Kinsa Group Blog

It’s so hard for you to watch.

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.

The time and costs associated with recruiting, screening, interviewing, evaluating and hiring employees are significant.  So why do it on your own?  A recruitment services firm can provide quick and cost-effective access to the talented professionals you need:

• Position Specification and Search Strategy Development.  Before starting a search, a professional recruitment firm will help you precisely define what type of individual you are looking for (skills, experience, traits, etc.), and identify the most expedient and cost-effective ways to find that candidate.  A quicker, more targeted search improves hiring success while reducing the cost of vacancy in the position.
• Recruiting.  A recruitment firm executes a comprehensive search strategy on your behalf, including advertising, database searches, cold-calls to target companies, social networking and generating referrals.  A recruitment firm with industry specialization, such as Kinsa Group, can leverage its experience, industry contacts and recruiting economies of scale to produce results faster.
• Assessing and Evaluating.  By working with a search firm, you save your HR department the time and expense associated with screening résumés, arranging and conducting initial interviews, and checking candidate references.  This frees your internal staff to focus on other key priorities.
• Guarantees.  To help ensure hiring success, many recruiting firms offer placement guarantees.
• Outsourcing.  Some recruiting firms, such as Kinsa Group, can act as your company’s internal recruitment function for a portion or all of your jobs – handling the entire recruiting / hiring process from job profiling through the on-boarding of the new hire, including staff, technology, method and reporting.   Known as Recruitment Process Outsourcing, this service improves your company’s time to hire, increases the quality of the candidate pool, provides verifiable metrics, reduces cost and improves governmental compliance.  RPO changes fixed investment costs into variable costs that can vary with fluctuation in recruitment activity.

Kinsa Group – A Better Way to Hire Food and Beverage Industry Professionals

Hiring on your own can be an expensive, time-consuming and frustrating process – so don’t do it alone.  Contact Kinsa today.  Using our unique recruiting process, our dynamic staff of skilled recruiting professionals will make your next hire a success.

Because of their drive to achieve personal career goals, high performers are unafraid to take risks – this includes leaving your company for a competitor’s.  So how do you keep your best and brightest working for you? 

Use these insights to motivate your high performers and maximize their job satisfaction:

• They need opportunities to learn and grow.  Ironically, the more high performers are able to grow professionally within your organization (and therefore become more marketable), the more likely they are to stay with you.  Your company must meet their need to remain highly marketable.
• They need recognition.  Although fueled by their own need to achieve personal career goals, you must give them recognition due.  When appropriate, let them shine.  Stroke their egos, but only when merited.
• They need continual career development.  Recruit senior employees to mentor high performers, helping them to set goals, develop their careers and take on tasks beyond those designated in their job descriptions.  Mentors should use their status and influence to help these protégés gain entry to groups and experiences that would be career enhancing.
• They need their individual goals to align with their company’s.  As an employer of these talented individuals, you must match their skills and interests with their responsibilities.
• They value additional non-compensation benefits.  Wellness programs that promote the general health of employees (e.g., exercise and nutrition programs, health screenings, etc.) are an important factor in a high performer’s decision to remain in his current position.  Additionally, work / life balance programs (e.g., casual dress days, educational seminars, flex hours, job sharing, etc.) increase their overall job satisfaction.

A final note.  One of the biggest reasons employees don’t return to former employers is because they’re embarrassed to think about how to approach coming back.  So if a high performer leaves your company for another, let him know that the door is open for his return, in case he realizes that the proverbial grass isn’t greener on the other side. 

The Kinsa Group specializes in recruiting and assessing high performing professionals for the food and beverage processing industry.  Visit our website to learn more.

Today’s food supply chains are undeniably complex.  And in recent years, factors such as manufacturing efficiency improvements, increased product diversity and sheer volume have contributed to an increased risk for large scale food safety incidents, which can reach across countries and even continental boundaries.

I recently read a fantastic whitepaper entitled “Ensuring Food Safety and Brand Protection Through Supply Chain Traceability” which covers, among other things, the importance of developing an automated approach to traceability to ensure food safety. 

Here are a few of the whitepaper’s guidelines for food processors to implement effective product traceability practices:

• define and apply consistent product and process standards across facilties and departments;
• document all supply chain activities that involve the handling, processing and storage of food products, ingredients, packaging, processing equipment, etc.;
• implement a system that facilitates transparent, rapid and complete ”source to sale” auditability;
• consistently collect activity reporting information, and be able to quickly retrieve quality information after-the-fact for up to two years after a product is sold;
• create processes that fit well with existing supply chain business operations.

When it comes to ensuring the success of your food safety and traceability initiatives, having the right professionals on your team can make all the difference.  Kinsa is here to help.  We can deliver the talented food and beverage professionals your business needs.  Contact us today.

Most of us today are conditioned to look for the best possible price.  In most cases, this makes good economic sense.  But when it comes to recruiting services, the company offering the lowest prices isn’t necessarily going to deliver the best value.

Here are a few good reasons why shopping around for the lowest-priced recruiting services might not be the wisest choice:

• Quality of recruiting.  To offer you the lowest price, a recruiting firm may be forced to cut back on the quality and amount of service they provide.  They may not be able to afford the same depth of recruiting and screening.  As a result, they may have more difficulty finding the right candidates for your specific needs.
• Specialization and experience.  Most recruiting firms can find a “warm body” to fill your position.  But unless the firm specializes in recruiting food and beverage professionals, they may not have the depth of knowledge and industry connections needed to rapidly recruit and assess the ideal candidate.
• Bad placements.  For senior management positions, hiring costs can easily add up to tens of thousands of dollars.  Obviously, not getting the right professional for the job can have very costly ramifications.  Consider the following costs of a bad placement:
  • the salary, benefits and overhead of the bad hire for the duration of his/her tenure
  • training costs which you must incur again when the recruiting firm replaces the employee
  • the negative impact on co-workers’ productivity and morale
  • lost business opportunities resulting from errors and poor performance
  • unemployment compensation, severance pay and/or legal fees (in cases where the new hire stays on-board beyond a recruiting firm’s guarantee period)

The bottom line is, many things in business aren’t worth risking.  The quality of your human capital is definitely one of them. 

Kinsa Group:  the Best Recruiting Value for Food & Beverage Industry Employers

The Kinsa Group delivers exceptional value through our comprehensive 8-step search and assessment process.  This process ensures that the candidates we present are qualified, able to perform in your organization, and also likely to accept the position should it be offered to them.

When it comes to specialty recruiting services, you get what you pay for.  Trust the Kinsa Group to deliver the talented food and beverage industry professionals your business needs.

As a manager, you know that empowered employees:

• have the authority, and take the initiative, to make sound business decisions;
• are energetic, passionate and committed to doing a great job;
• are creative and innovative problem solvers;
• continually strive to improve quality, productivity and morale;

all because they feel personally rewarded for doing so.

But while the benefits of empowerment are clear, the steps to creating an empowered workplace may not be.  Use these quick tips to get your business started on the right path:

1. Understand what empowerment really is.  Empowerment isn’t something you do to people.  It’s an environment you create by giving employees goals, information, feedback, training and positive reinforcement.
2. Identify an opportunity for empowerment.  Start small.  Create a work team by selecting a few key employees who have the right skills, knowledge and resources to complete a small test project.  This project should be challenging enough to allow your staff to grow and take on additional responsibilities.
3. Set clear expectations.  Let your employees know what to do and how to do it.  Factors to consider include:  deadlines, channels for sharing information, methods for delegating authority, and ways to check progress / measure success.
4. Provide decision-making guidelines.  Provide clear instructions for when and how to make good decisions.  Explain when it’s okay to the take initiative and when employees should check with team members first.
5. Encourage open communication.  Information sharing is a critical component of an empowered workplace.  Create an atmosphere in which employees feel comfortable expressing concerns and sharing new ideas.
6. Establish accountability.  Provide the advice, perspective and guidance your team needs, but require them to create and manage their own solutions.  If mistakes are made, do not step in and fix them – use them as opportunities for employees to learn.
7. Let go.  Tough as it may be, don’t micromanage.  Once you’ve established clear expectations and guidelines for the project, it’s time to take your hands off the wheel.
8. Provide positive reinforcement.  For empowerment to permanently take hold in your organization, your employees have to want to do it.  So celebrate the successes (however small) your employees have while working on the test project.  Provide the feedback they need to feel respected and valued in their efforts.
9. Review results, then take it to the next level.  Once the project is complete, assemble your team for a debriefing.  How did the group do?  What worked?  What didn’t?  Use the lessons learned to develop a more comprehensive plan for getting your whole company on the road to empowerment.

An Empowered Workplace Starts with Great People

Kinsa can deliver the talented food and beverage industry professionals you need to create an empowered workplace.

A leading global manufacturer of specialty ingredients for baking and confectionary applications is seeking a Dairy Procurement Manager.  This is a solid company with diverse product offerings, continuing sales growth, and a rich tradition and history.

Job Responsibilities

Develop global sourcing strategies for production facilities throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.  Utilize your negotiating skills and knowledge of domestic and foreign import regulations to secure cost-effective solutions.  Build upon your relationships with domestic and foreign vendors in the Dairy and Butter Fats markets to foster reliable partnerships.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (preferrably in Business, Procurement, or Food Science)
• Minimum of 5 years procurement or trading experience in Dairy and Butter Fats markets within the U.S. and Americas
• Expertise with domestic and foreign trade and import regulations
• Willingness to travel up to 50%

Compensation:

Salary range is $80,000 – $110,000.  Generous compensation and benefits package with Great Chicago location.  Relocation supported.

Apply for the Dairy Procurement Manager job here.  Or search for other Food and Beverage industry positions here.

Complaints.  Conflicts.  Crises.

As managers, we all have days when we want to just close the office doors and shut ourselves off from our employees.  But as tempting as it sounds, adopting a “do not disturb” management style comes at a price.  Over time, isolating yourself from your staff can lead to disconnected and resentful employees, lowered productivity and a toxic corporate culture.

Fortunately, you can easily avoid management pitfalls like these by staying approachable.  Use the following quick tips to keep your team happy, motivated and working for you:

• Leave your door open.  A manager who does most of his or her work behind closed doors can leave employees feeling alienated and cut-off.  So even if it means additional distractions, try to keep your office door wide open whenever possible.
• Chat up your staff.  Create an environment where workers feel you take an interest in them beyond the work they do.  A simple “Good morning, how was your weekend?” will make employees feel like you care.  If they believe you care, they’ll regard you with more respect and perform better for you.
• Set your staff up for success.  As much as possible, give employees sufficient lead-time to complete projects or tasks.  Ensure that all assignments are explained carefully.  Specify what needs to be done, by whom and within what time frame.  Make yourself available for guidance when needed, and answer employees’ questions in a way that will help them accomplish the goals you have set for them.
• Don’t punish the messenger.  Let your staff members know that they can come to you with potential problems, as well as suggestions on how to improve their processes.  Show them you realize that because they’re the ones on the front lines, doing the day-to-day work, they have valuable insights into what’s really going on.

Our Door is Always Open

Do you have a recruiting question or concern?  Contact Kinsa Group today.  We’re experts in food and beverage industry recruiting, and you can always approach us for the professional advice and information you need.

“Here we go again…”

“Why does everyone else seem to have all the luck?”

“What else could possibly go wrong today?”

Admit it.  At one point or another, you’ve had thoughts like these.  I know I have.  But while it’s perfectly normal to occasionally fall prey to negative thoughts – especially after losing a job or some other stressful event - you must guard against falling into a pessimistic mental rut.

When you’re stuck in a mode of negative thinking, you miss out on opportunities to improve your day and your situation.  Negative thoughts drain your energy and can even threaten your health.  So if your attitude could use some improvement, try some of these tips to eliminate negative thinking:

1. Recognize when you’re thinking negatively.  Pay attention to your internal dialogue and send up a mental “red flag” when you’re thinking pessimistically.
2. Realize that negative thoughts breed more negative thoughts.  Remember, you attract what you focus on – whether it’s what you want or don’t want.
3. Remind yourself that the negative thought is only that – a thought.  In fact, what you’re thinking may have little basis in reality.  Instead, your thoughts could be the result of projected fears about situations that rarely end up manifesting.
4. Find a positive thought replacement.  Rather than fighting against negative thoughts, try to replace them with more positive ones.  Picture a different scenario; affirm something to yourself that’s positive and self-supporting; remind yourself of a recent positive experience.
5. Use humor and fun.  Negative thoughts stress you out.  Change the energy of the situation by thinking of something funny or doing something enjoyable.  The key is to not let your negative thoughts have power over you.
6. Try creative visualization.  When something goes wrong, close your eyes and visualize a positive outcome.  Let yourself see what you want to happen like a movie playing behind your eyelids.  You’ll stop negative thoughts in their tracks and focus your mind’s energy on potential solutions.
7. Take a break.  Even if you’re up against a deadline, take five minutes to stretch, take a brief walk or talk to a friend.  Any respite, albeit brief, will help you reset your attitude and tackle your problem from a more positive perspective.

One More Tip…

If you’re stuck in a negative mental rut because of your job circumstances, Kinsa Group can help.  As experts in food & beverage industry recruiting, we specialize in matching experienced professionals with rewarding career opportunities. 

A small positive action like registering with our recruiting service can break your cycle of negative thinking and start you on a better career path.  So take control of your situation by envisioning yourself in the job you really want – then contact us to turn that vision into reality.

Implementing a faulty or sloppy employee review system can put your company at risk.  One misstep can lead a disgruntled employee to “pull the trigger” on a hairy lawsuit.  So as a responsible manager, how do you keep your company out of the crosshairs?

Here is a quick list of best practices for ensuring your performance reviews are legally defensible:

1. Develop adaptable appraisal forms.  Use flexible forms evaluators can change to suit the type of position available.  The forms should allow evaluators to: incorporate specific job criteria; weight and prioritize attributes and job responsibilities; easily keep accurate, detailed annual review records for all employees.  Should you need to protect your company in the case of a dispute, this standard documentation will provide valuable evidence that evaluators conducted all appraisals in a consistent manner.
2. Train your evaluators.  Provide written instructions on the purpose and mechanics of your review system.  Teach evaluators to base appraisals upon observed evidence – never “gut feelings” or other subjective criteria.  Include information on potential EEO problems and emphasize the importance of accuracy.  Supplement written instruction with role playing, and require evaluators to sign a statement saying they’ve received and reviewed the instructions.
3. Clearly communicate the review process ahead of time.  When review time comes around, make sure employees know:  the purpose of the reviews; the impact they’ll have on employees’ work; how the reviews will be conducted; what to expect during discussions.
4. Require employees to agree to primary job duties.  During the evaluation, ask each employee to review the job duties on which he has been rated.  To prevent later debates, require each employee to sign a statement that the list provided constitutes an accurate and complete list of his major job duties.
5. Safeguard against inaccuracy and evaluator bias.  Emphasize the importance of avoiding stereotypes based on race, sex, age or any other characteristics.  Monitor evaluators and develop a system of cross-checks to ensure evaluators do not go too easy on employees, or consistently rate a particular group lower than another.
6. Summarize and distribute reviews.  Have evaluators write up salient aspects of each employee appraisal and distribute copies to all relevant parties.
7. Have each employee review and sign his evaluation.  After being given the opportunity to review and write in his own comments, require each employee to sign and date the evaluation.  This will discourage employee attempts to dispute the evaluation down the road.
8. Keep a regular review schedule.  Like any other inconsistency in employment actions, failure to provide timely reviews can become the basis for an EEO charge or other frivolous lawsuit.
9. Provide for appeals on grievances.  Give employees the right to appeal performance reviews to a higher level supervisor.  In addition to being a goodwill gesture, this process will also undermine the case of any employee who later attacks the evaluation in an EEO or wrongful discharge claim.

Make it Easier on Yourself

Remember, our temporary employment services save you the risks, time and hassles associated with performance reviews.  Contact us today to learn more.