Blog: Interview with CEO

March 31st marks the 17th anniversary of Curtis Food Recruiters, a woman-founded, retained, food and beverage executive search firm. When Julie Curtis started CFR in 2006, she was pursuing her passions while also striving to create more of a work-life balance in her home. In the beginning, CFR consisted of herself plus one part-time employee. Whereas now, 17 years later, the team is continuing to grow.

To celebrate 17 wonderful years, Julie took the time to sit down with us to give an inside look into Curtis Food Recruiters over the years.

Growing up, my dad was a food industry executive in the industry, so this space was all I had known. Sitting around the kitchen table there was always talk about new products, commodity pricing, the usual. My first job was with Kraft Foodservice, I spent time in procurement & category management before moving into executive recruitment. As the head of Talent Acquisition at Nash Finch, it was evident the hiring managers solely wanted food industry people; They felt that these were the only people that understood the CPG space, and very few recruiters had a division of CPG in this sector, and those that did had not worked in the space.

Early in my career I had been both a buyer and a category manager. This gave me insight into operations, retail operations, and supply chain. I knew everyone in the organization, and what it took to be successful in those roles. As I moved into executive recruitment, my experience of recruiting for all types of positions in the food industry played a key role.

I have also worked for many great executives throughout my career who taught me so much. I understood what it was like to be in a boardroom, create a budget, as well as set metrics and goals to achieve that budget. I knew if I could work with a tough, type A group of executives, I could do anything.

My original vision was to give myself more balance. I was in an environment where every day I was commuting to the office, arriving at 6:30am and not leaving for twelve hours. I had a baby at home, and I knew that I needed a job that would allow me time to also care for my family.

This new venture gave me the opportunity to be there for my kids as they grew older. To have breakfast with them and put dinner on the table was an everyday dream. I have been able to attend their activities, baseball games, meet them when getting off the bus. It allowed me to be a successful, working mom and engaged mother; the best of both worlds! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always “just that easy”, but 90% of the time I get to prioritize the right things.

Over the past 17 years, we have grown significantly and are now in a position where we are able to really scale the business. When I first started, it was myself and a part-time employee, who eventually turned full-time. I then hired another part-time employee who turned full-time, and it was a consistent repeat cycle leading up to our current team of 11.

Hiring amazing executive recruiters, sourcing specialists, an HR administration team, and project staff has really helped me to dream a bigger dream. We have created a larger organization to solve more problems for more customers and be a key resource throughout the process.

When I brought on Lynn Ducharme, Vice President of Talent Strategy, I not only brought on a leader in executive recruitment, but more importantly I hired a thought partner. Hiring a thought partner was a game changer. Having also spent some time doing eye opening leadership development with Sarah Bridges Ph.D., Owner of Bridges Consulting, I allowed myself to think in much more strategic ways about how we can service our customers.

In all honesty, I have had many champions in both men and women. I have had great role models who have coached me and talked me through challenging situations; I have tremendous respect from all of my clients. I do not think that this industry being male dominant has hindered the success of a woman founded business. If anything, my clients have embraced it. They are looking at the work product versus who is doing the work.

Recently, we worked with Propeller to do a Voice of the Customer (VoC) survey. We received a lot of kudos and great, honest feedback. What stood out the most was our integrity, how hardworking we are and our ability to do whatever it takes to make sure the project gets done for our customers, in a way where they know they are getting the best of the best.

This team focuses on how to support each other, not how to compete against one another. Customers don’t necessarily see that, but our behind-the-scenes support of one another is why we can successfully take on such challenging searches.

One of our biggest challenges is the tremendous level of sales that goes into executive recruitment. I’m not sure if it’s my Midwest upbringing or my personality, but I am not a salesy person. I absolutely love going out and selling my clients to the candidates for the role, but selling my own brand has been challenging for me. It is something I work on overcoming every day.

“Don’t put all of your eggs into one basket.” Because if something goes awry, you will have to start over from the beginning. This has always been a guiding thought in my strategic planning. We have helped many Fortune 500 companies fill key roles, but it’s important that we not rely too heavily on 1 or 2 clients for the bulk of our searches. By building out leadership teams for small to mid-size organizations we are able to diversify our portfolio rather than investing all of our services in one client. Another key piece is hiring people with excellent customer service skills. These soft-skills translate to so many areas of what we do and are really the backbone of what makes my team, and CFR as a whole successful.

Continue to grow our organization. I want to see the ability to build out service offerings to help customers beyond solely executive recruitment. Looking ahead, eventually when I retire this will be a company that can function without me and still thrive in the executive recruitment space.

Hitting the ten-year mark was an incredible milestone for me. I had read and heard how few businesses make it past one year, and even more will fail within the first five years of opening their doors. Coming out even stronger on the other side of the 2008 – 2010 recession was a huge turning point of our success.

Hiring Eli as the first man on our team. He has been the perfect addition. Adding an international team member living in Spain! The best was the first time my daughter asked me to be a judge for the DECA program, “Because you know so much about business!”.

Successfully making it through one major downturn in the market helped give me the confidence I needed to navigate the business through the Covid 19 pandemic. We saw it affect our clients in various ways depending on what sector of business they were in. It was often a dichotomy in which many of our manufacturing clients were reaching record level sales while several of our foodservice clients were looking for creative ways to stay afloat. This created a shift for us in the types and levels of roles we filled and having the agility to pivot as needed was key for us.

When people meet me, it’s evident I do not like a ton of fanfare, and I cannot take a compliment to save my life. I’m not sure anyone knows how much it means to me to know how proud my dad was of my success. Something I’m not sure I even knew until after he passed away.

My father was not one to boast about anything, but at his funeral dozens of people came up to me to relay how often my dad would gush about how well I was doing, and how proud he was of me for founding and running my own company. He loved that I followed in his footsteps both in recruitment and the food industry. His pride in my success will always be the highest compliment I could ever receive.

As a full-service executive search firm, Curtis Food Recruiters has successfully matched skilled job seekers with prominent businesses throughout the food manufacturing and grocery retail industry for nearly two decades. If you’re searching for your next top performer or need help advancing your career, contact us today and we’ll leverage our vast industry experience to move your hiring needs forward.

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If you’re reading this, it probably means you have landed an interview. Congratulations! Getting to this stage in the process is a huge step and deserves to be recognized and celebrated.

The big question now is: what’s next?

You have made it this far, so don’t fret! The world of interviews is constantly changing, but thankfully the core of the process stays consistent. It’s important to be prepared in every aspect possible, but the good news is that you don’t have to do it all on your own.

Here are five recruiter-approved tips to help prepare you for your upcoming interview.

Read the job description again, again, and then a few more times. When going into an interview, it is imperative you understand what the position is asking, and how your experience showcases the desired skills the interviewers are looking for.

Write down specific examples and use numbers when applicable. It’s important to be concise and to the point; the hiring manager should be able to easily follow along. Try to frame your answer into an SBO (Situation>Behavior>Outcome) or STAR (Situation>Task>Action>Result) format.

Review your resume. The hiring manager will have your resume pulled up during the interview; it’s important what you say matches what they have in front of them. However, all interviewers know there is more than what is on the paper, and this is where you get to go more in-depth about what you have on your resume.

Be prepared with your personal examples to exemplify the impact you left at each position you held, why that impact was important within the position, and for the organization as a whole. It’s also important to make sure you have answers prepared to share why you left each position.

Know the Company A key part of the interview process is doing your due diligence and thoroughly researching the company prior to your interview. It’s important you understand how the company operates, their philosophy, and their values. Do they align with your own?

Write down information about the company you can use in your answers throughout the interview. Being able to showcase how you reflect their company philosophy and values through your personal examples will exemplify why you are a necessary asset for their team.

If you know who will be conducting your interview, research them. Utilize the company website and LinkedIn to understand their position in the company, as well as how it correlates to the position you are interviewing for. This will not only help you feel more comfortable in your interview, but it will allow you to prepare questions of your own.

Practice makes perfect! In 2023, virtual interviews are on their way to becoming the normal way of interviewing. The best part? For interviewees, this allows a prime opportunity to be as prepared as possible: a mock interview! Whether you are able to practice with a family member, a friend, or simply in front of a mirror or camera, being able to practice beforehand will set you up for ultimate success.

Set up your interview space exactly like you will have it for your real interview. Make sure your technology is up to date and working. Ensure that you have a clean background and understand how to use the ‘blur background’ feature on the platform where your interview will be conducted.

Dress like you are going to an in-person interview, head to toe. Avoiding the “business on top and pajamas on bottom” approach will help you feel more prepared and confident.

Practice responding to commonly asked interview questions using your personal examples to showcase your ability to be successful in this position. This will not only allow you to hear out loud what you have prepared, but you will feel more relaxed heading into your interview knowing exactly what you are going to say.

Virtual interviews can present the pressure of feeling like you need to respond to a question the moment the interviewer finishes asking you something. Great news! You do not. Just like if you were at an in-person interview, you are allowed to take a few seconds to gather your thoughts, and then continue with your answer.

Not immediately rushing into answers will allow you to formulate honest, authentic responses to questions while being able to utilize your personal experiences. Interviewers are real people too. They understand that a candidate will need a few moments to gather their thoughts before answering a question.

Depending on the level of the position you are applying for or the stage of the process you are in, it’s likely at some point you will have a panel interview, where there is more than one individual conducting the interview. Being able to listen to their questions and taking a few moments to formulate adequate responses will showcase your stellar listening capabilities, which go far beyond an interview. It will show the hiring team your thoughtfulness, and ability to work in a team.

Asking questions is something not enough candidates take advantage of during the interview process. Never be afraid to ask questions, because an interview goes both ways. When you are at the point in your interview where your interviewer asks you if you have any questions, always make sure you have some prepared.

Unsure of what questions to ask? Here are a few that will help you understand what type of company you are interviewing with, and if it’s truly a place you could see yourself continuing to grow:

What is the company culture like?

Is there room for growth through this position within the company?

How important is diversity to the organization? What value does it bring?

What certain qualities are you looking for in a candidate to fulfill this role?

What is the remote work policy? (When applicable!)

What is the interview process and timeline?

How diverse is the executive board/team?

How would you describe the team I would be working with?

What is a typical ‘day in the life’ in this position?

Taking the time to ask the interviewer questions will not only give you much more insight into the role itself and the company as a whole, but it will also show the hiring manager your extreme interest in the position.

Make sure you get plenty of rest the night before, eat a good meal, and don’t put so much pressure on yourself. You got this! By following these five strategies, you have done a great job of setting yourself up for success.

If you haven’t taken advantage of a professional recruitment service yet, there is no better time than now. Landing an interview is step one, but setting yourself apart from the rest is where it can be difficult. A recruiter can help ensure that you are able to demonstrate to the hiring manager why you are the asset they need on their team.

You probably don’t interview every day—but recruiters do! They can offer you specific advice on what to wear, what to bring, and what to do to make the best first impression. A good recruiter, especially one that knows your industry well, can give you a big leg up by providing you with specific advice about what your particular interviewer wants to hear, which can’t always be found on the internet.

While they can’t possibly know everything about you, they do know the right questions to ask and can help determine what’s worth highlighting and what’s not. You will also have an experienced partner to help you dial in the perfect examples that are sure to please even the shrewdest of interviewers.

A recruiter will also cover any salary discussions upfront and share that information with the employer, so everyone is on the same page. And unless you’re significantly over or underpaid, they can often secure you a significant pay increase (assuming you’re currently employed).

For over a decade, Curtis Food Recruiters has been matching food and beverage professionals with prominent, rewarding career opportunities. As a full-service executive search firm specializing in the food manufacturing and grocery retail industries, we are dedicated to helping job seekers find (and land) the perfect positions. Contact us today so we can do the same for you.