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Turning the downturn around with
innovative recruiting strategies

The economy is in a downturn and companies in all industries should adjust their recruiting efforts to meet new realities, according to Penny Sallberg-Carrillo, executive vice president in charge of all candidates for CPGjobs, the consumer packaged goods industry’s leading recruiting service.

“Companies aren’t hiring when they should, waiting until the last minute, or not hiring at all,” Sallberg-Carrillo said in an interview with NetworkNEWs, the online newsletter of the Network of Executive Women. “Marketing dollars are usually the first thing to go. But as marketing and advertising budgets get leaner, the focus on connecting with customers in the most effective way becomes absolutely paramount,” she said. “With a sluggish economy looming, we can expect new initiatives designed to maximize adoption and response rates and readily demonstrate positive ROI in the short term. We are all going to need some balanced and proactive steps so that regardless of the business environment, we can all thrive and prosper in 2008 and beyond.

Sallberg-Carrillo said a company’s reputation was key to recruiting success. “One thing that no one seems to focus on is ‘What is your reputation out in the marketplace?’ Companies have no idea of the comments I get back when I send out an email blast to my candidates. Things like, ‘I wouldn’t send my enemy there, much less my friends.’ Some CPG companies that need diversity because the government is breathing down their necks don’t know that candidates are saying that ‘they want to hire because of the numbers, but they don’t treat minorities very well once they get in.’ Companies with good reputations get more people that want to work for them, and believe me, word gets around.”

Top hiring mistakes

Sallberg-Carrilo list the top mistakes made by companies as they recruit: They do not pre-screen candidates; they fail to adequately prepare the candidate; they fail to prepare the interviewers (“this is especially true among companies that hire third-party companies like RPO’s to do their interviewing”); they rely only on the interview to evaluate a candidate; they do nothing but talk during an interview “you would be surprised how often this happens”); they evaluate personality instead of job skills and experience; they fail to differentiate, via discussion and testing, critical job skills; and lastly, they fail to develop a good candidate pool.

Sallberg-Carrillo has a long and diverse corporate career and has worked in many of the same sectors where she now recruits, including retailing, grocery and fashion. A real leader means leading yourself. Don’t be a monarch and be open to new ways of doing things. Establish a genuine sense of commitment. Finish the job. Show genuine appreciation. Know that leadership skills come from learning too, and act accordingly. She says Viktor Frankl, the philosopher and concentration camp survivor, has good advice that candidates and recruiters can both use to their advantage: “Whatever may occur, embrace your freedom to choose a constructive attitude.”

Moving ahead

Sallberg-Carrillo says that managers who are not going anywhere should “have a goal and then a plan to move out of there. If you are a few classes away from getting your degree, B.S., B.A. or MBA, go back to school and finish as fast as you can. Become a generous networker. There are some excellent networking groups out there, some very targeted to what you are doing (former IRI employees, your MBA school, Black MBAs, Hispanic MBAs). Then there is LinkedIn. I invite any of you who are in to invite me to join your network, Penny@CPGjoblist.com. If you haven’t started your own circle yet, let me know and I will invite you to join me, then you can expand your own community of CPG folks. Help everyone you know because you never know when or how it will come back to you.”

For more information on what's new at CPGjobs and to help map your recruiting strategy, contact Tami Page at (626) 535-0143.

Michael Carrillo is president of CPGjobs, the CPG industry’s leading candidate recruiting service for employers and recruiting agencies. You may contact him at Michael@CPGjobs.com or call (626) 535-0143.

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WELCOME ABOARD: CPGjobs welcomes its newest clients: Crayola, LLC, The Federated Group, Hanes Brands, Inc., Harbor Freight Tools,
Nintendo of America and Streetmarc. For the complete list of the more than 100 leading employers who rely on our services, visit CPGjobs.

MARCH MENTORING SUMMITS: The California Diversity Council is presenting two symposiums on mentoring this March. Summit I, Managing and Mentoring Diverse Talent, will be held Wednesday, March 26 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The event will be facilitated by Dr. Rita S. Boags, principal consultant with Leadership Technologies LLC. Summit II, Mentoring Across Differences: Dialogues that Create Inclusion, will be held Thursday, March 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. For registration or more information visit www.californiadiversitiy.org.

OUTSTANDING DIVERSITY CHAMPION: James White, senior vice president of consumer brands for Safeway, Inc., has been named the Network of Executive Women’s Outstanding Champion for 2008. The veteran CPG/retail executive will be recognized at a reception May 5. The reception, sponsored by Deloitte, will be held in Las Vegas during the FMI show. “James White has consistently championed the mission of NEW by creating diverse, high-performance work teams, demonstrating the business imperative of inclusion, and leading our industry by example with cutting-edge policies at Purina, Gillette and now Safeway,” the Network said in a statement. NEW noted that White contributed to the launch of the Network’s new Northern California regional committee and personally encouraged dozens of Safeway colleagues to join the committee and attend the launch event in November 2007. “The contributions and expertise of James and his staff were also critical to launching our Executive Leaders Forum last year,” NEW said. “The Executive Leaders Forum was a notable success, gathering executives at the vice president-level and above level for senior-level education, support and networking.”

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: For the International Pizza Expo 2008 April 1-3 in Las Vegas; the PMA Retail Produce Solutions Conference 2008 April 3-5 in Houston; All Things Organic and the Fancy Food Show, April 27-29 in Chicago; the Craft Brewers Conference & Brew Expo America, April 16-19 in San Diego; the Global Food & Style Expo, April 27-29 in Chicago, and the FMI Show, May 4-7 in Las Vegas.

ON THE MOVE: Celestial Seasonings has named Michael Bloom vice president of marketing. He will be responsible for all marketing activities, including communications, branding, market development and product innovation...The Home Depot announced the appointment of Albert Carey to the firm’s board of directors. Carey is the president and chief executive officer of PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America divisionMarion Glover, president of Atlanta-based Glover Capital Inc., has joined the industry advisory council at First Beverage, headquartered in Los Angeles...Steve Bellini will step down from his position as president and chief executive officer at Future Brands LLC, the U.S. sales and distribution company for Beam Global Spirits & Wine and the Absolut Spirits Co. Kevin Fennessey, chairman of the Future Brands board, will take on a greater role in the management of the company, working with Bill Newlands, who recently rejoined Beam Global as senior vice president of U.S. commercial development. The company also named Robert Hill chief financial officer, replacing Barry O’NeilSend your company news to editor@CPGjoblist.com.

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