Kinsa Group Blog

If there is one constant in the food & beverage industry, it’s change.  Whether the source of that change is the government or the general population, we at Kinsa Group stay on top of the issues that are important to your food & beverage organization.  Here are two key updates, in case you missed them:

MyPlate Replaces Food Pyramid

Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled MyPlate.  Government officials say the new icon will be a part of a healthy-eating initiative that emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups.  The symbol replaces the 2005 Food Pyramid, which was widely criticized widely for being difficult to read.

The U.S.D.A. said MyPlate will convey seven key messages, including:

1. enjoy food but eat less;
2. avoid oversized portions;
3. make half your plate fruits and vegetables;
4. switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk;
5. make at least half your grains whole grains;
6. drink water instead of sugary drinks;
7. and compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.

More information about MyPlate can be found at www.choosemyplate.gov.

Men’s & Women’s Health Ingredient Trends

Wild Flavors, Inc.’s whitepapers detail the ingredients food & beverage companies should incorporate now to capitalize on changing health trends for both men and women:

Men’s Health Ingredient Trends

Men are more concerned than ever about their own well-being.  They want to prevent disease and improve the quality of their lives through joint health, strong immune systems, proper sleep patterns and strong brain function.  Openness about health concerns and changes in social attitudes have made men more receptive than ever to new and innovative nutritious options.

Food and beverage companies have a prime opportunity to capitalize on men’s health trends, by creating products with ingredients that address men’s key concerns:

Heart Health: Omega-3s, Phytosterols, Coenzyme Q10, Tea Polyphenols, Citrus Bioflavonoids.

Bone & Joint Health: Hyaluronic Acid, Grapeseed Extract.

Immunity: Pomegranate Extract, Citrus Bioflavonoids, Grapeseed Extract.

Cognitive Health: Omega-3s, Coenzyme Q10, Phosphatidylserine.

Holistic Sleep: Melatonin, L-Theanine, Gamma Amino Butryic Acid (GABA).

Women’s Health Ingredient Trends

According to Wild Flavor’s “Women: Trends & Health Ingredients” whitepaper, women account for the vast majority of household spending decisions and consumer purchases.  Furthermore, many women put family needs ahead of their own.

To capitalize on these consumer behaviors, food & beverage organizations should create products with ingredients that address the following top concerns for women:

Hearth Health: Omega-3s, Phytosterols, Coenzyme Q10, Tea Polyphenols, Citrus Bioflavonoids.

Bone & Joint Health: Hyaluronic Acid, Soy Isoflavones.

Immunity: Cranberry Extract, Citrus Bioflavonoids, Grapeseed Extract.

Beauty: Coenzyme Q10, Hyaluronic Acid, Tea Polyphenols, Citrus Bioflavonoids.

Holistic Sleep: L-Theanine, Passionflower Extract, Chamomile Extract.

Weight Management: Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Green Coffee Extract, Green Tea Catechins.

Like most things in life, you’ll get out of your job search what you put into it.  Those who work harder, have a positive attitude, persevere and go the extra mile are more likely to get what they want – period.

If you have the commitment to work hard, but need direction for your efforts, here are seven things you can do to take charge of your job search today:

1.  Treat your job search like a job. If you are not currently employed, you have a great advantage – time.  Make finding a food & beverage job your full-time job.  Get up in the morning and get dressed, review your goals, create a to-do list when you settle into your office and try to maintain your diligent work habits.

2.  Clarify your self-knowledge and your goals. Do you know exactly what you have to offer an employer?  Do you know exactly what type of career opportunity you want?  Take the time to write down your specific skills, strengths, accomplishments and career goals.  If you know what you want, and what you bring to the table, it’s infinitely easier to focus your efforts, identify potential employers and find the job you want.

3.  Conduct informational interviews. Informational interviews can provide you with invaluable visibility, information and job interview practice.  Conducted properly they can help you:

• expand your professional network;
• set yourself apart from the crowd in a competitive job market;
• gain insider feedback on potential hiring opportunities.

4.  Develop your network. Often in a job search, it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know.  Be proactive in developing relationships (both in-person and via social media) with people who are doing the kind of work that you want to do.  Identify individuals in food & beverage companies, industry organizations and professional associations who can provide insight into their employment needs.  Identify faculty, friends, business associates and relatives who can assist you with your job search.  Tell everyone you know that you’re looking for a job and ask them to refer you to potential employers.

5.  Get more organized. Place all of your job search materials, including: research on potential employers; listings of job postings to which you’ve responded; resume versions and cover letters; recruiters with whom you’re working; network lists, etc.  Use this binder to track your progress, plan follow-up, develop daily to-do lists or record other important information.

6.  Find a mentor. If you don’t have a trusted advisor who can help guide your job search efforts, you should get one.  To select a mentor, choose someone you know who:  has earned your respect; is successful in his or her career; will provide honest and effective feedback; will take an interest in your professional development; will support you in your career progression.  Meet with this person regularly to solicit advice, share your ups and downs, and get the feedback and support you need to keep going.

7.  Work with leading food & beverage executive recruiters. The Kinsa Group matches professionals and executives like you with top food & beverage employers nationwide.  We are pleased to offer a new FREE job seeker resource called Kinsa CareerEdge.  Whether you are involved in a current food & beverage job search, looking to advance in your career, or transitioning into a new career, Kinsa CareerEdge provides amazing tools and resources to guide and support you through the entire process:

• FREE Assessment Tools
• Access to over 1,000 Job Boards on ONE site
• A FREE Resume Builder and Career Advisor
• Information on Educational Opportunities
• FREE Weekly Teleconference Calls on “Hot Topics”
• A Resource Library filled with Audios, Videos and Articles
• Access to 100 FREE Resume Cards for Networking

Our goal is to make your job search more efficient and productive.  Register now and see the benefits of Kinsa CareerEdge yourself!

Food safety is everyone’s responsibility.

And according to a recent telephone survey by the not-for-profit health and safety group NSF International, many American consumers could benefit from some additional education on the subject. 

Here are a few key findings from the survey, which was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 respondents:

• In general, people are doing either too much or too little when it comes to safe food handling and preparation.  For example, 78% of respondents knew the right way to safely defrost meat and poultry, while only 20% bother to use a meat thermometer to verify adequate cooking temperatures.
• A full 90% of consumers wash their hands after handling raw meat or poultry, but roughly 20% aren’t using soap and warm water – the most effective combination – to do so.
• Few respondents (31%) are aware that they can safely refreeze foods that were thawed in the refrigerator.
• Over half (60%) of consumers surveyed consistently re-wash pre-packaged fruits and vegetables – even produce that is in a sealed container and labeled as prewashed.
• Food safety habits vary significantly among income levels, education levels and age groups.

Why?  According to Cheryl Luptowski, Home Safety Expert for NSF International, “Many of the food safety practices we learn at home when we’re young are carried with us through life and passed to the next generation.”  Luptowski further states, “Learning, understanding and changing food safety behavior through simple everyday practices will make a substantial difference in reducing the incidence of foodborne illness in America.”

Want to learn more?

Follow this link for more food safety survey results, as well as NSF International’s recommendations for basic food safety practices.

The Kinsa Group:  In Step with Food & Beverage Issues and Trends

As leading recruiters for the food and beverage industry, the Kinsa Group stays on top of issues, like food safety, that impact your business.  Contact us today to learn how we can deliver the highly qualified professional and senior- to executive-level management candidates through our unique food & beverage recruiting process.

Are you new to the world of social networking?  Looking for fresh ways to enhance your career prospects?  If so, use these quick tips to turn a social networking profile into a powerful career-building tool.

Find the right site for your career interests.  Begin by browsing the different “networks” provided by major sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.  Click through each network’s subfields to determine which sites have areas that match your needs and interests.

Build your profile carefully.  When creating a profile for career purposes, make sure that the information you post is accurate and appropriate.  Start by reviewing other profiles, then mirror the style and content of the best ones.

Choose an appropriate profile picture.  Your picture makes a critical first impression on a recruiter.  Be sure it’s a positive one.  Only post pictures that are “neutral” (i.e., not sexy, costume-like, or potentially alienating) and appropriate for business.  If you already have a profile picture, review it with a critical eye to ensure it prepresents you in a professional manner.

Maintain distinct identities.  If you use sites for both personal and professional purposes, separate your virtual lives by establishing dedicated social networking pages.  Direct all co-workers and business contacts to your professional page and ask them to “friend” you there.

Manage your privacy settings.  Take advantage of the technology sites like Facebook offer to limit what potential employers can learn about you.  Like other features, privacy options are continually updated – revisit them periodically to ensure your settings keep details about your religion, political beliefs and relationships private.  As a rule of thumb, assume that everything you post is public, except what you explicitly designate otherwise.

Post content, links and news.  Post timely content that highlights your professional area of expertise.  By including relevant links on your profile, you: demonstrate your concern about developments in your industry; position yourself as an informed expert; prove your commitment to improving yourself as a professional.

Garner recommendations.  As your online professional network grows, seek opportunities to obtain and post recommendations from superiors, co-workers, subordinates and satisfied clients.  Their third-party perspective gives readers a more objective view of you as a professional.

Strengthen ties to colleagues by posting referrals for them.  Nothing will endear you to someone more than helping him in his career.

Complement your social networking job search activities.  The Kinsa Group, a nationwide recruiter of food and beverage industry professionals, provides the perfect complement to your online networking activities.  Because we work directly with leading industry employers, we provide you with access to a multitude of rewarding professional opportunities that never make it to job boards or other online channels.  Register online today.

Have you ever bought something on impulse?  Ever wonder what attracted you to the item in the first place?

Whatever the reason, something about the way that product was marketed created a strong attraction in you – strong enough to make you act.

In many ways, job postings are a lot like the impulse items we all buy on occasion.  As a manager, you must ensure that the announcements you write compel the top food and beverage industry professionals you seek to take action – even if they aren’t actively seeking new jobs.

To help you in this arena, use these tips for creating irresistible job postings that are magnets for talent:

1. Tell a story to stir emotions.  Rather than beginning with dry job requirements, focus on the ways your company’s products or services impact customers’ lives, or draw from client testimonials.  Write about the way your business makes people feel, and use this to create a compelling image of your company and the available position.
2. Approach the posting from the job seeker’s perspective.  Top candidates are more interested in what a position offers them personally – high earning potential, intellectual challenge, recognition, etc. – than in your company’s business strategy.  Ensure your job posting addresses these needs by first highlighting the rewards of the position.
3. Emphasize your company’s strengths.  Everyone wants to work for a successful organization.  Put your company’s best foot forward by identifying strengths such as: organizational growth, industry track record, competitive advantages of your products/services, positive corporate culture, financial stability, awards and/or recognition.
4. Convey a sense of optimism.  Potential candidates are quick to form judgments about your company based on the tone of your listing.  Use positive language to turn downsides into opportunities (e.g., a decline in profits signals a need for innovation).
5. Keep it short.  Details are great, but a passive job seeker won’t take the time to read a lengthy listing that drones on and on like Charlie Brown’s teacher.  So as a general rule, limit job postings to two or three pages.
6. Avoid overused buzzwords and transparent euphemisms.  For the savvy job seeker, buzzwords do little to differentiate your company – so use them sparingly (balancing the need for SEO when postings are online).  Likewise, steer clear of inflating job titles (e.g., listing a coffee gopher as a Beverage Production Manager) that will only rob your company of both clout and credibility.
7. Use your in-house writing talent.  A job posting is a marketing piece.  If you’re not a Twain or Grisham by nature, enlist your marketing department’s help.  Provide them with the nuts and bolts of the job (as well as this post) and let them craft a compelling posting for you.

Attracting top talent is both time-consuming and expensive – so why do it on your own?  Call Kinsa with your job specifications, and allow us to find the best food and beverage industry professionals for you.

To get ahead in  this world, you have to “put your best foot forward.”  But, there’s a fine line between respectable self-promotion and shameless bragging.  So how do you use self-promotion to advance your career, without coming across as a show-off?  Use these quick tips to tactfully toot your own horn:

1. Realize that context is everything.  To successfully self-promote, your comments need to be relevant to the conversation.  Bringing up your latest success while your boss is talking about his favorite TV show will not earn you any points.  Bide your time until the conversation switches gears.  Research has shown that once a topic has been raised, a subsequent boast is not viewed as inappropriate – because it’s in context.
2. Wait for the right moment.   Believe it or not, it is okay to steer a conversation toward a topic relevant to your accomplishment.  However, changing topics doesn’t give you license to just blurt out what you’ve done.  Be patient and wait until your conversation partner asks a question that gives you the opening you need.
3. Be a tortoise, not a hare.  Self-promotion is about building a long-term reputation for yourself; establishing trust and respect in your workplace (or the marketplace).  So get in it for the long-haul by making self-promotion a habit.  Set daily goals for doing something small – sharing an idea, reaching out to someone, showing up at an event – and measurable results will follow in time.
4. Promote your ideas.  Beyond talking up accomplishments, you should also spread your ideas, concepts and vision.  By promoting your ideas (as opposed to just your deeds) you will give co-workers and superiors something to support – without being “turned off” or threatened by your success.
5. Know yourself.  Are you like most people, who err on the side of caution and don’t talk themselves up enough?  Or are you the type who tends to talk easily about yourself and your accomplishments?  If you’re unsure, ask a trusted friend into which end of the spectrum you fall.  The art of successful self-promotion depends upon having the self-knowledge to realize when to toot your own horn, and when to let your actions speak for themselves.

Let The Kinsa Group help you put your best foot forward.  When you come in for an interview, our experienced recruiting specialists will learn about your skills, interests, experience and needs – then help you identify where your strengths lie.  We can help you master the art of self-promotion and find the perfect food and beverage industry employment opportunity.  Just give us a call.

Congratulations – you’ve been invited in for an interview with a leading food & beverage employer.  This opportunity really has potential, and you want to nail the interview.  Now what?  Review this list of tips to make sure you have all your bases covered:

• Revisit your resume.  Make sure you know dates of employment, responsibilities, professional accomplishments, starting and ending salaries, etc. for each position.
• Practice your answers to common interview questions, enlisting a friend’s help if necessary.  Common questions include:

           – How would you describe yourself?

           – What is your greatest strength/weakness?

           – How do you define success?

           – Why do you want to work here?

           – Why should we hire you?

• Conduct a self-assessment.  Make sure you can clearly communicate your current skills, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, interests and work values.
• Go online or visit the local library to learn all you can about the company’s mission statement, financials, organizational structure, products and services – so you can speak intelligently about them during the interview.
• Bring along extra digital and paper copies of your resume.
• Select an appropriate outfit, bearing in mind both the position and corporate culture – then dress one notch above what would be expected.  When in doubt, go with a business suit.
• Call a day or two ahead of time to confirm directions, parking, interview time and interviewers’ names.
• Do a practice run to make sure you know the route.  See how long it takes to drive there, factoring in rush hour traffic if applicable.
• Prepare a list of professional and personal references.
• Bring along breath mints, a small note pad and a pen – just in case.
• A day or two after the interview, drop off hand-written thank you notes to each person who interviewed you, thanking them for their time and emphasizing your specific qualifications for the position.

Share Your Experience

What interview questions have stumped you?  We’d like to know.  Leave your comment below, or contact us via e-mail.

Need More Interviewing Help?

We at Kinsa Group want to do all we can to help you land the perfect career opportunity.  If you need assistance or would like additional resources to help hone your interviewing skills, please contact us directly.