Last week, industry experts in HR, recruiting and food manufacturing/ distribution shared their insights on the employment market and hiring trends. Here are the key take aways from our lunchtime webinar.  

Hiring Trends & Challenges

The job market has eased since the pandemic, but hiring remains competitive, especially in food manufacturing and distribution as other industries recover. Pat Greco, President of G Ninety Family Partners, noted the increasing difficulty of finding skilled workers, particularly in finances and controller roles. Carl Guastaferro, Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner at McCormick & Co., highlighted the fast-paced nature of hiring, with top candidates staying on the market for only a short time, leading to fast moving hiring managers. 

Inflation and rising supply chain costs affect hiring and staffing as well: ‘increased costs, ‘take away money that could have also been put into hiring, as emphasized by Greco. James Cracknell, Head of Recruitment at The Sterling Choice pointed out that these times of inflation lead to differences in open positions; private label and branded businesses in healthy snacking are scaling up positions. 

To attract talent, companies must consider the full experience of the candidate journey, in which salary might not always be the deciding factor. Guastaferro echoed this, emphasizing factors such as company culture, career growth, and if a team is active on a global scale. From a manufacturing perspective, R.J. Parrilli, CEO of Midway Staffing stressed treating temporary staff like permanent employees in order to make them feel as part of the team and create a culture and feeling of involvement. 

It is no surprise that Artificial Intelligence plays a part in recruiting by creating efficiency in administrative tasks and speeding up processes. However, it will never fully replace the ‘human touch’ as is acknowledged by all panelists. 

Jobseeker Strategies for Success 

Cracknell advised candidates to highlight achievements on their resumes, rather than merely responsibilities. Guastaferro recommended leveraging networks and making a list of preferred companies. Having the right certifications, diploma’s and being prepared to respond to work history checks was added to list with tips by Parrilli. Also, he reminded the audience that food industry manufacturing typically involves weekend shifts and overtime, something to be aware of before applying 

For those transitioning from startups to large CPG firms, demonstrating coachability and soft skills is crucial. Hiring decisions weigh personal experience for 50% and the other half is people skills. Startup applicants should also showcase the all-hands-on-deck mentality that is part of the startup culture. 

When talking AI from the jobseekers perspective, the speakers acknowledge this tool can help to professionalize resumes and it is in theory a powerful tool to use. Nonetheless, as Guastaferro summed it up: AI won’t help you during a phone screening. Therefore, candidates should not use it to embellish abilities, experience or profile. 

Final Thought 

As a final remark during the webinar, Parrilli introduced us to Patrick Lencioni, who writes about organizational health. Parrilli advised: “Don't neglect the 'healthy' side of the organization (and ensure that there's) no confusion, no politics, high productivity, high morale because that leads to low turnover." Every business is a people business and creating a positive environment and holding on to your employees is a good practice for us all.

In case you missed something or want to watch the webinar again, please find it here.

Want to know more about hiring and staffing? Read the blogs from The Sterling Choice on trends.