Food Job Blog: The inside track on Food Recruitment and Careers

I've been told it has been over 20 degrees in London again over the weekend, and heard last week that we are about to have a water shortage and its only mid March.

We will all have TO SHARE BATHS, and not WATER THE GARDENS.

Seems all a bit crazy and actually scary. But nothing seems to be following convention currently. Read the press and UK plc is in the doldrums - come to Focus Management Consultants and any of our six divisions and we have never been busier!

In fact we have just recruited three more members of staff to cope with the increases in demand we are experiencing. This is not a sudden deluge (see what I did there?); we have been flooded (OK, stopping now) with briefs over the last 18 months.

And what seems to be a recurring theme is SME's in Britain seem to be saying the same thing, let alone the Food industry - both of which are cautiously optimistic, I believe, for the next twelve months.

So far from packing it in and having an early bath, we are gearing up for a rapid growth and progression in 2012 and 13!

If you are thinking about entering the job market again after hunkering down during the challenging few years -we are confident we have the broadest range of vacancies that will allow your career to accelerate again!

Kuwait is not a normal destination for a Wednesday, especially as this week I end up in the more normal Stamford.

Kuwait is however exactly where Focus International found themselves last week - working with a business that has enormous ambitions! A business that plans to recruit 7,000 people in the next twelve months and has strategies targeting both Europe and the Far East.

We are looking for Product Developers and Buyers across a wide array of food product categories to join this rapidly expanding business in Kuwait - the opportunities we're working on offer the chance to really take control of a category or a brand and develop them in a way you couldn't dream of doing in a mature European or American business. Kuwait as a place to live has more than ample sports facilities, shopping malls, Pinkberry's and a Shake Shack...yum! Also, the tax free salary, the relaxed life style, good accommodation, oh and did we mention the tax free salary…?

To find out more about these roles either apply for Kuwait Food Jobs on the Focus International website, or contact Head of Focus International, Sally Galloway ( sally.galloway@fmcl.co.uk / +44 1625 560778).

With some of the doom and gloom we again here in the press, it is interesting that we have definitely still got a glass half full perspective.

As always at times like these, there are differing positions but we can only judge the situation on what we see and the facts we see in our trading.  

With the notable exception of Tesco - all retailers had reasonably positive trading in the run up to Christmas with like for like sales increasing.  Waitrose enjoyed good growth and Marks and Spencer overall sales were supported by their food sales.

Most of our retail, foodservice and manufacturing clients are positive about 2012 - recognising there is still a need for talent.  In fact, the first couple of weeks in the New Year have seen an increase in recruitment briefs into the business against last year.  

The vast majority of clients are telling us there is a need for real talent to support their plans for this year. So whilst the Public sector in particular takes a pounding with increases in unemployment, we predict the food and drink sectors will increase employee numbers this year.   

Stephen Jones
Director of Focus Management Consultants Ltd

After a very rewarding trip to Anuga with job briefs being taken from 4 countries - it does make you realise what a small world it is.

Last week I travelled from Belgium to Germany to France to the UK. What was noticeable, apart from the competence of all train companies (well done Virgin, you held your own against all of them!), was the fact that in every country Focus Management held the top spot in Google results page for the key search terms.  It's a good job really, as we have so many jobs in each country!

I have recently arrived in the USA, and am eager to see what's over here!

Stephen Jones

Ps anyone want tax free buying, technical or operations roles?

Brussels may well be full of Euro MPs worrying over Greek debt, but the Eurostar from London to Brussels was full of Marks and Spencer customers by the look of their bags.  Interesting, that even in these times of debt and worry, a fondant fancy still hits the mark.  Indeed, on the way to the station Jane Asher was talking about the increase in home baking, which is spot on for some of our clients.  So London, Brussels and now Cologne for Anuga, and back to London tonight - might fancy a fondant fancy myself by then!

I will keep you posted about Anuga - we have several client meetings and a number of IFR-A initiatives to get through... it will be a long but productive day.  What is apparent already is there doesn't seemto be much talk about recession here - everyone is talking positively about business - after all, we all have room and a Euro or two for the strawberry, lemon or chocolate mouth-full... And that's the thing all of us in the food industry need to keep in mind.

Stephen Jones

Following the recent 'Attracting Talent & Increasing Productivity' conference set up by the Food & Drink Federation, a statement has been made informing attendees that the reason behind the lack of talent within the food industry is a poor image.

As the average age of employees within the food industry increases, a skills shortage is expected to hit, resulting in a lack of suitable candidates to work in food and drink.

Representatives at the meeting stated that the reasoning for this was that many young professionals recognised the industry as being outdated.

Despite the food and drink manufacturing industry's sheer size, candidates still do not want to work in this industry... but is this really the case? Perhaps it's more likely that people just don't consider the food industry when thinking about careers and their future - perhaps it's not a poor image, but just no image? Is the food industry really marketed that well towards graduates and professionals looking for their next step?

We all hear the "you don't have to have food experience to work in the food industry", but is this really the case?

It's easy to understand why the golden, sandy beach at Bondi or the cosmopolitan buzz of Melbourne appeals as holiday destinations.  But what about as a career option for people in the food industry? What about food jobs in Australia?

Is Australia really an attractive option?  Anyone able to provide first hand experience of either a posting or full-on emigration to Oz?

If so, what's it really like and how does it compare to food manufacturing or food retailing in the UK?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Talking to a friend of mine about moving house it seems increasingly difficult to rationalise the cost of relocating - with stamp duty, removal costs and legal fees - let alone the first step of getting a reasonable offer. So how does this effect the food recruitment sector?

The reality is we are seeing more and more candidates living away - a trend that is not ideal for family or social life but might just be a more regular outcome.  In the past - and we are probably talking two to 5 years ago - this lack of relocation would have been linked to a lack of commitment or faith - now it is just a fact of life that on the Sunday evening - the blouses or shirts are hung in the back of the car and the trip to the flat or B&B starts.

Will it change?  I guess when the economy improves and houses start selling more rapidly than the current situation you may well see a bit more movement - but I think the days of people living close to their employer may have gone for ever.

Focus Management are leaders in food industry recruitment, and with around 200 live vacancies, they are bound to have a role that will be of interest.

There are a number of companies operating in food recruitment, however Focus Managements 21 years in business gives them an outstanding knowledge and a level of professionalism that comes second to none.

There are an array of food recruiters who have developed appalling names for themselves in the market place due to bad recruitment practices and breach of data protection amongst other foul play. However Focus Management are proud to say that as we move positively through 2011, we have and always will be, an honest, hard-working and successful food recruitment business.

Recruitment is changing all the time. As recruitment companies continue to seek out the best possible candidates, they are more often that not having to tune in to new channels. Since the introduction of social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook, recruiters have the opportunity to search large databases of potential candidates, whilst increasing the visibility of their vacancies on social sites such as Twitter and AudioBoo.

These media channels are by no means brand new - they have been used and discussed at an alarming rate since their introduction in the mid-2000s.

And what's more, people have by no means ignored these new channels. Many were proactive and jumped on the bandwagon from an early age, forming 'social media' consultancies to advise organisations on how they can best use the likes of Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, MySpace etc.

But what does the future of recruitment look like in line with social media?

Whilst these massive databases of potential candidates and very easily accessible - to pretty much anyone - both Facebook and LinkedIn are incredibly precious of their data and the privacy of their members. It seems that every other week I log on to Facebook to be prompted to add some new privacy settings that have just been introduced.

And if you're thinking how great it would be to pull all the contact details of the LinkedIn members who work in your industry and put them onto your candidate database, you'd better keep on thinking - as it's practically impossible.

Yes, there is technology and software that can scour page after page of search results and put them in a nice spreadsheet for you, but unless you're willing to risk being banned from LinkedIn for breaching their T&Cs, this is highly unadvisable.

Besides, even if you took that risk, the information you can gather is very limited - no address, no email address, no phone number - all you've got is a name, a job title and a current place of work. Now whilst this doesn't provide you with details to contact candidates directly, it does provide you with a perfect name sourcing tool to go away and head-hunt to your heart's content.

As the gap between recruitment companies and social media is continually squeezed, the introduction of social job seeking sites such as iProfile are making a big impact on the industry.

It will be interesting to see how the next decade pans out for recruitment, what the next big social network might be, and how the gap between the two will be bridged.

A recent email from Premier Foods has caused a lot of furore with suppliers of staff to the giant food manufacturer. In short, Premier Foods have "invited" recruitment agencies to sign up to their Preferred Supplier Program (PSP) for a fee of £10,000. This begs a number of questions: Firstly, why? Premier's official response has been that they are looking to reduce their supply base (not just across recruitment services) and are looking to work with fewer but closer aligned partners and this funding would help drive the business forward (a point to add is that no information has been given on where the money will be invested). Secondly, what is the benefit? Premier suggest that "all HR managers at Premier will be briefed as to which agencies are members so that introductions are made easier", be eligible to receive 'Premier Life' (a quarterly magazine published by Premier) and regular updates on the business.

A couple of further points; after the story broke and the proceeding backlash, Premier were quick to point out that signing up was not compulsory - which begs the question why do it at all? Or is it what they haven't said that needs to be considered "pay up or you will not supply" - in which case agencies will have to ask themselves is there any value in this? It remains to be seen but as one supplier quips "At the last supplier meeting we did get a bag of custard and some OXO, but it was not quite ten grand's worth...."

To step out of my recruiter's shoes briefly for one moment and as a final point to consider, retailers have charged food manufacturers the pleasure to supply them in various guises for a long time - is it so outrageous that these manufacturers should pass on the burden? Possibly not, but I believe with all the recent stories of Premier's cash issues, they may be guilty of poor timing at the very least.

Having spoken to many middle and senior Operations Managers within the food industry about the challenges they face to maximise production performance, one of the key factors is getting the optimum level of trained 'shopfloor' staff who have the right attitude. The vast majority of these Managers have commented on the strong 'work ethic'.of many migrant workers and the value added skills they can bring. In the past when they have struggled to recruit reliable staff to cover in particular unsociable hours, the migrant workers have often been ia positive solution to a once long term problem.

With the government proposing to reduce the number of migrant workers (excluding those earning over £40,000) and encouraging the unemployed back to work, what impact if any will this have on food manufacturers?

No doubt that there will be a school of thought that if you give people the right training and direction then they can adapt and be productive. But would someone who has been unemployed for some time persevere with the harsh reality of getting up at 4:30am for a 6am shift in the cold conditions of a chilled food manufacturing environment? Time will tell. We hope so.

This is an obvious concern for Management up against the increasing demands for better efficiencies and margins who may have to replace some of their migrant staff . Of course, there are many non-migrant workers within food manufacturing that have a fantastic approach to their work, so is the so called migrant 'work ethic' a bit misleading and are they worrying unduly? Can the indigenous unemployed via support and training be just as effective to suit the needs of manufacturers ?

What's your view?

As well as opening a number of new stores throughout the UK, upmarket food retailer Waitrose is reportedly planning to create up to 300 new food jobs in the Channel Islands.

Waitrose - part of the John Lewis Partnership - is hoping to open a total of five new supermarkets in the Channel Islands in the next year or two. The luxury supermarket has reportedly bought the 130,000 square foot of store space from a local firm, Sandpiper CI.

Approximately 200 new food jobs will be created in three supermarkets in Jersey, whilst a further 100 positions are expected to open up at two new Guernsey outlets. These new jobs will be in addition to the 480 Waitrose staff currently employed in the Channel Islands, all of whom the company have pledged to retain.

Head of Personnel at Waitrose, Liz Dolby, spoke of the value the company places on both their new and existing employees, saying:

"As part of the John Lewis Partnership our staff are known as Partners, they own the business which ensures a high level of commitment and service. They are a very important aspect of our business and have real influence over their own work lives,"

As the country braces itself for the devastating budget cuts and job losses imposed by coalition government Chancellor George Osborne in the next few years, the food and drink industry seems set to have a more optimistic future.

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has said that in the next seven to ten years, the food manufacturing industry in particular will need to recruit many more skilled workers to cope with demand. In total, it is estimated that at least 137,000 new food jobs will be created.

The number of apprenticeships for food job hopefuls may also increase in the next few years. It has, in fact, doubled to 2,500 over the last year, but FDF doesn't believe that this isn't nearly enough.

Human resources director at FDF, Angela Coleshill, explained the challenges the food manufacturing industry will face over the next decade and just why so many new food job workers are needed. She said:

"The sector's population is ageing and, in the next seven to 10 years, around one-fifth will retire,"

"Our big challenge is replicating this knowledge and people."

Meanwhile, the director general of FDF, Melanie Leech, firmly believes that the ever-expanding food and drink industry should be at the heart of the coalition government's strategy for economic recovery in the next few years.