Career Building
Five Simple Rules for Interviewing
Interview preparation is perhaps the single most powerful investment you can make to ensure you achieve your number one objective: “to get an offer” by presenting yourself as the best person for the company and the role. Your interview will go better if you follow five simple rules for interviewing. CPG companies and other consumer-driven…
Read MoreInterview Preparation: Take the Time, Do It Right
You’ve achieved a significant milestone on your path to your dream job: the interview. Mixed with elation is that nagging fear that “one rocky interview” can cost you an offer you really want. What to do? In word: Prepare Train Your Brain on STAR Plus The STAR Plus interview format offers a framework for your interview…
Read MoreVeteran CPG Recruiter Admitted to The Pinnacle Society
ST. LOUIS — The Pinnacle Society, the premier consortium of 80 industry-leading recruiters, has admitted Kris Holmes, Principal and Recruiter at O’Connell Group. The Pinnacle Society is an influential group of executive search professionals, representing fewer than 1% of producers in the country. Members have a demonstrated track record of excellence, documented experience and tenure in…
Read MoreWhy Behavioral Interviews for CPG Recruiting Fall Short
The classic behavioral interview concept asserts that people’s past behavior is the best predictor of their future behavior. However, behavioral interviews for CPG recruiting have a foundational premise with an inherent and significant flaw: it presumes humans do not learn from their experiences. The rapidly changing CPG industry requires marketing and market research professionals who apply…
Read MoreSelling Yourself: CPG Recruiters Seek Marketers Who Market Themselves
Many people are hesitant to “toot their own horn.” When CPG recruiters and hiring managers seek candidates for a CPG marketing or market research job, most are at least a little uncomfortable self-aggrandizing. And with good reason – most people react negatively to braggarts. This poses a dilemma in interviewing: you have to sell yourself “just right.”…
Read MoreInterview Preparation Beyond the “What, Why and How”
If you are preparing to interview for a consumer packaged goods marketing or market research job, you may be concerned about giving the “wrong answer.” It’s true that you must demonstrate your knowledge with the “right answer.” But, it is likely that your interviewer will move past the basic skills evaluation to more subjective evaluation…
Read MoreCPG Marketing and Research Candidates Can Effectively Cross the “Generational Divide”
CPG companies that market to consumers in every age demographic must effectively balance and blend their teams’ skills and experience. That’s good news for talented and agile professionals – whether you are a Millennial, Gen-Xer or Boomer. Your success in competing for a consumer packaged goods marketing or market research job depends more on your…
Read MoreThe Choreography of the Interview
Based on decades of experience and deep industry knowledge as brand marketing and consumer insights recruiters, O’Connell Group shares best practices and useful insights to help you build your career. Have you ever completed a day of interviewing for a job you really wanted and thought: “The first interview was a little rough, but I…
Read MoreHolidays: Prime Time for Both Hiring and Hunting for Marketing and Market Research Jobs
No one likes stormy weather during the holidays. But, the last months of the year create a positive “perfect storm” for job seekers looking for marketing career opportunities — as well as employers seeking to fill jobs in consumer marketing and market research. In 2016, demand will remain high for professionals with valuable marketing skills…
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