• Even if you’re currently employed, you never know when an attractive job opening may present itself.  A current resume 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 resume creates a first and lasting impression on a potential employer.  Make sure it’s a good one.  By periodically reviewing and honing your resume, you can create a more powerful marketing tool that accurately and favorably represents you as a professional.

Use these tips to make your resume 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new contacts who can attest to your recent achievements or heightened responsibility, consider replacing them with outdated references.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 resume format. Check online sample resumes to see if yours looks outdated and revise accordingly.  Additionally, you should create an electronic version of your resume 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 or browse open career opportunities.  Or, follow us on Twitter to receive the latest job opportunities we’re recruiting for.

Consider timing issues. When it comes to getting a raise, timing can be everything:

• If your company is struggling financially, it’s probably looking for ways to cut costs – not raise them.  Try to get a feel for your organization’s performance before you ask for more money.
• If you’re new to the company, wait at least a year before asking for a raise.  This is a general rule of thumb.  Possible exceptions include dramatically increased responsibilities or new tasks that cause real hardship, such as extensive travel.
• If you’ve just accomplished something spectacular, strike while the iron is hot.  Use the momentum created by your fantastic performance – and ask while your accomplishment is still fresh in your boss’s mind.

Do your homework. Find out how much food & beverage professionals working in similar positions are earning, using tools like www.salary.com or www.bls.gov.  Additionally, if you belong to a professional association, check their web site to see if they have salary information available.  Use the range of salaries you uncover, combined with your experience level and employment tenure, to determine how much you’re worth.

Quantify the value you provide. Make a list of your notable accomplishments and additional responsibilities you’ve taken on since your last pay review.  Show how your work has helped improved your division or company, in terms of revenues generated, costs saved, increased customer satisfaction, etc.  If you are asking for a raise, make it easy for your boss to say “Yes” by providing the evidence he needs.

Conduct a dress rehearsal. Write down your presentation and practice it at home with a trusted friend.  Try to anticipate the objections you may face and encourage your friend to play the devil’s advocate.  It may sound silly, but rehearsing your presentation will help calm your nerves and boost your confidence when the real time comes.

Schedule appropriate time with your boss. Let your boss know in advance that you’d like to discuss your salary.  He will consider your request for a raise more seriously if you treat it as a business meeting and give him time to prepare.

Be confident and professional. Make sure you always take the high road when asking for a raise.  Don’t act entitled, tell your boss why you need more money or idly threaten to quit.  All of these strategies are much more likely to backfire than get you the increase you deserve.

Have a back-up plan. Know how you’ll respond if your boss turns you down or offers you a much smaller raise.  If you don’t plan to quit your job, have a back-up list of non-monetary perks (e.g., tuition aid, flex time, additional vacation time) you’d accept in lieu of the raise.  Furthermore, find out the specifics of why you’ve been turned down – is it performance related, or just bad timing?  Before you leave the meeting, find out what you can do to improve your chances of getting a raise in the future, and when you two can talk about your salary again.

Get Paid What You’re Worth – Find Your Next Food & Beverage Job Opportunity with Kinsa

If you’re underpaid or just dissatisfied with your current position, Kinsa can help you make a change for the better.  We want to help you achieve your career and financial goals, by matching you with an opportunity that suits your skills, needs and interests.  Contact us today to learn more about executive and management career opportunities in the food & beverage industry.

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s Retirement Confidence Survey (as reported by Workforce.com):

• about 36 percent of respondents cite the poor economy;
• 16 percent say their lack of faith in Social Security is forcing them to postpone retirement;
• 13 percent claim they simply can’t afford to stop working.

As a result, workers say they are more than twice as likely to work up to age 70 or older – a 25 percent increase from just a decade ago.

Rising numbers of older individuals remaining in the workforce creates both challenges and potential benefits for employers.  On the one hand, workers delaying retirement adds pressure to companies already struggling to reduce payroll as profit dwindles.  A glut of older workers also threatens to clog the talent pipeline for organizations who want to bring in new employees – at lower salary levels.

On the other hand, companies for which knowledge loss is a concern stand to gain a welcome benefit from a more mature workforce – less “brain drain.”  Key managers have more time to plan for the departure of older workers, and therefore can be more strategic in retraining or transferring institutional knowledge.

As older workers continue to delay retirement, HR needs to respond by reevaluating the way they manage human capital.  Instead of paying older workers to retire, HR should look for creative ways to take advantage of the shift in workforce demographics:

• Create cross-mentoring relationships. In a traditional mentor relationship, older, more experienced workers share knowledge with their less experienced counterparts.  When it comes to technology, however, younger employees are often more savvy.  Organizations can foster reverse mentorships, in which younger workers share their knowledge in areas like online social networking.
• Find new ways to attract younger workers. In a time when career advancement is likely to become more difficult, organizations should focus on new ways to bring top performers on board.  When HR can’t necessarily offer rapid upward mobility to new talent, they can offer lateral movement.  Lateral moves can help younger employees broaden their knowledge bases, become more valuable to the employer (increasing job security) and become more marketable overall.

Kinsa Group can help your organization proactively manage its professional and executive human capital needs as our workforce changes.  We provide recruiting and professional placement services with a specific focus on the food & beverage industry.  Serving companies throughout the United States since 1985, we are able to recruit and assess candidates for positions in:

• 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

How will your food & beverage organization address the shifts in workforce demographics?  We at Kinsa would like to know.  Please leave your comments below.

Results from a WorldatWork fall 2010 research study conflict with a previously wide-held assumption about the differences between men and women – namely, that male identity is rooted in work, while women place a higher priority on personal/family life.

Watch the video.

Summary of Study Findings

The Global Study on Men and Work-Life Integration, conducted in November and December 2010, surveyed more than 2,300 men and women working in organizations with 500 or more employees.   The international study focused on how organizations can eliminate stereotypes and barriers that prevent men from using work/life offerings, as well as what prevents organizational leaders (who are often men) from supporting the use of those offerings.

Here is a brief summary of the study findings:

• Work and Personal Identity – Identification with work is much stronger in emerging markets/countries than in developed ones.
• Managing Work and Family Life – Finding time for family is especially challenging for men; however, both men and women seek more personal time for exercise and hobbies.  For both sexes, flexible work arrangements dominate the list of most valuable options for finding a healthy work/life balance.
• Financial Stress – Not surprisingly, financial stress is a top (if not the top) work/life issue across country and gender.  To ease this stress, employers can: increase employee assistance programs; offer financial counseling programs; be as transparent as possible about corporate finances and job security.
• Leadership Attitudes – Business leaders around the world embrace the importance of work/life balance and have programs and policies in place to facilitate it.  These efforts, however, are often ineffective because managers still believe that the “ideal worker” is an employee with few personal commitments.  In fact, half of managers in emerging markets, and four in 10 managers in developed markets, believe that the most productive employees are those with few personal commitments.

According to Kathie Lingle, WLCP, executive director of WorldatWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress, “Working men and women around the world seek the same holy grail: success in both their work and family lives.  The assumption that male identity is rooted in work and not family is a major impediment to the effective integration of employees’ work and family lives.”

For over 25 years, Kinsa Group has delivered highly qualified professionals and senior-to-executive level management candidates to food & beverage employers nationwide.  Visit our website to learn more about our recruiting and assessment services for the food & beverage industry.

While it’s certainly essential to know how to speak intelligently in an interview, it’s just as important to know how to listen.  A good recruiter will critically evaluate your listening skills as closely as he will your speaking skills.  In a market where competition is fierce, your ability to truly listen will help you make a better impression and may tip the scales in your favor.

Hone Your Active Listening Skills

In an interview situation, active listening is much more than just waiting for your turn to talk.  It involves not only hearing the words that are said, but also fully comprehending what the interviewer is asking you to do.  Use these tips to enhance your listening skills and perform better in your next interview:

Give the interviewer your full attention. Try to remain focused during the interview and devote your full attention to what the interviewer is saying.  Develop the habit of reminding yourself to focus every time your attention begins to drift.  Throughout the interview, maintain appropriate eye contact and avoid the temptation to formulate your response while the interviewer is still speaking.

Listen with your ears, eyes and brain. Communication experts say that only a fraction of the meaning of any conversation is in the actual words that are being said.  To understand the interviewer’s true meaning, you must glean other nonverbal cues from his tone of voice, posture and facial expressions.

Adopt an active listening posture. Show that you’re listening through your posture.  Sit with your shoulders set straight, while inclining your body and head slightly toward the other speaker.  Your hands may be used to take notes, or be folded either on the table or your lap.

Think before you speak. The more poised you are when you speak, the more intelligent your response will be.  So take a moment after hearing the question to formulate your answer.  A second or two of silence will help both you and the interviewer organize your thoughts and prepare for the turn in conversation.

Confirm understanding. If the interviewer asks a complex or multi-part question, paraphrase what he’s asked to confirm your understanding before beginning your response.  This will help ensure your response is both complete and accurate.

Answer the question that you’re asked. Listen carefully to the entire question before you answer it.  For example, the question “When do you feel that experience matters?” is significantly different from “How do you feel that experience matters?”  Make sure you pay attention to the nuances of each question and that you accurately answer what’s asked.  Avoid rambling answers that stray too far from the question posed.  If the interviewer wants to know more about something, he will ask you to elaborate.

Becoming a better listener won’t just help you land the job you want; it will make you a more successful professional.  So try incorporating a few of these tips into your next interview.  Do so and you may soon be listening to your next job offer!

Contact Kinsa Group for more assistance with your executive food & beverage job search.

For many food & beverage job seekers, an online interview is a convenient and less stressful way to interview – but preparation is essential.  Use this list of tips to correctly set-up for and ace your next online interview:

1. Download required software. If you will be using Skype, go to www.skype.com and download it to the computer you will be using.  Use smartphones with caution – sound quality, picture quality and network speed may present potential issues.
2. Make sure you have a webcam. If your computer doesn’t have a built-in webcam, you can purchase one inexpensively from an office supply or computer technology store.
3. Set the stage. Carefully choose the location for your online interview.  A home office is best, but any room with relatively plain walls will suffice.  Make sure there is nothing in the background that the interviewer could see which might reflect negatively on you (e.g., garbage, dirty clothing or personal items in plain view).
4. Plan your wardrobe. Dress as you would for any professional interview outside your home.  Although you may be tempted to stay in your slippers, don’t do it!  Should you need to stand up or go into another room during the interview, you want the interviewer to see you in a polished outfit from head to toe.
5. Test all your equipment. Ask a friend to help you test everything.  Dress in the outfit you plan to wear and start by adjusting the webcam so that you are in the middle of the screen.  Zoom to an appropriate level so that the interviewer can see your head and upper torso, and make sure your outfit looks okay on camera (sometimes white and/or patterned clothes can be distracting on video).  Next, adjust the volume level for your speakers or headphones.  Finally, adjust the lighting.  If you’re in a room with open blinds and glare is an issue, try closing them and positioning an additional lamp behind the webcam.
6. Change your computer settings. Make sure to adjust your screensaver and automatic hibernation settings.  Turn off scheduled scans (so your computer doesn’t lag) and close instant messaging, chat windows, etc. to head-off potential interruptions or technical problems.
7. Practice using the webcam. Unless you’re a broadcast journalist, you’re probably not used to looking into a camera.  Eye contact is important, so practice answering a few interview questions while looking directly into the webcam, as opposed to the screen (where the interviewer’s image will be).  Remember, too, that you may experience audio delays, so be sure to wait an extra second before speaking – otherwise, you may wind up continually interrupting your interviewer.  Finally, although you don’t want to look like a statue, keep large, quick movements to a minimum, as video images can appear a bit jumpy.
8. Eliminate distractions. Outside noises will distract both you and the interviewer, so do what you can to keep them to a minimum.  Keep your pets and family members outside the room.  Turn your cell phone, TV and radio off.  Close your windows, so street noise and barking dogs will not disturb you.
9. Remember, it’s still an interview. While you’re likely to feel more relaxed since you’re at home, you still need to prepare as though you’re going into a formal interview.  Review your résumé and memorize important dates and figures listed, so that you’re not tempted to read your answers from a sheet of paper.

As you can see, a little preparation goes a long way.  Use the tips listed above in your next online interview and you’ll be one step closer to landing your dream job – without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.

Jump start your food & beverage job search by contacting Kinsa today.

It would be easy (and logical) to use this question as a launching pad for a sales pitch.  The true answer, however, is more complex.  What’s right for one employer, under a certain set of hiring, employment and market conditions, is not necessarily right for another.

So how do you decide if you should hire on your own, or partner with a recruiter?  Here are a few critical questions to consider:

Evaluate Your Current Hiring Practices

• How do you typically hire personnel?  Have you always done it yourself, or do you have a good working relationship with a recruitment firm?
• How much do you really spend hiring staff on your own? Be sure to consider HR time, legal costs, management interview time, opportunity costs, vacancy costs and the cost of a bad hire – in addition to the cost of advertising.
• Do your DIY recruiting methods yield enough qualified candidates?

Conduct a Needs Analysis

• Do you have the time and resources available to properly recruit, screen, interview, assess, reference check and follow-up with candidates on your own?
• How much would it cost you to replace a bad hire in this position (i.e., do you need a guarantee)?
• Does your hiring situation require confidentiality or anonymity?
• How quickly do you need the available position filled?

Consider Current Market and Employment Conditions

• What is the current unemployment rate – not just in general, but specifically for the level/type of professional you need?
• How desirable is your location?  Have you had difficulty attracting candidates to work there in the past?
• What are the emerging industry trends which could impact your ability to hire the talent you need?

Consider the Advantages Recruiters Offer

With budget constraints remaining a key concern, you may lean toward a DIY approach for recruiting.  But before you start posting to job boards, remember these key advantages Kinsa can provide:

1. Improved focus. We free you to focus on your key priorities.
2. Specialization. We know how and where to find the high-caliber talent you require.
3. Contract labor. If your needs are short-term or project-oriented, we can provide access to the skilled professionals you need without adding to your headcount.
4. Access. We maintain robust candidate databases and relationships with passive job seekers.
5. Simplification. We save you considerable time and stress, while ensuring that correct selection and screening procedures are utilized.
6. Guarantees. We reduce the stress, expense and risk involved with hiring and/or replacing a new employee.

When working with a recruiter makes the most sense for your organization, Kinsa is the ideal choice for your professional search and assessment needs. With over 25 years of experience, a dynamic, team-oriented staff and a focus on the food and beverage industry, we are uniquely qualified to deliver the A-level talent you need.

We’d love the opportunity to help you analyze your recruiting needs and determine if our services could help you hire more quickly, accurately and at a greater cost savings.  Please contact Kinsa today.

Determining who a candidate really is, and what he can really do, are critical parts of a job interview.  But when it comes to evaluating executive food & beverage talent, résumés and interviews only reveal so much.  As a talent manager, it can be extremely difficult to determine if a candidate is accurately representing himself, and if he can actually perform to the extent his new role will require.

To eliminate some of this uncertainty, many organizations have expanded their selection process to include business simulations.  A recent TalentManagement.com article sheds some light on this assessment tool and the role it plays in successful executive hiring.  Here is a brief summary of the article’s key points:

Lead with Questions.

The first step in a proper assessment is crafting a strong interview.  While you may be tempted to jump into what the candidate can or would do in the new position, start by taking a look back.  Choose questions that elicit behavioral examples from candidates, allowing them to explain how they handled similar situations in the past.  Follow-up with questions that reveal the outcomes of these situations.

Make Sure the Candidate is the Real Deal.

Many companies are increasingly looking to business simulations to identify and hire the right executive.  These tailored, intensive, one- or two-day-long programs place executive candidates in fictitious, yet highly realistic situations designed to mimic the challenges of a potential position.

Business simulations go beyond a typical “How would you react?” behavioral question.  Candidates are required to react to actual, unpredicted events that well-trained consultants help play out.  Here is how a typical business simulation is executed:

• A few days before the simulation, the candidate receives a rich case study on a fictitious company.  He is given a job description and role to play within the organization.
• After reviewing the company profile and proposed challenge (e.g., merger, cutbacks, major distribution channel change, product line extension, etc.), the candidate reports to work as if it were his actual daily routine.  While the situation is completely new, he and the consultants (who play fellow executives and/or subordinates) act as though it is a regular day at work.
• Throughout the day, the candidate is inundated with typical workplace challenges (e.g., harried bosses, disgruntled employees, phone interruptions, etc.).  The consultants who play his co-workers observe his reactions to those challenges and the decisions he makes.
• Once the simulation is complete, the candidate reviews his own performance with the consultants.  Together, they identify the candidate’s strengths and development needs.

Value of Business Simulations

Some individuals fare better during a traditional interview process than others.  The candidate who performs best in an interview, however, may not actually be the best person for the job.  For this reason, many organizations now rely on business simulations to assess high-potential executives.  Used in conjunction with interviews and assessments, simulations provide a more complete picture of a candidate’s leadership skills, management style and shortcomings.

Workplace simulations turn the candidate evaluation process into a high-touch development experience.  Once completed, the assessment can be used as the basis for long-term development if the candidate is hired.  This developmental aspect is especially beneficial for internal candidates being considered for promotion.

At the end of the day, interviewers want to know if a potential candidate can exhibit the skills, right now, in situations that reflect the challenges of the available position.  Assessments that use real-world simulations can provide the depth of information talent leaders need to make high-stakes hiring decisions.  While the time and cost of such an intensive process is high, the ability to essentially “test drive” a potential leader make some simulations well worth the price.

Ensure Successful Placements with Kinsa – Food & Beverage Recruiters

When hiring an executive for your food & beverage company, you can’t afford to take chances.  Kinsa’s comprehensive 8-Step Recruiting Process includes a full range of assessment options to ensure the success of your next hire.  Partner with Kinsa today and connect with the industry’s top food & beverage executives and professionals

For years consumers sought drinks laden with ingredients like caffeine, taurine, electrolytes and herbs to give them the extra energy boost they craved.  But lately, manufacturers have introduced several non-alcoholic concoctions that promise just the opposite – they help you unwind.

Today, it seems it’s not enough for a drink to simply quench your thirst.  Manufacturers are responding to consumers’ demands for beverages that take them to new extremes.  Red Bull was one of the first drinks to gain notoriety for extreme energy.  Now a host of relaxation drinks, with names like Mary Jane’s, Dream Water and Lazy Cakes, are pushing the limits at the opposite end of the energy spectrum.

But do relaxation drinks deliver on their claims, and more importantly, are they safe?

Several recent articles, including one posted on CNN.com, focus on rising concerns about new (and sometimes untested) anti-energy drinks.  Sold on college campuses and in grocery and convenience stores, this breed of beverage is being marketed to younger adults, soccer moms and busy professionals.

According to the CNN.com article, Ronald Peters, associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, likens anti-energy drinks to street drug concoctions (laced with codeine cough syrup) urban youths have been mixing up on their own for years.  In the article, Peters called the marketing of commercialized anti-energy drinks “one of the worst things I’ve ever seen with corporate immorality.”

On the other side of the coin, Tim Barham, president of Frontier Beverage, said Unwind (his company’s anti-energy drink) is not “associated in the same realm at all” with the cough syrup mixtures.  He and other beverage makers say that their products are safe and that they are a positive alternative to drugs and alcohol.

So what’s in these drinks?  Manufacturers help consumers chill out with a variety of ingredients, including:

• passion flower
• kava
• valerian root
• melatonin
• rose hips
• GABA

An NPR.com article states that research on most of the herbal supplements going into relaxation drinks is spotty and inconclusive.  Herbs can’t be patented and the FDA doesn’t require companies to standardize ingredients or even back-up their claims with research, so there is ultimately no financial or legal incentive for manufacturers to scientifically test their products.

According to New York-based food and drug attorney Marc Ullman, “The relaxation product category is a category that’s looking for trouble.”  He recently told FoodNavigator-USA.com that relaxation beverage makers may face particular problems in light of the FDA’s draft guidance on distinguishing dietary supplements from beverages.

As consumer demand skyrockets and manufacturers continue to blur the distinction between drinks and supplements, we’re likely to hear much more on the topic.  What’s your take?  Please leave your comments below.

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 competitive and rapidly changing marketplace.  Simply put, food and beverage recruiting and assessment is all we do.  Contact us today to learn more.

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.