Career Fair Offers Opportunities Despite Economic Downturn
by Kelly Hensel
Food science students were out in force at the IFT Career Fair on Saturday, June 11, armed with resumes and determination. The past couple of years have proven difficult for graduating students due to the economic downturn resulting in hiring freezes and budget cuts. Joe Brately, who graduated from Ohio State in 2009, has been working at a New Balance shoe store while he continues to search for a job in product development. “I’ve been considered for jobs but either they decide to hire within the company or the funding disappears,” said Brately. His last year and a half has been frustrating, but he expressed hope that the IFT Career Fair would offer up some leads. The plethora of jobs available by the companies exhibiting at the Career Fair should present Brately with plenty of opportunities, especially since he is willing to relocate anywhere within the continental United States.
Justyna Cermeli seemed to be in the same boat as Brately. She came to the United States from Poland with a Master’s in Food Science five years ago but has found herself working in the restaurant industry ever since. This is her first IFT Career Fair and she is hoping to find her dream job in food quality management. In fact, she was very excited to learn that Leprino Foods has open positions in its Denver, Colo. location. Meanwhile, Pui Yeu Phoon came to the U.S. from Singapore for school. She is now about to graduate with her Doctorate in food science from Purdue University and is eager to find an internship in food processing. Similar to Brately and Cermeli, Phoon is very willing to relocate to wherever she can find a job, proving that the slow economy has forced students and other job seekers to be more flexible in their job hunt.
Thankfully, many of the companies with booths at the Career Fair had a number of open positions they were looking to fill. For Baldwin Richardson Foods Co., based in Chicago, Ill., this was their second year in a row at the Career Fair. This year they are looking to hire for a range of positions, such as senior food technologist, quality control, regulatory, and food safety in the Macedon, N.Y. location. According to Ellen Fox, Director of Quality Assurance, “Baldwin Richardson Foods is a small company but we are huge in what we do. … We have grown 400% over the past 14 years.” As Fox explained, the Career Fair offers them a chance to find qualified candidates for the open positions, but it also “is a chance to get out there and get some exposure with food scientists who may not know who we are.”
That is not a problem for Nestlè USA, who was also in attendance at the Career Fair. However, like Baldwin Richardson Foods, Nestlè is growing rapidly and looking for candidates for a slew of open positions. These include some new positions in Chicago, Ill., after the recent acquisition of Kraft’s pizza division. It seems that companies were just as eager to impress job seekers, as job seekers were to impress the recruiters. As Teri Meihls, Recruiter for Nestlè, said: “It’s important for us to be here and to have a presence.” And with the amount of open positions, maybe job seekers can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, also represented at the Career Fair, has many open job positions for food, package and process scientists ss well. We’re about more than just coffee.
Located in Waterbury, VT, we are one of the fastest growing fod companies in the country. Check out the open positions on our website at http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com (scroll down the page and click on Careers to access the job postings.)
Check back frequently, as we’re growing quickly and always looking for talented food industry professionals.