NEW JOB LEADS – FEBRUARY 7, 2017
Are you a happy person? Would you work in a candy factory? If so, Jamaican candy manufacturer and distributor, Sweetie Confectionery needs you.
The fruit candy brand is hiring 10 happy workers. ‘Cause if you’re miserable, the candy may taste bad,’ a headline on the job pages of the company’s website explains cheekily.
Two job opportunities for certified National Vocation Qualification of Jamaica (NVQJ) factory staff are in the lot, so read on.
About Sweetie Confectionery
Sweetie Confectionery is a candy manufacturing start-up owned by TV weather woman and radio host Patria-Kaye Aarons. In 2015, the start-up launched its Caribbean-flavoured hard candy product line to include jujus, toffees and lollipops and has grown quickly with the opening of export markets in the Caribbean and United Staes.
The company lately introduced a sour line of candies and has embarked on an expansion programme which its CEO says will mean Sweetie Confectionery having its own factory space. The company has been using a coworking space arrangement with Jamaican mints candy manufacturer Miel.
The new Sweetie Confectionery factory space which will be launched in a few weeks, Ms Aarons noted, will accommodate the new hires that the company is now seeking. This expansion will also see island-wide distribution of the Sweetie candy products to wholesalers.
HAPPY WORK OPPS
The positions that are now open for application are
1. Factory Supervisor
Job Type: Full Time
Required Education/Certification: NVQJ certification in Machine Operation, or equivalent
Job Overview: You ensure that orders are filled and delivered on time.You will oversee our daily production operations and ensure that production remains an efficient process; meeting international health and safety regulations. You will be responsible for monitoring employees’ performances, organizing workflows and arranging employee shifts and schedules.
Qualifications: To be considered for this job, you’re required to have
- problem-solving skills and a results-driven attitude
- experience as a Factory Supervisor before or work in a similar role.
- experience in the Food Industry would be a distinct advantage.
- experience in using various types of manufacturing machinery and tools
- organisational and leadership abilities
- communication and interpersonal skills
2. Marketing Executive
Job Type: Full Time
Required Education/Certification: Diploma in Marketing
Job Overview: You ensure that the company achieves its Sales targets.
You will undertake Sales and Promotional activities to grow the Sweetie brand. You will organize campaigns and activities in the trade to ensure the company’s Distributors and Retailers are well supported. You will have a passion for getting products into the hands of Sweetie Confectionary’s customers at home and abroad.
Qualifications: The Marketing Executive is also required to be “full of personality.” You will need to have
- at least two-year Marketing and Sales experience.
You are expected to demonstrate these competencies to get the job:
- Exceptional communication skills and attention to details
- Understand market research techniques and data analysis
- Be Familiar with social media and web analytics
Visit the Caribbean Sweetie website to see a full job description.
3. Production Team Member
Job Type: Full-Time
Required Education/Certification:
- NVQJ certification in Machine Operation, or equivalent. (No Levels are stated)
- 3 CXC subjects including Mathematics and English.
- Food Handlers Permit
Job Overview: You ensure the brand’s candies look and taste the same way every time. You will be reliable and have a keen eye for detail, taking pride in ensuring that only the best products go through our factory doors. You will set up, maintain and execute the entire production process. Being a team player is essential since all tasks will require close collaboration with co-workers.
Qualifications: Sweetie’s ideal Production Team Member will meet the following criteria:
- 2 years’ experience as a machine operator or Factory Production experience
- Working knowledge of diverse high-speed machinery and measurement
- Understanding of production procedures
- Adherence to health and safety regulations
- Attention to detail
- High level of confidentiality
- Teamwork and communication skills
Get the full job description here.
4. Driver
Job Type: Full-time
Required Education: 3 CXC subjects including Mathematics and English
Job Overview: You transport staff and products safely.
You must be a responsible driver who will represent our company well; pleasant and professional. The role will include daily transportation of staff, delivery of goods and general bearer duties.
Qualifications: You’ll have responsibility for the company’s valuable assets so you’ll need to have
- a good driving record with no traffic violations
- proven working experience as a driver (minimum 5 years)
- a valid professional driver’s license
- excellent organizational and time management skills
Learn more about this job.
What You Should Know to Increase Interview Success.
As mentioned before, happiness seems one of the non-negotiable criteria that successful candidates should possess to work at Sweetie Confectionery. So much that you should be oozing it, company CEO, Patria Kay Aarons says. So let your naturally happy and outgoing countenance and personality shine through at the interview.
Talk about interviews, this will not be your usual face to face two or three person interview where you answer a series of common questions posed by the interviewer facing you. Expect something a little different, says Ms. Aarons.
While your resume must make you look good on paper, you will have to demonstrate a number of employability skills to show you are a good fit for the company. Candidates will be interviewed in groups. You will answer some questions, but for the majority of the interview session, you should expect to participate in work-related improvisation type challenges which will evaluate your ability to function in a team, handle challenges and think critically.
Are you game for some Taboo?
If you’re applying for the Marketing executive job, expect to put your best game face on as your assessment will involve playing a game of Taboo, a classic card game that involves guessing. Never played before? Get familiar with the rules in this tutorial from wikiHow.
The boss will be watching not so much your aptitude for the game but your play attitudes. Do you exhibit fearlessness?
Can you use language, anticipate and answer questions skillfully?
Can you think critically?
Do you demonstrate grace under pressure? Are you a good sportsman when you lose?
Are you a good sportsman when you lose?
If you wrote a great résumé, played smart, demonstrated that you are a happiness engineer, have excellent group relations skills, communicated adeptly, proved that the skills outlined on your résumé are actual competencies, and prove throughout the exercise that you would fit well into the happy company culture at Sweetie Confectionery, you could walk away with the job.
Application deadline: February 17, 2017.
Send your application to comments@caribbeansweetie.com.
Learn about the company at caribbeansweetie.com.
On Tuesday, the CEO revealed that the company has received nearly 1000 expressions of interest in the 10 jobs. This number will be whittled down to a short-list from which invitations for the interview will be sent.
Impress with your Resume Documents
This means you have to make a good impression with your application documents. To help you prepare top notch cover letters and resumes, here are four resume blunders of note that the Sweetie Confectionery boss and other hiring managers aren’t amused by, and a fix for each.
BLUNDER #1. Applicant uses desperation by begging for a job or resorting to Christianese language. Desperate email headlines such as this one: “Lawd Jesus, please give me a job” may be outlandish enough to get her to open your email and view your application but if you do not possess the required skills, you’ll need much more than a will and a prayer to prevent your application from missing the disposal bin.
- FIX: Keep the tone and language of your application appropriately formal and professional to match the context in which you are writing. You are not writing to a buddy, so don’t use casual language. Also, always specify the job post you are applying for.
BLUNDER #2. Resume list hobbies that suggest time wasting activities. Modern resumes rarely list hobbies. If you are inclined to do so, however, try not to list “internet surfing” as a hobby. This may send the hiring manager the wrong impression about how you may choose to spend your time at work.
- FIX: Leave ‘internet surfing’ off. If you must, list only hobbies that are applicable to the work context. Using heading such as INTERESTS or ADDITIONAL STRENGTHS may be the better ways to add other knowledge and strengths to your resume.
BLUNDER #3. RESUME only lists past jobs and dates worked. Or, past work experience has no relevance to the job being applied for.
- FIX: Bosses don’t really care where you have worked. what they are interested in is how you can bring the best achievements from those experiences to their business to help them succeed. Therefore, only select related past jobs and your best achievements in the job role and elaborate on it to show that you are experienced, results-oriented and can deliver. As seen in the examples below, some people separate achievements from experience. Other persons combine the information under the EXPERIENCE heading.
BONUS TIP: To help you recall those targets you accomplished daily, weekly, monthly and/or quarterly, ask someone to interview you about your past jobs.
Use these questions:
- What did you do daily at Company X?
- What targets or quotas were you expect to achieve on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly basis?
- Can you recall a particular time when you met or surpassed that target?
- Explain in numbers or quantity, what the team’s or your personal work target, goal or quota was.
- Example: My weekly target was to label and pack 3400 candies.
Now, go further and quantify the significant achievement .
- I increased this figure by 20% weekly for 3 consecutive quarters.
The thing to do is focus on the results of your work and you should be able to recall ideas to add to your resume.
Review these phrasing examples from an actual Factory Supervisor resume. Note the customised headings.
SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Initiated and implemented an extensive internal auditing process that enhanced the productivity by 20%
- Revised the company policy regarding Fab operations resulting in minimization of manufacturing faults
- Received the best Manager Award in May 2011
- Provided extensive training to seven new inductees regarding Fab specifications
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
- Factory Supervisor
Burlington Coat Factory, Boynton Beach, FL | October 2011 – Present• Oversee the functioning and operation of open plant facility and related equipment
• Coordinate with engineering and design team for productivity enhancement
• Ensure timely stocking of material
• Drive sales via maintenance of fruitful potential customer relationsFactory Manager
NIKE, Boynton Beach, FL | March 2010 – September 2011• Supervised and monitored the factory automation service cell
• Performed cashier duties, processed transactions while receiving and delivering scheduled shipments
• Coordinated with the factory staff and prepared notes for worker’s shift timings
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BLUNDER #4: REFERENCES: To include or not include. Some resume experts feel it is not necessary to put your references on your resume. They argue that it is redundant as the hiring manager will most likely ask for these when they need them.
I agree. I usually put a statement saying “Provided upon request.” But even that is seen as redundant as well by many modern resume writing coaches. The blunder many applicants need to be cautious about though is randomly stating referrers names and not assuming that any named references you add to your resume will be checked. Hiring managers recall on occasion when the person giving the reference did not give positive recommendations of the individual who listed the person as a reference.
FIX: Don’t use or list references on your resume that won’t give a worthy recommendation of your past work. to avoid embarrassment, it’s always best to ask the person before putting their names down on your resume.
It’s also quite okay ( I’ve read elsewhere) to jot down a few points summarising your achievements and milestones etc at the company or institution to jolt the memory of the referrer where the person may be busy and may not remember you. Also, inform them to expect the call from the HR department. If you are asked to bring in recommendation letters from your past company or training provided, give your referrer a deadline to have said recommendation letter ready.
These are just a few of the pitfalls to avoid as you go after these job opportunities. Prepare your cover letters and resumes and ace that interview.
YOUR TURN
Need help preparing your application and resume? I can help you write a professional, customised cover letter and resume which markets your best qualifications for the post you are interested in and lets your personality shine through. Leave a comment below
Contact me for an affordable quote:Karen Taylor
Karen Taylor
Phone/ Whatsapp: 797-5997
Email: taylor-karen@hotmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jamaicanproofreader/
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