FMCG employers have been facing a significant skills shortage for some time now.
With external pressures such as the pandemic, the ‘Great Resignation’, inflation, the cost of living crisis, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine all impacting FMCG organisations, the additional skills shortage has been an ongoing challenge as a result.
However, throughout 2022, many FMCG employers have been making adjustments to their hiring processes and the qualities they are looking for in their engineers.
Here, we look at some advice from Paul Bradley, Senior Principal Consultant within our FMCG Division, about what FMCG employers should be looking for in an engineer to help fill their candidate shortages.
Personal qualities are crucial
Many employers are still entirely focused on the engineering experience and qualifications a candidate can bring to their organisation, whereas personal qualities are just as important - if not more so.
Paul said:
“It's never been more important for employers within the FMCG sector to look at the sorts of candidates and the qualities they can offer their business.
We've been amongst a huge engineering skills shortage for the past few years within the FMCG industry, and this has seriously threatened the ability of the sector to deliver. And this issue has only accelerated over the past six to eight months.”
Therefore, the key qualities employers should look for in FMCG engineers should be outside of their skillset and qualifications. Culture-add and the value a candidate can bring to a business is a huge factor within the interviewing and selection process.
Employers should be looking for:
- Excellent communication skills
- Being a strong team player
- A creative mindset
- An strong analytical ability
- Being a logical thinker
- Being practical and resourceful
- Having a strong focus
- STEM skills
Paul also told us about how a number of employers face a battle for talent, and how recruiters need to help with tackling this issue:
“There are a huge number of positions available that we are recruiting for, and simply not enough engineers to fill the roles.
For this reason, employers need to really prioritise what they want from an engineer and what they can offer - but, more importantly, what the candidate can bring to their business outside of their matching skillset. Candidates have a huge amount of choice now, so employers need to be more flexible.”
Businesses have reacted to the talent shortage by increasing salaries to be able to remain competitive. But with a lack of candidate skills, it's also a good idea to look at other options, such as:
- Engineering candidates from outside of the sector, with transferable skills - they could have worked in a similar electrical or mechanical discipline, but in general manufacturing, heavy industry, pharmaceutical, distribution / logistics, or field engineering
- Placing less focus on the level of experience and ability, and more focus on giving newer, more junior engineers a chance by offering training and development to enhance their skills over time
Update your hiring processes and requirements
Ultimately, if FMCG employers are looking to fill their roles, they will need to be open minded in how they acquire the talent their business needs.
Hiring people with transferable skills from other sectors, or junior engineers who can be trained and hopefully remain with your company while their career develops, will benefit your organisation in the long run.
Get in touch
If you are currently hiring and would like further advice on how to find the best engineering candidates for your FMCG organisation, get in touch with Scantec today to discuss our recruitment services.
