One thing I've noticed more and more when recruiting across the meat and food manufacturing industries is that some of the best candidates I'm speaking with aren't actively looking for another job.
They're not spending every night scrolling through SEEK. They haven't necessarily updated their LinkedIn profile. Some haven't updated their resume for years.
But that doesn't mean they wouldn't move for the right opportunity.
Advertising is only part of the recruitment process
Job advertising still has its place and I use it regularly.
The problem is that an advertisement can only really capture the people who happen to be looking at that particular time.
For harder-to-fill positions such as Plant Managers, Operations Managers, Maintenance Managers, HSE Managers, Production Managers and other specialist roles, that can leave a pretty significant part of the market untouched.
Some of the strongest people are already employed and relatively happy.
Getting them interested isn't about sending them a job advertisement. It's about understanding what might actually make them consider moving.
That could be:
- a better manager or company culture
- more responsibility
- career progression
- a larger or more complex site
- relocation back to an area they know
- better flexibility
- or simply the chance to do something different after being with the same company for a long time.
Sometimes salary isn't even the main reason.
The meat industry is also a relatively small world
After recruiting specifically within the Australian meat industry for more than a decade, one thing is pretty clear: people know people.
A Maintenance Manager might recommend an Engineering Manager they worked with five years ago.
A Plant Manager might know a Production Manager who isn't actively looking but would be excellent for a particular operation.
Someone I've placed previously might recommend a former colleague.
Those conversations are often where some of the best candidates come from.
And they're people an employer may never find through an advertisement.
A resume doesn't always tell the full story either
This is particularly true in meat processing.
I've spoken with plenty of people over the years whose resumes don't do a particularly good job of explaining just how capable they are.
Someone might simply list "Production Manager" without explaining that they've managed hundreds of employees, multiple shifts, significant production volumes and major improvement projects.
Others have spent 15 or 20 years with the same company and haven't needed to learn how to write a modern resume.
That doesn't make them a weaker candidate.
In some cases, it's quite the opposite.
If you're hiring for a relatively common position and receive a strong response from advertising, fantastic.
But if you're recruiting for a senior, technical or difficult-to-fill role, I'd be careful about assuming the best person available is sitting amongst the applications you've received.
Sometimes they are.
Quite often they're not.
A proper search should involve advertising, databases, industry contacts, referrals, previous candidates, LinkedIn and direct headhunting.
The objective isn't necessarily to find the best person looking for a job.
It's to find the best person who could realistically be interested in your job.
There's a fairly important difference.
Adrian Osuchowski
Director – Orion Search
Orion Search specialises in permanent recruitment across Australia's meat and food manufacturing industries, including primary processing, further processing, value-added meat, ready-to-eat, smallgoods and poultry.