The consumer package goods industry is changing as the world becomes more digital. Online CPG sales have grown by 30% in the last year alone, and they make up ten percent of sales already. If you want to bring on a new CPG recruiter, do you have the assurance they can pivot to working in such a brave, new world?
If you want to know how to ensure you bring on the best options in the CPG industry to take the helm of your company, read on. The following will elaborate on the traits and skills you need to look for when looking for a CPG
Industry Expertise
Anyone who joins your team cannot come in without knowing what it is you do. As such, knowing a new hire already has consumer packaged goods experience means you do not need to focus onboarding on the basics. You can instead get them up-to-speed on the specifics of your company and your needs.
If someone has experience in a wide range of different areas in CPG, that will also be very useful. There are many different processes people need to know about when dealing with different goods. Thus, a holistic understanding of the industry helps when a recruiter pivots between projects.
Adaptive Strategy Experience
When a recruiter has been in an industry long enough, they will also have a better understanding of which specific CPG sectors demand. This way, they can ensure the right hire joins the right project.
Another thing a long-term CPG recruiter will understand is how the market shifts over time. They can work with a company to ensure the skills the team has match not only current goals but also prepare them for future needs.
Proven Successes
In the CPG industry, success breeds more success. Unless you are planning to instigate mentorship for juniors, anyone you hire should also have a track record of having an impact on the industry.
If possible, find applicants who can offer data detailing how much they helped another company. This can relate to such aspects of a company’s journey as revenue growth or market expansion. If they can describe the way they went about improving another company, this shows you that they could retrospect on successes well, too.
Existing Network Opportunities
Try to learn the type of connections your possible new hire has. They might either have experience in corporate recruiting or connections to well-placed groups. If so, their network might come in handy in the future.
Having a wide array of contacts also shows that the person is very well-liked in the industry. It shows their ability to build up a network of connections they can hire from, and might help you with future partnerships.
Excellent Communication:
This isn’t just about speaking eloquently. It’s about listening, understanding, and translating your company’s needs into actionable recruiting strategies.
Effective communication in recruiting is akin to a well-played game of telephone. Each message must be relayed with precision and clarity. Recruiters need to be active listeners, grasping both overt and subtle cues. They need to discern the nuances and the undertones of every interaction. Armed with this comprehensive understanding, their next challenge is to convey the company’s ethos, values, and expectations to potential candidates, ensuring alignment and transparency every step of the way.
Matching Company Culture
The process of CPG recruiting is not only determining if a person has a hard or soft skillset. You also need to know they will fit in with your workspace. Learn about the type of person they are, and if their mindset will fit in with your office dynamic.
Innovative Thought Processes
One of the most important aspects of understanding the rules related to a role is knowing where you can bend or break those rules. A good recruiter can create a recruitment plan to match your company’s mindset despite industry standards. This might surprise you, as new or unique methods of recruitment can often bear the best fruit.
Unique Interviewing Techniques
As the CPG industry grows, the need for fresh perspectives is always at the forefront of people’s minds. As such, while you should still ensure a new hire has the right skills, a smart recruiter can use new interview methods to help you find hidden gems.
Excellent Communication Skills
Being well-versed in how to convey ideas helps a recruiter to both intuit the nature of a recruit and share your hiring expectations at the same time.
If you work with an executive recruiter, they can market your company to any potential new executive hire as they discuss the role with them. They can also negotiate a lot better, helping you to avoid offering too much of the proverbial pie to any one individual.
Social Media Fluency
A lot of recruitment efforts do not come from specific websites these days but through social media recruitment. Having a CPG recruiter who knows how to use this platform will expand your list of potential hires.
Knowing how to search through a social media feed will also allow a recruiter to weed out bad choices based on posts made by such an individual.
Knowledge of Retention Strategies
To make sure you keep high-quality candidates for a long time, a recruiter needs to help you appeal to candidates’ continuing needs. Having a CPG recruiter who can advise you on how to increase employee satisfaction will allow you to take action to retain any hires. Over time, this contributes to a more cohesive atmosphere and higher morale.
Finding a CPG Recruiter to Match Your Needs
By hiring someone with all the above traits, you will manage to bring in a CPG recruiter who will likely be with you for a long time. Still, trying to search for these unicorn candidates can be tough, so we want to make it easier for you.
Here at The Grady Group, we offer high-quality recruitment services for every level of your business. Whether you want to find new executives or any other talent, we have plenty of experience that we can bring to bear. So, book a meeting with us today to learn what we can do for you.
