Degrees of Success: Will Help with Student Loans Differentiate Your Opportunity?

  There appears to be no end in sight to the rising level of debt Americans incur from a four-year degree, let alone the cost of earning an MBA from top business schools. But, that challenge may present an opportunity to hire the front-running candidate for your marketing or market research job. Business schools have…

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Looking for the Best Possible CPG Candidate? Meet Your Marketplace

More U.S. workers are satisfied with their jobs than at any time since 2005. According to the recent survey by Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 88 percent of employees said they were satisfied overall with their job. With low unemployment and high job satisfaction, the recruiter’s challenge to find the best CPG candidate should…

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The CPG Recruiting Market Has Changed. Have You?

The latest Business Roundtable survey hints that hiring may soften as this year goes on, as the economy performed below potential during the first quarter. But business is cyclical – and a bump like this one does not change reality when it comes to recruiting the best consumer packaged goods talent: Top candidates will always…

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You Are Both a Buyer and a Seller in the CPG Recruiting Process

One of the most common reasons for recruiting failure is losing sight of the real purpose: Getting the BEST to say YES! But there are other advantages to always consciously acting as both a buyer and a seller in the CPG recruiting process. In every interaction with every candidate, you must consciously integrate deliberate efforts…

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Veteran CPG Recruiter Admitted to The Pinnacle Society

ST. LOUIS — The Pinnacle Society, the premier consortium of 80 industry-leading recruiters, has admitted Kris Holmes, Principal and Recruiter at O’Connell Group. The Pinnacle Society is an influential group of executive search professionals, representing fewer than 1% of producers in the country. Members have a demonstrated track record of excellence, documented experience and tenure in…

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Why Behavioral Interviews for CPG Recruiting Fall Short

The classic behavioral interview concept asserts that people’s past behavior is the best predictor of their future behavior. However, behavioral interviews for CPG recruiting have a foundational premise with an inherent and significant flaw: it presumes humans do not learn from their experiences. The rapidly changing CPG industry requires marketing and market research professionals who apply…

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Recruit People, Not Paper

You may recall the iconic Dragnet detective, Sgt. Joe Friday, who asked for “just the facts, Ma’am, just the facts.” That’s as much as a resume delivers: a reasonable indication of a person’s skills and experience. A well-written resume will even give you an appreciation for how consistently the candidate has converted their potential to…

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Stop Measuring Cost Per Hire! Focus on Value of Best Hire

Does your consumer-driven organization view talent, and talent acquisition, as an investment or an expense? Organizations commonly reference “human capital,” to imply their investment in people, who represent their organizations most “valuable asset.” Yet, when it’s time to build your staffing plan and budget, the message is loud and clear: “human capital” is considered as current…

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CPG Marketing and Research Candidates Can Effectively Cross the “Generational Divide”

CPG companies that market to consumers in every age demographic must effectively balance and blend their teams’ skills and experience. That’s good news for talented and agile professionals – whether you are a Millennial, Gen-Xer or Boomer. Your success in competing for a consumer packaged goods marketing or market research job depends more on your…

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