FMCG Blog FMCG Views and News

It’s pretty quiet on the jobs front, not many new roles but not a huge amount of candidates either. Last year we experienced and extraordinary December/January period where the recruitment process barely came to a stop as companies pushed to secure the best available talent even if it meant doing a reference check on New Year Eve.

So is January just going back to normal, just a slow start as people return to work and put out the fires and will start thinking about HR and recruitment in Feb/March?

I don’t have the answer, but I haven’t seen anything that points towards a great year for the job market. It will be much slower than last year and good candidates will still get good jobs and average candidates will have to work harder and wait longer to secure their next role.

We have seen more companies trying to recruit themselves through SEEK and print advertising in the past 3 months. This may continue but you need resources to do this and the success is more hit and miss than you would think. Remember to do those reference check guys.

Any feedback is most welcome.

Tim

Posted under Jobs, News, Retailers

Based on the number of hits “Suntory” and “Schweppes” are delivering to this blog,  I believe the deal is over the line and we just await the official announcement.

George Clooney - Suntory Spokesmodel

A number of Schweppes key executive have been offered retention contracts to keep them in the new structure, while the majority will await the fallout from the deal.

Tim

Posted under News

ANZ released its’ monthly Job Survey data yesterday and it was very grim reading. The last two months have shown falls of 5.9% in October and 8.6% last month. This two month period is the biggest fall in the index since its inception over 30 years ago.

Warren Hogan, ANZ head of Australian economics, made this astute observation;

“The latest job advertisements data suggests the global financial crisis has had a substantial impact on the Australian economy in the December quarter”

The redundancies continue to roll in with ANZ playing its part yesterday, giving 2 weeks notice to middle managers, analysts and researchers not required on the merger of Institutional and Corporate Depts.

FMCG announcements have been few and far between at this stage, with the agency/advertising area taking the brunt of it at the moment.

All the best.

Tim

Posted under Jobs, News

As the employment market is softening i thought it was time to give a few candidate tips

Don’t create a black hole. Communication is a 2 way street. Both candidates and recruiters have a responsibility to keep the channel open. If your recruiter has left a message try to get back to them as soon as possible. Time is of the essence and the market doesn’t always wait. If a recruiter is following up with 3 or 4 candidates and you don’t respond in a reasonable time frame you may just miss out! You can always take the initiative and keep in regular contact to keep informed.

Discretion please. We understand it is not always a convenient time or place. Let us know a suitable time to call to speak with you or say you can call back in 10 minutes or an hour; but make sure you can commit to that. Alternatively send an SMS; most of you should have your recruiter’s mobile.

Watch the clock. We know your time is valuable – and ours is too! Keep your discussions focused. Be specific about why you are calling and the desired outcome whether that’s to arrange a time to meet or to have a more detailed conversation.

Hello, anyone there?   Your recruiter should inform you of the next steps and when they will be able to come back to you. If this hasn’t happened then make the call or send an email. It doesn’t hurt to remind them about the commitment they made to you. Remember you are in charge of your career.

Expectations. Everyone has an opinion about their worth and what the market is paying. Be open about your expectations in relation to salary and benefits. You don’t want to say one thing when you really want another as this could jeopardise negotiations further down the track. A good recruiter will be informative and should set you on the right path.

A fresh start. Before you start your new role try to take some time off; ideally a week will help you re-charge your batteries and allow you to get that well-deserved massage. It’s a good investment and you will be fresh and ready to go.

Any comments?

Tim

Posted under Jobs

SEEK is undoubtedly Australia’s biggest Job Site with a claim of 207,472 jobs online. With less than 50,000 jobs, MyCareer is a distant second.

But how reliable is the number of individual jobs posted on SEEK and how closely does this number equate to actual individual positions within individual companies?

There are thousands of ads on SEEK that fall into the duplicate or phantom categories;

• Multiple listings of the same role by the same company or recruiter
• One role being listed by the company and a recruiter
• One role being listed by more than one recruiter
• CV collecting general listings ie “Calling all Brand Managers” etc.

Now SEEK loves this because it increases their revenues. As the competition for Talent intensifies and the lack of a strong alternative the candidates will continue to go to SEEK as the first option. Unfortunately they will have to sift through this maze of duplicate roles and opportunities.

Posted under Jobs

I have just seen Michael Page’s 08/09 Salary & Employment Forecast. It is broken up by key profession so I will take a look at what it says about Sales and Marketing.

The report on Sales make the following positive comments on FMCG;

“The FMCG sector is performing strongly and is a highly competitive market. We are seeing strongest demand for business development executives, national account managers and category managers as companies strive to differentiate their product offerings.” Read More…

Posted under Jobs, News

Lately it seems like every job advertisement says …”FMCG experience an advantage”.

Companies that aren’t even in the FMCG industry want FMCG experience in their new hires. And because job seekers are constantly faced with this barrier they all want to work with FMCG to give themselves the best chance of securing those coveted roles.

What’s the fuss over FMCG and why does everyone want it?

First of all, what does FMCG really mean? It stands for fast moving consumer goods. We all agree on that but then the definition gets grey. Everyone has a slightly different interpretation, often depending on what industry they work in! Here’s how we’ll define it…when you walk down the aisle of your local supermarket and can pick the product off the shelf it’s classified as an FMCG.

But it’s still not that easy. Stationary manufactures could argue that they’re in grocery therefore they’re FMCG. Let’s compare the difference between a carton of milk and a pen. Milk is a high volume product that is restocked several times a day (hence the name fast moving); it has a short shelf life and is considered an essential…unless you’re lactose intolerant! Pens, on the other hand, are purchased occasionally, have a long-term expiry date and could be considered a luxury items. So milk is FMCG and a pen is a consumer good. For the purposes of this article, we’ll say that FMCG are any household essentials that are sold through the grocery channel. Read More…

Posted under Jobs

Keeping candidates in the loop. As part of the recruitment process one would think it’s a statement from Captain Obvious; yet why does it appear to be so difficult and why do candidates complain about recruiters not doing a good job of it?

It is no secret that candidates become frustrated when they do not receive frequent communication; let alone no communication! They send their resumes to recruiters and direct to organisations and don’t hear back. They fill out the forms they are asked to complete, receive that instant email that acknowledges their effort yet often don’t hear anything. It’s not just about the initial communication; it needs to be ongoing throughout the process. Let’s also not forget the benefit in communicating with candidates about other important points for example the format and content of their resume, providing information on what’s happening in the market and how they might best position themselves.

There is only one chance to make a good first impression. That’s the traditional advice given to job seekers. But recruiters and organisations should also pay attention to this excellent adage. Here’s why.

The job market has turned on its head. Gone are the days when recruiters or employers could pick and choose from seemingly unlimited job seekers desperate to get that job or work for “X” organisation. A buoyant market with high employment rates and a continuing skills shortage have seen candidates gain more control in the recruitment process. High-skilled candidates can be selective. It is common to have recruiters chasing potential candidates and for the candidates to be considering several roles. They have the luxury of choice as to who they want to deal with. The first impression the candidate has of the recruiter or organisation can play a major role in their decision to engage, or not to engage. Read More…

Posted under Jobs