Companies Gain Renewed Hiring Interest in Consumer Products Industry

National recruiters with Lucas Group, a respected company in professional recruiting, report a growing interest in hiring among companies and job candidates within the Consumer Products industry.

After a slowdown the past few years, Lucas Group notes Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies are thriving for new hires again, although finding the right candidate is still difficult according to search consultants in the industry. CPG companies have always been quite selective, but many have now begun to look at the possibility of exploring candidates with different skill sets. Still, the most attractive, recruitable candidates in the industry are those who actively manage their careers. Candidates have an advantage not only when they possess professional degrees, such as an M.B.A., but also when they seek to round out their experience with a variety of jobs that build skill sets and help them gain valuable expertise within the company.

ìSomeone who has worked in more than one function, like sales and marketing, for example, is highly sought after,î says Ira Bershad, Managing Partner at Lucas Group. ìAdditionally, a person who has been with more than one premier company tends to be more in demand than a person who has only been exposed to one company’s way of thinking, go-to-market approach and culture.î

A recent slate of mergers, acquisitions and restructurings at CPG companies such as Gillette, Bristol Meyers Squibb, and Johnson & Johnson, for example, have generated renewed interest from job seekers at these premiere companies. The increased hiring and recruiting within the packaged goods industry has led companies to be much more aggressive at both their ongoing retention programs and their last minute attempts to keep top talent via counteroffers.