified professional and senior-to-executive level management candidates through our unique food & beverage recruiting process.

Continuous improvement should be a goal of any business relationship – your relationship with your recruiting company is no exception.  Help your recruiting service deliver better results by providing them with frequent, measurable feedback.  By letting them know what they’re doing right, as well as how they can improve, you can make your recruiting even more efficient and cost-effective.

Ask internal staff who interact with your recruiting firm during the hiring process to periodically fill out a simple report card.  It can evaluate quality of fills, ease of working with the recruiting specialist, timeliness of service, etc.  Then, share the feedback with your recruiting firm.  They will use the information to identify opportunities for improvement, to further customize the service they deliver, and to make your job as easy as possible.

Here are a few sample questions to consider:

The Recruiting Firm

1. How well does the recruiting firm understand the food & beverage processing industry?
2. How valuable is the recruiting specialist during the initial phases of the search (e.g., position specification, determining a salary range, developing a recruiting strategy, etc.)?
3. How well does the recruiting firm meet your expectations?
4. How would you rate the recruiting firm’s service, as compared to other firms you’ve used?
5. How would you rate your recruiting specialist (service, industry knowledge, professionalism, etc.)?

The Candidates

1. How well do the candidates referred fit the requirements of the available position?
2. How well qualified are the candidates to work in the food and beverage industry?
3. How would you rate the candidates’ attitudes (i.e., willingness to accept the position offered, professionalism, etc.)?
4. How would you rate the interview-to-hire ratio (number of candidates referred to find the right individual)?

How well are we doing?

Kinsa Group specialists are experts in recruiting for the food & beverage industry.  Our goal is to provide you with the “ideal match” – talent who optimally fits your company’s philosophy and culture.  We want to know what we’re doing right and where we can improve.  Please contact us with your feedback, so we can deliver even better results for your organization.

One by one, your food & beverage industry colleagues get promoted while you toil away, month after month, in your current position.  You want to wish each of them well, really, but silently you ask yourself, “Why them, and not me?  Do they know something that I don’t?”

Maybe.  If you want to realize your full professional potential, your boss must perceive you as a viable candidate for advancement.  Your hard work and accomplishments are key, obviously, but playing the personal PR game is just as critical to staying visible in your company.  If you’re looking for ways to make yourself more “promotable,” here are some great ideas to get you started:

1. Assess where you are and where you want to be.  Before you identify specific ways to promote yourself, you need to conduct an honest appraisal of your job, your professional strengths and your goals (if you have a good boss, he may even help you with this exercise).  Take the time to write down:
   –Your current job description
   –Your key strengths, skills and accomplishments
   –A description of the job you want, including the skills and experience it requires
2. Identify gaps between where you are and where you want to be.  Do you need to build your knowledge base?  Develop better management skills?  Learn a new software program?  Conducting this professional inventory will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses, and create a roadmap for where you want to go.
3. Seize every opportunity to learn.  Stay on top of new trends in your segment of the food and beverage industry to increase your knowledge and skills in areas critical to your organization.  If you want to be promoted to a specific position, find out everything you can about that job.  Read, take classes or inquire about shadowing opportunities to prepare yourself for stepping into a new role when the opportunity arises.
4. Make friends with higher-ups.  Establish rapport and cultivate good relationships with your boss and his colleagues.  When you attend company gatherings or fundraisers, do more than make an appearance.  Talk with people throughout the company, not just within your team or department. 
5. Create a portfolio.  Keep track of your professional accomplishments and contributions by assembling a portfolio that showcases your skills and experience.  When it comes time to make your case for a promotion (with either your company or a competitor’s), your portfolio will prove an invaluable tool.
6. Brag the right way.  When it comes to getting promoted, “who knows you” is often as important as “who you know.”  So do what you can to get onto key executives’ radar screens, without coming across as a braggart:
   –Accept credit graciously.  Instead of shrugging a compliment off, try saying, “Thank you.  I’m really glad my hard work paid off.”
   –E-mail your boss a brief weekly status report, outlining your major accomplishments and upcoming projects.
   –Volunteer to draft your team’s memos to department heads.
   –Present your group’s milestones at the next business planning meeting.
7. Be patient.  Promotions are not always available when you want them.  Sometimes, you have to stick with a company a little longer to get the promotion you deserve.  If you’re working for a good company, keep your eye on the prize and stick it out a little longer.

Here are a few more great tips to help you get the promotion you deserve.

If you’re in the market for a new job, or are just curious about what kind of food and beverage are available right now, please call us today.  As national recruiters specializing in the food & beverage industry, Kinsa Group offers a variety of excellent career opportunities.

But even when you can’t offer a job applicant the position, you can still end the interview process on a positive note.  Here are some quick tips for writing candidate rejection letters in a constructive way, to build good will with candidates and position your company as an employer of choice:

• Send out the rejection letter promptly.  If you’re certain you will not be hiring the individual, let him know that he was not selected as soon as possible.  Even when the news is bad, your timely follow-up will convey a high level of professionalism.
• Always use formal company letterhead for a rejection letter and never handwrite it.
• Address your candidate by name.  Further customize the letter with the position for which he applied, as well as a supportive comment about the applicant’s qualifications, experience or enthusiasm.  Although a rejection letter is basically a form letter, your candidate shouldn’t feel as though it is.
• Be direct, but gracious.  Make it clear that there were other candidates more qualified for the job, but do so in a respectful way.
• When appropriate, encourage further action.  If the candidate is a good culture fit, and may be qualified for other openings with your company, say so.  Encourage him to stay in touch and apply again.
• Always end on a positive note.  Thank the candidate for applying and interviewing.  Wish him good luck in his career development.  Remember, this may be the final impression this individual has of your company – make sure it’s a favorable one.
• Close the letter formally with “Sincerely,” or “Best wishes,” and sign your name.

Don’t want to write rejection letters? 

Call Kinsa national food and beverage industry recruiters with your professional placement needs.  We’ll handle every step of the process – from recruiting to assessment and initial interviews - and only present you with the most qualified candidates.  If you decide not to hire an individual we refer, just let us know and we’ll take care of the rest.

• Even if you’re currently employed, you never know when an attractive job opening may present itself.  A current résumé can help you capitalize on an unexpected opportunity – before someone else has the chance.
• Over time, your important achievements and contributions may be forgotten.  Regular updating ensures that critical, measurable accomplishments are accurately recorded.
• In many cases, your résumé creates a first and lasting impression on a potential employer.  Make sure it’s a good one.  By periodically reviewing and honing your résumé, you can create a more powerful marketing tool that accurately and favorably represents you as a professional.

Use these tips to make your résumé update simple and comprehensive:

1. Review personal information (address, e-mail, LinkedIn URL, etc.) to ensure everything is up-to-date.
2. Review your oldest job.  If it’s no longer relevant, and you have at least 10 years of documented work history without it, remove it.
3. Update your responsibilities and accomplishments.  Consider the following:  special projects; new expertise developed or job responsibilities awarded; knowledge or skills enhancement from special training or professional development; awards or other recognition; challenges you faced and solutions developed; measurable results you helped achieved (e.g., eliminating process inefficiencies, increasing productivity or sales, improving staffing or operational performance, etc.).
4. Revist your objective statement.  If it is not in line with your current career aspirations, rewrite it.  The statement can be general, but should show some direction toward the field in which you want to work.
5. Reevaluate your references.  Verify that these individuals still work where you have noted and that contact information for each is correct.  If you have developed new contacts who can attest to your recent achievements or heightened responsibility, consider replacing them with outdated references.
6. Update your résumé format.  Check online sample résumés to see if yours looks outdated and revise accordingly.  Additionally, you should create an electronic version of your résumé if you don’t already have one.
7. Proofread everything.  Sloppy spelling, grammar and punctuation may take you out of the running immediately.  If you’re not proficient in proofreading, ask a trusted friend or associate to help.

Looking for a better career opportunity in the food & beverage industry?  Give us a call.  The Kinsa Group has a wide variety of food & beverage industry career opportunities – from food science to plant operations to executive management.

So what will the guidelines likely recommend?

• Reduced salt consumption.  Linked to hypertension, heart disease and other health problems, salt has become a primary governmental target in recent years.  Although most major food companies have already substantially lowered sodium in their product lines, the question is still at the back of my mind - will the feds begin to actually ration this ingredient?
• Reduced use of sweeteners.  Ingredients like high fructose corn syrup have been linked to now-epidemic obesity in our population.  Our government is waging war on these sweeteners.  In 2009, President Obama alluded to soda taxes as one way to battle obesity – essentially making soda the “new tobacco.”  California and Washington already have huge “sin taxes” on soft drinks.  And even though over half of Americans oppose them, several other states have put these taxes on the legislative table.  What’s next?
• New label regulations and advertising bans.  The people have spoken, and they want change.  In a recent survey by Food Minds, 86% of respondents were in favor of the overhaul on food and front-of-label packaging that lists calories and beneficial nutrients.  Nearly three quarters of respondents support government-sponsored educational program to help Americans understand the difference between “good” foods and ” bad” foods.  Additionally, over half of the respondents would support the government banning of advertising “unhealthy” foods to children.

Bottom line, our government is attempting to play an increasingly larger role in determining what we put in our bodies.  Individual choice and responsibility are under fire.  And, unfortunately, the food industry – despite best efforts to provide safe, nutritious food at affordable prices – is under tremendous pressure to do even more.

Kinsa Group can help you prepare for the changes coming to the food & beverage industry.  As recruiters specializing in the food & beverage industry, we can provide quick access to the top Research and Development specialists your organization needs.

Director of Quality – Beverage Industry

An exciting key quality leadership role within a global beverage company representing well-known retail beverage brands.  This established organization is enjoying record breaking sales and is looking for a top performer to continue their growth.  The position resides in the New Jersey/New York City area.

Job responsibilities:

Develop and lead strategy for US, Canada, and South America region to ensure all facilities and products meet corporate QA standards.  Provide direction, oversight, auditing, and support to various locations and product types within region.

Ideal candidates will possess the following skills:

• BS degree in Food Science or related area
• 10+ years of experience within the food industry in a technical/quality role.
• Experience in the beverage industry.  Coffee and/or tea background highly preferred.
• Knowledge of relevant regulations and regulatory framework within the Americas.
• Strong auditing experience.
• Experience developing and maintaining quality systems.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Sensory skills.
• Ability to travel 40-50%.

Discover more about this Beverage Industry Director of Quality Job including salary range.

And to search our comprehensive list of Food and Beverage Industry Jobs please visit www.Kinsa.com.