Nutri-akt recruitment agency knows the food labour market

 

Exiting developments are going on in the labour market for food specialists. Many companies are investing in research and product development. Nutri-akt is the recruitment agency specialised in jobs in food, technology, nutrition and health.. They know the market and provide many organisations with the right people.”

 

The Dutch food industry is a great place to work in, according to Philip den Ouden, Managing Director of FNLI, the Dutch federation of the food industry. “At the present time many new products are being initiated and developed. The consumer demands healthier food, and that means room for innovation in products as well as in the production processes. A unique feature of working in the food industry is that your products will be available in supermarkets and can benefit the health of others. Because of the ageing labour force, and decreasing number of graduates, food experts have excellent career perspectives.”

Hans Wildeboer, Resource Manager of DSM adds: “in the last few years you hear food manufacturers claim that their product will improve your health. At DSM, for example, we only make such claims when these benefits have been scientifically proven. We are also interested in the effects of single ingredients in relation to their effects in the complex food matrix. Furthermore, we see many new opportunities because of the issues of welfare and diseases. The end of the possibilities is not in sight.”

 

Many job opportunities

For recent graduates the news is positive. They have many options in the labour market, and for companies in the food sector this means that they have to make a bigger effort to fill in their job openings. Erik Jan Ransdorp, HITS Manager - Research & Development at Mars Snackfoods Europe: “According to the research of FNLI the food industry needs about 170 newcomers each year, but only 55 persons graduate from one of the four universities or colleges that educate food experts. For example, in October 2005 we had 25 job openings at Mars, but at the moment 15 of them are still not fulfilled or are open again.” Employing people from abroad is also not a permanent answer for the labour shortage problem. According to Erik Jan foreign workers often stay for only 2 to 3 years, and then they want to return to their home country.

 

Because there is a strong demand for more staff in the food sector, the FNLI together with partners as Food Valley, NVVL and Nutri-akt, have started a project called the Human Capital Roadmap. The goal of this project is to improve the labour market by making more people interested in a career in the food sector. Philip: “The project has three objectives. The first is to build an image, because at the moment the food sector does not have one. The public is familiar with the brands but they don’t know how those products are developed. The second objective is to make the sector more attractive. We want to show that the sector has many career opportunities, and lastly we want to intensify collaboration between educators and the industry, so that recent graduates have the skills the industry needs.” One of the partners in the project is Nutri-akt, a recruitment agency specialising in the food sector. Philip: “Nutri-akt is an important player in the labour market for food experts. They know exactly the demands of the industry and the needs of recent graduates. We are very happy that they are committed to this project and we see their input as essential.”

 

Nutri-akt is an important player in the food labour market

How does the food sector find the scarce employees that they need. “We like to receive open applications, sent to the managers of the various departments. If an interesting candidate comes along we will invite him/her to visit. We also work with recruitment agencies, and we have spoken with a number of them. Nutri-akt attracted our attention because they have a realistic outlook on the Dutch labour market. They are also very well connected and have an extended network with research institutes and universities. Although we are interested in international employees as well, most of our employees have Dutch nationality,” says Hans.

Erik Jan adds: “Amongst others we work with a number of recruitment agencies, but if we need someone with a specific background in nutrition we ask Nutri-akt to search for us. They have proven in the past that they can provide us with these people. We also make use of their interim solutions. For instance, if someone goes on maternity leave Nutri-akt can find a qualified candidate as a replacement. It is not easy to fill this kind of temporary position, but Nutri-akt knows what it takes and they provide the right people.”

 

Selection process

Just because there is a shortage of candidates for job openings, this does not mean that employers will settle for less than the standards they set. Erik Jan: “We cannot afford to compromise, we need highly qualified people. Off course, if someone has the potential to become the person we need, then that person will be hired and trained. For instance, we like to recruit people with work experience, but these people are hard to find at the moment.” The selection process at Mars starts with sending in your resume. Erik Jan: “I hardly look at the application letter, if the resume is a match to one of our job openings we ask the candidate for an interview. After a positive interview all MSc and BSc applicants are sent to an assessment day, during which they are judged on the qualities needed for the job. We like to assess five or six persons who we believe are compatible on one day.”

At DSM the first interview is held with the corporate human resource department. The selection is made based on the resume and the application letter. When the recruiter thinks the candidate is interesting, the business unit gets involved. Hans: “the candidates will talk to several people within the business unit. Up front every interviewer is given a task to assess different qualities. Some will ask questions on the knowledge of the candidate, while others focus more on other competences and on whether or not he or she will fit into the research group. The candidates must also give a presentation, in which they must show their knowledge and presentation skills.”

Both recruiters advise applicants to be themselves during the interview. Erik Jan: “I often catch people giving socially acceptable answers. For instance, recent graduates often tell me that they want to have an international career, but if I ask them what that means they do not really know the answer.”

Hans adds: “Also, candidates sometimes only talk about their research project, and they don’t show me that they have risen above the subject and developed other important skills. If a candidate only talks about his research, I do not get a good picture of him or her.”

 

Nuri-akt helps job seekers develop their careers

Annemieke van Ginkel, director of Nutri-akt: “We focus on two activities: connecting job seekers and companies through their placement services, and developing job seekers as well as companies by giving them professional advice. This focus makes Nutri-akt a unique recruitment agency. We do not want to merely offer job placements, we also want to help job seekers to develop their careers. During a job interview we coach our candidates, telling them not only their strong points bus also their weak spots. If it is necessary we can offer hem courses to develop their skills.”

 

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