How to Work for Food Companies
Food companies have many employment opportunities at all levels--from manufacturing to marketing to upper management. Depending on your skill set, you can get a job in a food company, or have a whole career in the industry, if you possess the higher education and skills needed in the many areas of food company operations.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Explore the Various Jobs at a Food Company
-
1
Get a start in the manufacturing operations of a food company. This is where most employees work at a food company and where you can prove your worth by taking on increasing levels of responsibility. This is usually hourly work, and workers may be unionized. Union membership might be a mandatory part of employment.
Operations people can work on the manufacturing line, turning raw food materials into the finished products, or in the warehouse, where processed and packaged finished goods are stored before shipment. There may also be a shipping fleet operations group that facilitates distribution of the company's products in refrigerated or other trucks for transport nationwide.
-
2
Consider the research and development department of a food company if you possess the academic background. R&D drives the energy of new product introductions. Scientists as well as test kitchen personnel are some of the jobs in this part of a food company. There are also people who work to comply with Food and Drug Administration policies. Specialized degrees in food science, home economics and biology are usually expected of employees working in research and development.
-
-
3
Opt for the sales department if you are a high-energy, Type A personality who likes meeting, entertaining and persuading people. Sales and marketing staffs are key to the profit machine of a food company. Sales personnel interact with national and local retailers negotiating pricing, managing demand and facilitating sales. Sales people's performance is measured against hard quarterly sales numbers.
-
4
Marketing people work with advertising agencies and other promotional companies to create mass demand for the food company's products.
Marketing people's performance is measured by whether an advertising campaign is able to achieve some buzz among the throng of promotional messages in the food category. Both sales and marketing are high-paying positions given their importance to the revenue and profit of the company.
-
5
At the upper echelon of all large food companies is senior management. These are people who usually have had a long history with the company or its competitors, demonstrated a track record of achievement, and have academic or other credentials or connections that warrant their ascent into the rarified corner offices.
The company president, chief executive officer, chief financial officer and general counsel often attend to important matters nationally or internationally and are compensated for what often amounts to a life devoted to the company in exchange for their personal lives. However, the financial reward for their sacrifice is dreamed about by the hourly wage earner down on the factory line.
-
1
