The Sterling Choice

🚨 Are USA food & beverage salaries outdated? Take our anonymous survey and tell us what you think (Plus every participant has the opportunity to enter our prize draw to win $1000 worth of vouchers to spend at your choice of Michelin restaurants in Chicago!) 🤩 The industry is evolving, but have pay & benefits evolved with it? We want to hear from you! Are current compensation packages aligned with modern workforce needs, or are they stuck in the past? Covering: ⚡Salary and benefits preferences ⚡Workplace flexibility and work-life balance ⚡Career growth opportunities and retention factors ⚡Impact of inflation and cost of living concerns ⚡Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives 📊 Our Food & Beverage Salary & Benefits survey aims to gather real data from professionals like you in food manufacturing & CPG - because knowing what the workforce wants is the first step to building better workplaces. 👀 Your input matters. Take the survey & have your say! 🔗 https://loom.ly/T2-wqZQ Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network #FoodIndustryCareers #SalaryTrends #CPGJobs #WorkforceInsights #FMCGRecruitment #Chicago

We've told you about our quality networks of food & beverage professionals before. Well… this is what that actually looks like. 👇 ➡️ We reached out to a candidate who wasn’t even looking. ➡️ Within hours, they were reviewing LinkedIn profiles of future teammates they already knew or shared mutual connections with. ➡️ By the time they got home? Offer letter in their inbox. That’s the power of a connected, proactive, and highly specialised network, and why The Sterling Choice isn’t your average recruiter. 📩 Want to see what our network can do for you? #FMCGRecruitment #FoodAndBeverageTalent #PassiveCandidates #RecruitmentDoneRight

Accommodating early morning or after-hours interviews? Virtual first stages? Remembering that great candidates already have jobs and busy schedules? THIS is what flexibility in hiring means. ⬆️⬆️ So if your job spec promises flexibility, but your interview scheduling feels like trying to book a table at a Michelin restaurant on Valentine’s Day... …it might be time to rethink your hiring process. Job ads that say '𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲’ coupled with an interview schedule that says ‘𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁’, mean two things: → Your recruitment process is contradicting your cultural messaging. → Candidates will lose trust fast. We’re not saying your company has an identity crisis (okay, maybe we are), but if your hiring process and your employer brand are telling two very different stories, candidates will notice. And increasingly… they’re walking. Especially at leadership levels where the stakes (and salaries) are high. 💸 $90K+ candidates aren’t waiting around for a narrow window. 🧠 And 52% of job seekers say they’ve declined offers due to a poor hiring experience. If you want to hire like a modern, people-first business, show it, don’t just say it. Read more ➡️ https://loom.ly/TpcsTIQ 📩 Want help aligning your hiring process with your values? That’s our specialty. #CandidateExperience #LeadershipHiring #FoodAndBeverage #FMCGRecruitment #CPGRecruitment

Working in food & bev recruitment, we spend our days helping people find their next opportunity, their next step. But not everyone is thinking about career moves. Some are just trying to figure out where their next meal is coming from. That’s why we’re proud to support Bigger Table, a brilliant Chicago-based non-profit that brings the food & beverage industry together to tackle food insecurity and improve nutrition access. They’re not just raising awareness, they’re rolling up their sleeves and producing real, shelf-stable, nutritious products for people who need them most. 🧃 They collaborate with manufacturers and suppliers. 🤝 They unite our industry around purpose. 📦 And they’re delivering food and hope to communities across the region. We’re proud to be part of that mission. If you’re in food & bev and want to do some good beyond your day job, check them out. You’ll be glad you did. 🔗 https://loom.ly/wCCxvWo #FoodAndBeverage #CommunityImpact #FMCGRecruitment #ChicagoNonprofit

Some of the biggest moves in F&B happen in complete silence - well, almost. Launching a new product? Expanding into a new market? Building a department from scratch? Sometimes, the smartest thing you can do is hire quietly, through confidential searches — AKA the 'stealth hire'. Smart, confidential hiring protects: ✅ Strategic advantage and timing. ✅ Competitive positioning. ✅ Internal team stability (no premature speculation). ✅ Candidate privacy (they're still employed elsewhere). ✅ Market valuation (no investor questions about "why now?"). Top-tier candidates for game-changing roles aren't always scrolling job boards. They're being headhunted through trusted networks and careful, discreet conversations. We’ve helped food & beverage brands scale behind the scenes, under the radar — quietly, strategically, and fast. We've gone into more detail on the 'stealth hire' here: ➡️ https://loom.ly/qaYvOlY 📩 If you're hiring for something you can’t announce yet — let's talk. #ConfidentialHiring #CPG #FoodAndBeverage #TalentStrategy #RecruitmentPartner

Cross-industry talent migration is seriously underrated. Gone are the days when your next Quality Director had to come from another food company. The talent we need is everywhere, and smart Hiring Managers are starting to look beyond the obvious. 🧬Pharma → Food Safety Leadership Pharma's regulatory rigor, validation expertise, and contamination protocols translate perfectly to food safety. 🚗 Automotive → Supply Chain Excellence Automotive's lean manufacturing, just-in-time delivery, and quality systems are exactly what F&B supply chains need. 💻 Tech → Digital Transformation F&B is finally catching up with Industry 4.0. We're placing software engineers, data scientists, and UX designers who understand both technology and consumer behavior. 🏥 Healthcare → Operations & Compliance Healthcare's process discipline, regulatory navigation, and crisis management skills are gold in F&B. Plus, they understand the life-or-death importance of getting things right. These cross-industry hires bring: ✅ Fresh perspectives on "industry standard" problems. ✅ Proven methodologies from more advanced sectors. ✅ Innovation mindset without "this is how we've always done it" baggage. ✅ Diverse professional networks that spark new partnerships. So, Hiring Managers, stop filtering by industry experience alone. Start asking, "What problem-solving skills do I actually need?" Then hunt for those skills wherever they live. #FoodAndBeverage #TalentStrategy #RecruitmentParnter #FMCGJobs

The F&B industry moves fast. Your hiring strategy should keep pace. ➡️ For Hiring Managers: The best candidates are often off the market within days. Traditional job postings miss the passive talent who could transform your operation. The Quality Director who's not actively looking but would consider the right opportunity, or the Plant Manager who's happy where she is, but curious about future growth. ➡️ For Job Seekers: Many exceptional F&B roles are filled before they're ever posted. They happen through conversations, referrals, and connections with people who truly understand what drives you in this industry. Both sides are often talking past each other. Great companies struggle to find the right people. Talented professionals miss opportunities that would genuinely excite them. What we've learned over the years is that our best matches happen because we take time to understand what clients and candidates actually need, and we have the networks to make those matches happen. Whether you're trying to build a stronger team or exploring what's next in your F&B career, the right conversations can change everything. Shall we have one? #FoodAndBeverageJobs #Recruitment #TalentSolutions #Hiring #CareerOpportunities

"We're thrilled to offer you the role! But we need an answer by the end of the day." It's like asking someone to move in together on the second date. A BIG. RED. FLAG. These types of pressure-cooker job offers make great candidates feel like hostages instead of valued prospects. Rushed offers = rushed rejections. Even perfect-fit candidates walk away when they feel pushed instead of empowered. Why does this backfire? → Career moves aren’t impulse buys. They’re thoughtful, personal, and full of risk. → High-quality candidates want to feel like partners, not transactions. → Pressurised candidates are more likely to decline, even if the role IS right. The better approach: ✅ Set fair deadlines with breathing room. ✅ Be open to questions and offer clarity sessions. ✅ Walk them through benefits and next steps. ✅ Make it feel exciting, not like a hostage negotiation. Yes, urgency matters. But so does trust. You're asking someone to change jobs, teams, sometimes cities. Give them space to make the right decision. Remember, how you end your hiring process says everything about your culture. Fast hiring is great, but respectful hiring builds long-term relationships. #RecruitmentStrategy #CandidateExperience #FoodAndBeverageHiring #HiringTips #WorkCulture

Food manufacturers — did you know you’re legally protected when donating food? The U.S. Good Samaritan Food Donation Act shields businesses from liability when donating food in good faith to nonprofit organizations. Meaning there’s no reason to let good ingredients go to waste. Bigger Table makes it easy for you to donate. It then redistributes and turns those ingredients into life-changing meals for people in need. 👉 Have surplus stock? 👉 Want to do more with it? Get in touch with Bigger Table ➡️ https://loom.ly/wCCxvWo #GoodSamaritanLaw #TheBiggerTable #CommunityImpact

FSQA professionals aren’t just gatekeepers — they’re the guardians of the galax...no wait...of brand reputation. Seriously, finding and retaining top FSQA talent is one of the toughest challenges our Food & Bev clients are facing right now. 🔥 Demand is skyrocketing. 📊 Supply isn't keeping up. 🎯 Stakes are higher. ⚖️ Regulations keep evolving. We’ve placed dozens of exceptional FSQA leaders, from Plant Managers to Directors, because we get what makes them tick. Your FSQA team is your first line of defense against catastrophic risk. Treat their recruitment like the strategic priority it is. #FSQA #RecruitmentPartner #CPG