Kinsa Group Blog

How long do you have before being unemployed starts negatively impacting your ability to find a food & beverage job?

Try one month.

A new research article suggests that employers think less of unemployed job candidates – no matter how briefly they’ve been out of work, and regardless of whether they’ve quit or been laid off.

The article, titled “The Psychological Stigma of Unemployment: When Joblessness leads to Being Jobless,” cites several experiments that found bias against the jobless, virtually from the outset of unemployment.  For example, in one study, co-author Geoffrey C. Ho and his team asked 47 experienced HR professionals to review résumés that were identical in all ways, with a single exception:  half said the candidate was currently employed and half said the person had been out of work for a month.

The “currently employed” candidate received better marks for competence and hireability.

The harsh reality?  Unemployment discrimination is a troubling trend in hiring.  Despite numerous EEO laws and safeguards, some employers exclude qualified food & beverage job candidates from consideration, simply because of their employment status.  To these hiring managers, requiring that a candidate be gainfully employed is just “smart business” – helping them to control the flood of applications and to filter out “damaged goods” before spending valuable time and resources on screening and interviewing.

But if you’ve been unemployed for an extended period and are trying to find work, it’s hard to see the logic in a practice like this.

Now is a time to stay strong.  If you’re unemployed and looking for work, here is some sound advice for beating unemployment discrimination – before it beats you:

• Forgive yourself – and move on.  Losing a job is nothing unusual, especially these days.  Mergers, cost-cutting measures and total shutdowns have forced countless people out of their jobs over the past few years.  Whatever your reason for being unemployed, you need a positive mindset to tackle what may be a tough job search.  The best thing you can do is forgive yourself for being out of work, and then move on.
• If you’ve only been out of work for a short time (a few weeks or months), invest a lot of time and energy into networking and informational interviews.  This will help you get past the initial human resources screening that would eliminate you from consideration.
• Ignore the verbiage in job posts that suggests an employer intends to discriminate based on recent employment status.  Just because the discriminatory language is present in a job listing doesn’t mean you have to adhere to the request!  If your job skills and experience are a good fit for the posting, by all means apply for that position – regardless of your employment situation.
• Consider adjusting your résumé.  If you’ve been out of work for awhile, you may want to switch from a chronological to functional résumé format.  This will allow you to lead with your skills and qualifications, outside the context of your employment history.  You may also want to omit dates from your employment history section.  Once your skills have an employer’s attention, he can inquire about the dates.
• Solidify references from previous employer(s).  When you’re unemployed, a strong endorsement from an employer – even one who let you go – may outweigh the length of your unemployment.
• Work as an interim contract professional.  It’s easiest to find a job while you’re working, so stack the deck in your favor.  Beyond merely changing your employment status, working as an interim contract professional for Kinsa can help you earn extra income, avoid gaps on your résumé and keep your spirits up.  Additionally, while you’re working, Kinsa can actively search for direct positions that match your skills, experience and interests.

How is a run for the White House like your quest for career development?

To succeed in either endeavor, you need the right people in your corner.

When it comes to furthering your food & beverage career, having the right mentors, sponsors and advocates on your side can mean the difference between stagnation and success:

Mentors.  In today’s fast-paced operating environment, a mentor can expedite your career development by giving you opportunities to learn, and apply that learning, more quickly.  By adding a mentor to your personal “political balance sheet,” you can accelerate your growth and successfully navigate the sometimes tricky waters of organizational politics.

Sponsors.  These key influencers and decision makers have the connections and authority to elevate you in your career.  They know the right people, and create (or hear about) the right opportunities, to quickly get you to the next level.

Advocates.  As the name suggests, these people are your personal brand champions.  They know who you are, know what you do and talk to others on your behalf.

A strong relationship with a professional advocate increases your exposure (and career development) exponentially – by spreading good words about you even when you’re not around.  And as everyone knows, having a respected colleague extolling your virtues is much more powerful than you tooting your own horn.

It’s one thing to know that you need people like these in your corner; it’s quite another, however, to develop and execute an action plan to make it happen.  Here are a few tips from Kinsa to get you started:

Turn a dispassionate eye to your personal “political balance sheet.”  At this very moment, who is likely to “vote for you” and help you attain your career aspirations?  Take stock of who you know – and the types of people you need to know – to fast-track your career development.

Neutralize threats.  None of us is perfect.  Along the way, we make mistakes in our careers and occasionally burn bridges.  Instead of blaming yourself, develop a plan of attack.

Make a list of individuals who may jeopardize your career success or speak negatively about you when you’re not there to defend yourself.  Contact them – instead of avoiding them – and find out how you can mend fences by helping them.  These individuals may not become your “table pounders,” but at least you can keep them from sabotaging your promotions.

Start making the right connections.  At the end of the day, advancing your food & beverage career is often as much about who you know as what you know.  So develop a systematic plan for meeting those people who can make a difference in your career.  Set networking goals, become involved, offer help, and use both face-to-face and social media networking techniques to widen your circle of influence.

Pay it forward.  For every career advancement you achieve, another person will step into your old shoes.  Create some good career karma for yourself by acting as a mentor, sponsor or advocate for your company’s more junior employees.

Kinsa is In Your Corner

When it comes to advancing your career, Kinsa is on your side.  Our recruiters take a genuine interest in helping you attain your professional goals in the food & beverage industry.   Get started with Kinsa today or search food & beverage executive and professional jobs here.

Does being overqualified for a food & beverage position mean that you’ll be disqualified from consideration?

Not if you handle the interview right.

True, many employers are reluctant to hire overqualified candidates.  Recruiters fear that an overqualified employee will be dissatisfied, demand more money, expect fast promotion or even jump ship.

As a job seeker, you need to recognize these concerns and effectively address them if you want to get the offer.  Use these tips to handle an employer’s concern that your qualifications outstrip the available position:

Realize that nobody is a “perfect” match.  Reassure yourself with the fact that a recruiter rarely (if ever) finds a candidate who is an exact match for the position in terms of both skills and experience.  Most finalists are either too heavy or too light in some aspect of their qualifications.

Never misrepresent yourself.  Even if you’ve managed to gloss over your depth of experience in your résumé, it will come out in the interview.  So never try to sell yourself short.  If you do, you may be perceived as dishonest and therefore rejected, or you may wind up with a job in which you’re extremely frustrated by the lack of challenge.  At the end of the day, honesty is always your best policy.

Prepare answers to common interview questions.  If you’re overqualified, you will likely be asked a question similar to one of the following.  Make sure you’re prepared to respond effectively and allay a prospective employer’s concerns.

• How will you stay motivated in a job that doesn’t make use of many of your qualifications?  If the hiring manager is worried that the available position won’t stimulate you enough, sell yourself – not your abilities.  Explain that you can never be overqualified in your enthusiasm, your desire to mentor or your quest for knowledge.
• It’s not likely that you will be offered a promotion any time soon.  Is this okay with you?  Obviously, you don’t want to convey the impression that you’ll gladly languish in a position ad infinitum.  Instead, say something like: “I’m eager to learn as much as I can about your organization while carrying out my daily responsibilities.  While I understand that a promotion is not likely in the short-term, I’m confident that if company circumstances change, you will offer further opportunities to me.”
• I’m concerned about your willingness to stay here long-term.  Won’t you become bored or frustrated?  If a recruiter seems concerned that you’ll leave for greener pastures, demonstrate your proven track record of loyalty.  Offer examples of how you found opportunities for growth, even in positions you held for several years.

Look harder for positions that better match your experience level.  Choose your opportunities carefully!  As a job seeker, you owe it to yourself to critically evaluate the merit of any position for which you may be overqualified.  Consider:

• Would you truly be happy in this role for an extended period of time?
• Is the compensation range adequate to meet your financial needs and desired standard of living?
• Does the position fit into your long-range career development plans?

Make sure you don’t continue down the interviewing path too long – only to realize that you want a higher level job than what the employer is offering.  If you do, you may wind up burning a valuable bridge.

As national food & beverage recruiters, Kinsa works with top employers from coast to coast.  We can help you find a professional, executive or C-level food & beverage position that is ideal for your experience level and specialization:

• Executive Management

• General Management

• Sales

• Marketing

• Operations & Plant Production Management

• Research & Development

• Food Science

• Quality Assurance 

• Food Safety

• Human Resources

• Engineering

• Maintenance

• Supply Chain and Purchasing

• Warehouse Management

• Finance & Accounting

What’s the best way to create a safer food & beverage workplace?

Start by creating a strong “safety culture.”  According to OSHA, creating a culture of safety has the single greatest impact on accident reduction of any process.  Why?  A strong safety culture is more than just a motto.  It’s a system of shared beliefs, practices and attitudes which makes everyone responsible for safety, even when nobody else is watching.  Food & beverage companies that sustain this type of operating environment experience lower accident rates, lower turnover, lower absenteeism and higher productivity.

In a recent Workers’ Comp Insider article, Lynch Ryan reviews safety culture best practices.  Whether you’re a VP, a food scientist, an HR professional or a quality assurance manager, here are a few questions to consider that will help strengthen your organization’s safety culture:

Does health & safety commitment start at the top?  A top-down approach to safety is essential, because what the CEO wants done is what gets done.  If health & safety isn’t part of your company’s mission or vision, it probably isn’t on key managers’ radar.

Is there accountability?  Health & safety goals should be a part of every job description and every performance review at every level of your organization.  Bottom line, everyone must play by the same rules and be held accountable for their areas of responsibility.

Do you have a safety steering committee?  A steering committee has the authority and resources to provide overall guidance and direction for fostering a culture of safety.  Key managers, employees and safety staff should meet regularly to facilitate, support and direct safety processes.

Is safety training and communication an ongoing process?  Creating a culture of safety is not a “once and done” affair.  To maintain it, employees must be continually retrained, processes must be re-evaluated and expertise must be regularly shared via meetings, newsletters, formal training, etc.  The best safety programs also “train up,” since many middle and senior managers don’t know the real day-to-day hazards inherent in their own business.

Do managers and supervisors truly “walk the walk”?  Safety is for more than just line workers.  Managers and supervisors can’t just preach safety; they must lead by example every day.  Do managers and supervisors adhere to the rules themselves?  Are health & safety goals part of managers’ business plans and goals?  Do supervisors indoctrinate visitors and vendors to safety rules when they tour your facilities?

Do you measure performance, communicate results and celebrate successes?  Publicizing safety results is critical to sustaining efforts and maintaining commitment.  Regular updates, progress reports, feedback to the steering committee and other input channels give everyone a voice when it comes to safety.  A safety communication system doesn’t have to be sophisticated to be effective – current meetings, existing newsletters, a bulletin board and a comment box are really all you need.

At the end of the day, workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility.  Whether you work in executive management, food safety or operations, creating a strong safety culture starts with you.  So, what do you do to foster a safety culture within your food & beverage organization?  We at Kinsa would like to know – please leave your comments below.

Kinsa Group – Executive Food & Beverage Recruiters

Contact Kinsa today to find out how our 8-Step Recruiting Process for food & beverage executives and professionals can deliver the high performers you need to create a culture of safety and drive performance in your organization.

Could asking few simple questions help you land your next food & beverage job?

Absolutely.  Here’s why.

An interviewer judges the questions you ask as carefully as the answers you give.  Asking irrelevant or ubiquitous questions (i.e., what are the work hours for this position?) shows a lack of preparation for the interview (and a lack of interest in the job).  Asking germane questions, on the other hand, shows that you understand the job, the potential employer and the food & beverage industry.  The right queries signal your genuine interest, help you get the vital information you need and ultimately impress the interviewer.

Regardless of the type of food & beverage job for which you’re applying, asking savvy questions during the interview can be the difference between getting the offer and going home rejected.  So what should you ask about, and how?

Every interview is unique.  Some recruiters and hiring managers will only give you one opportunity at the end of the interview to ask questions.  Others will ask for your questions at multiple points, so be sure you have several intelligent queries prepared.  To give yourself an advantage in your next interview, consider asking one or more of the following:

1. What was the company’s biggest strategic decision this past year?  How did they come to this decision?  You want to work for a company that is proactively planning its future.  These questions demonstrate that you are thinking ahead.  They may also clue you into what you will need to do to stay current in your field and continue adding value for the employer.
   
2. What would a successful first year in this position look like?  Ask this and you will get a general idea of what the interviewer will expect you to have mastered/accomplished in a year’s time.  Additionally, it will help you gauge whether the expectations for the job are realistic.
3. What are the three main factors you will use to select the right person for this job?  This question will help you understand what kind of employee the interviewer is seeking (and if you’re the right kind of person for the job).  It will also allow you to counter by discussing important skills or qualities the interviewer lists which you may have forgotten to mention.
4. Is there anything you are still questioning about my candidacy that would prevent you from offering me this position? – or- Can I clarify anything about my skills, experience or work style further for you?  These questions solidify your genuine interest.  They also show that you’re open to constructive feedback and eager to provide reassurance that you will make a great employee.
5. What are the next steps in the hiring process?  This is a great wrap-up question.  It will help alleviate your anxiety after the interview, by giving you some idea about the company’s hiring time frame.

Type up a list of the questions you want to ask – and take them into the interview for reference.  Remember, you may not have the opportunity to ask all of the questions you want, so be sure to prioritize them.  Ask the questions you genuinely want to know the answers to, not just the ones you think will impress your interviewer.

Ultimately, asking the right questions will help you determine if you’re a good fit for the job available.  Kinsa Group can help you find that great fit and ensure your long-term career success.  Our experienced and highly specialized food & beverage industry recruiters go to great lengths to match you with the ideal food & beverage opportunity.

Contact Kinsa Group today for more assistance with your executive food & beverage job search.  From food science and engineering, to executive management and quality assurance, we provide immediate access to a wide range of the industry’s best food & beverage career opportunities.

What’s the number one health crisis confronting our country?

Despite what you may think, it’s not cancer, heart disease or high blood pressure.  It’s obesity.  According to an announcement accompanying the official 2010 Dietary Guidelines:

“More than one-third of children
and more than two-thirds of adults in the U.S.
are overweight or obese.”

These sobering statistics have made the obesity epidemic a prime target of the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.  This year’s guidelines, presented as a six chapter document released January 31, tackles obesity head-on with the following recommendations:

• Enjoying food, but eating less (i.e., avoiding over-sized portions);
• Balancing calories to manage weight;
• Balancing calorie intake with exercise;
• Eating more and a wider variety of fruits and vegetables, especially beans, peas and dark green, red and orange vegetables;
• Consuming more whole grains and low-fat or fat-free milk;
• Drinking water instead of sugary drinks;
• Eating a wider variety of seafood and other lean proteins;
• Substituting liquid oil for solid fats, when possible;
• Building healthy eating patterns to stay within calorie limits, meet nutrient needs and reduce chronic disease risk;
• Reducing daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg for most healthy people, and to 1,500 mg for those in higher risk categories.

To view or download the full 2010 Dietary Guidelines Policy Document, follow this link.

According to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, “The 2010 Dietary Guidelines are being released at a time when the majority of adults and one in three children is overweight or obese, and this is a crisis that we can no longer ignore.”  Many food & beverage processors agree and have already begun reformulation projects in response to the Report.

The Food & Beverage Processing Industry – Part of the Obesity Solution

Moving forward, the USDA and HHS Dietary Guidelines will challenge food and beverage processors to improve the “overall food environment,” by supporting Americans’ efforts to meet the key recommendations of the Report.  To help solve the obesity epidemic, food and beverage organizations can work with federal, state and local governments to ensure that all Americans have access to the recommended nutrient-dense diet by:

• Increasing nutrition education programs;
• Improving access to affordable fresh produce and food;
• Developing safe, effective and sustainable practices to expand aquaculture to increase the availability of seafood;
• Offering health-promoting foods that are low in sodium, solid fat, added sugars and refined grains;
• Adopting sound policies and responsible practices to prevent foodborne illnesses.

Kinsa Group – Your Food & Beverage Industry Recruiter

For over 25 years, The Kinsa Group has delivered the high performing food & beverage industry professionals your company needs to compete in today’s rapidly changing marketplace.  Simply put, food and beverage recruiting and assessment is all we do.  Contact us today to learn more.

Technology vs. the human touch.

When it comes to your food & beverage job search, which is better?  Job board technology is certainly efficient.  With a few clicks you easily can apply for several jobs in under an hour – all from the comfort of your own home.

But that same efficiency can work against you.  Jobs that are available to you are also available to literally anyone else with an internet connection.  When you submit your résumé, you may be one of dozens, hundreds or even thousands of applicants.  As the number of job posting applicants increases, so does the chance of your résumé being completely ignored.  How efficient is that?

Job boards do serve a purpose in connecting job seekers to employers.  But if you’re serious about your food & beverage career, here are several reasons why experienced, professional recruiters beat job boards – hands down:

Reach the hiring authority – 100% of the time. A good recruiter has the ear of prospective employers and will proactively market you directly to key hiring decision makers.  Recruiters keep your best career interests in mind and ensure your skills, experience and personal brand are presented in the best light possible to potential employers.

Access the “hidden” job market. Many food & beverage employers know that they have greater hiring success when working with a recruiter.  These companies rely on search professionals to handle the time-consuming legwork associated with finding the best candidates and skip the job board route altogether.

Get inside information on employers and their hiring practices. If you are interested in a particular employer, a recruiter can use his knowledge of an employer’s hiring processes (including interviewers’ personalities and interviewing styles) to help you successfully navigate obstacles.  Likewise, he can provide valuable insight on a company’s corporate culture, helping you more accurately evaluate career opportunities.

Maintain job search control. A top performer who plasters his résumé all over every job board may suffer unintended (and unwanted) consequences.  Unethical staffing services may find your résumé on a job board and submit it without your approval or begin hounding you with phone calls.  With a good recruiter on your side, you can maintain control over your résumé and work with a single point of contact.

Manage job search anxiety. For many, finding a new position is extremely stressful.  Recruiters are experts at the process and can help guide you through the nerve-wracking process of interviewing.  By working with a recruiter you also enjoy peace of mind, knowing that you have someone else on your job search team.

Get a personal advocate and partner in your job search. In most cases (retained searches being an exception), recruiters aren’t compensated unless they actually place candidates.  Unlike a job board, we have a vested interest in ensuring the success of your job search.

Protect your privacy. If you think your current employer won’t find out you’re actively seeking another job, think again.  Many employers set up automatic search agents on major job boards which notify them if their employees are preparing to make a move.  When you work with a recruiter, you can rest assured that you will be represented anonymously, and that your job search will remain confidential.

Access contract opportunities. If you are out of work and open to contract work, recruiters can place you in project-based opportunities that get your foot in the door and may even lead to direct employment.

The Kinsa Group – The Human Touch in Food & Beverage Recruiting

Technology is an important component in your job search, but nothing replaces the human touch.  To us, you’re more than just a résumé or an application.  You’re a critical component of our success.

We listen and take a real interest in matching you with an opportunity that suits your unique skills, needs and interests.  Contact a Kinsa recruiter today to learn more about executive and management career opportunities in the food & beverage industry.

Let’s be honest – finding the right food & beverage management or executive opportunity is hard work.

Today’s food & beverage job hunt is about more than just posting résumés and calling a few professional contacts.  Finding the right opportunity involves a combination of online brand building, working closely with specialized professional recruiters, networking with second and third generation decision makers, and good old-fashioned hard work.

But like most things in life, the more time and effort you put into your job search, the greater your chances of success.  So as you start the New Year, get organized, get down to business and make finding a job a full-time job:

• Determine what type of job you really need to continue your career development and set some short- and long-term goals to get you where you want to be.  Let these goals drive a prioritized to-do list, broken into manageable, productive job-search tasks.  You’ll be much less vulnerable to distractions if you stick to this list and track goal attainment.
• Devote time to job-search activities in proportion to their importance.  Blanketing food & beverage companies with digital résumés rarely produces results proportionate to the effort expended – so manage time spent on this activity carefully.  While it may be easier than interviewing with a food & beverage recruiter, or face-to-face networking, it’s not the most productive use of your time.
• Establish a daily routine that simulates a work day.  Get up early, exercise (if that’s your routine), shower and get dressed.  You don’t need to don a suit, but dress nicely enough to make yourself feel both positive and productive.  Take a look at your prioritized to-do list, establish a game plan for the day and tackle your highest priority tasks first.  Before you end your job-hunting day, plan out the next.
• Schedule informational interviews.  While they may not lead to immediate job offers, this low-stress form of networking can be a high-yield career networking tool. 
• Work with the Kinsa Group, national food and beverage industry recruiting specialists.  When you work with Kinsa, you have access to opportunities with leading food & beverage employers nationwide – many of which are not advertised elsewhere.  If you haven’t already registered with us, you can get started right now.  And if you are currently registered, remember these quick tips to maximize the value we provide:

Send your updated résumé to Kinsa.  Have you gained new skills, experience or responsibilities since you first sent us your résumé?  If so, please let us know so that we can update your profile and consider you for additional opportunities.

Check out our HOT Jobs.  These are open food and beverage jobs for which Kinsa Group is actively seeking qualified candidates to interview right now.

Search all of Kinsa’s open jobs periodically.  Set-up a regular reminder in Outlook, on your Blackberry, or in any other scheduling software you use.  We receive new openings daily and update our job board frequently.

Make sure you’re receiving Kinsa Group’s e-mail alerts.  To be sure you receive timely alerts about suitable positions, make sure that our e-mails aren’t going to your Spam folder.

According to a recent article by The Washington Post, the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act has generated plenty of lobbyist activity.  Since the bill was introduced at the beginning of last year, at least 221 industry organizations have hired 77 lobbying shops to represent their interests.

Spurred by a series of nationwide food recalls and outbreaks of food-borne illness, the food safety bill would give the FDA considerably more authority over the industry in order to reduce outbreaks of food-borne illness.

Smaller, more specialized firms with insider knowledge of the FDA and the Agricultural Department were in high demand to lobby on the overhaul.  In fact, some industry organizations and corporations hired multiple lobbying firms to represent their interests – because the stakes are so high.

And their work is not done.  Lawmakers are now quibbling over the constitutionality of Senate language that imposes fees on companies for recalled food.  The procedural glitch could ultimately force the Senate to vote on a new version of the bill during the current lame-duck session – and potentially push the legislation to the next Congress.

The Kinsa Group – Food & Beverage Recruiting and Industry Experts

At Kinsa, food and beverage industry recruiting and assessment is all we do.  With over 25 years of experience, we understand your industry and we know how to deliver the top-tier professionals your company needs to succeed.  What can we do for you?