Paper Industry Pros Supply Hiring Best Practices
Industry Insights | by Teddy Durgin | September 16, 2019
There is perhaps no greater challenge in the paper industry today than recruiting, hiring, and training talent. The federal government's most recent jobs report shows that the nation's unemployment rate remained at a decades-low 3.7 percent in August. Given the perception that the paper industry is falling into obsolescence in the digital era, National Paper Trade Association (NPTA) members have some real challenges in this regard.
We spoke with a couple of staffing experts from the industry to have them weigh in on these aforementioned challenges. S. Scott Riley is the Director of Business Development, Digital Print, and Media at Mac Papers. The Auburn University graduate joined the Florida-based firm in 2008 and has steadily risen through the ranks.
"The most successful recruiting method for Mac Papers has been through employee referrals," he said. "We have seen success at all job levels as our employees have reached into both their professional and personal networks to refer potential new employees to Mac Papers. We have also found good success recruiting via online job boards, achieving our best results on Indeed.com."
Dan Gregson began his career in the paper business in 1996 as a sales trainee with Lindenmeyr Munroe in the Philadelphia area. Gregson has also made impressive leaps at his company and now manages four divisions of talented and dedicated colleagues for Lindenmeyr Munroe.
"I have been very fortunate in working for a company that carries such a strong brand within our industry, which has been a great advantage in recruiting experienced and talented individuals. As for prospective employees that come from outside the industry, it has been a much greater challenge. We typically utilize the popular employment posting sites, as well as networking and referrals from our existing employees,” said Gregson. "We have had some successes and certainly some failures in these hiring practices. I find that the key is still a strong evaluation process through personal interviews with multiple managers. Once we identify a candidate that we would like to hire, we simply let the merits of the organization speak for themselves in explaining the company culture, growth experienced over the last decade, continual investment in the business, and examples of career longevity and opportunity for advancement."
Both Riley and Gregson agreed that one of the most important qualities they look for in new employees is whether they will be a good cultural fit within their company and support its core values.
"We look for employees who are comfortable in a collaborative environment," Riley said. "We look for potential employees who have the minimum skill level and the capacity to grow as time progresses. We also look for potential employees to have a high degree of professionalism, at all levels of the company. Since many of our employees interact with customers, we need a team that understands and practices a professional demeanor."
Gregson provided additional insight regarding a candidate’s first impression in an interview conversation.
"During the interview process, I find that you can usually quickly assess a candidate's ability to articulate their thoughts, present ideas that display a positive attitude and, most importantly, a sense of ambition and determination for success in their career. It's rare that you find someone interviewing with all these attributes. However, it's important that they convey some foundation of these principals to build on."
Once hired and trained, the challenge then becomes retaining that talent. Riley, who currently serves on the Emerging Leaders Board for NPTA, asserted that there is a way to determine early on how each new employee will fit in with Mac Papers' culture. He also stressed the value of employee rewards and incentives.
“Our employee benefit plans are very generous for a company of our size and industry. We recognize employee achievements regularly, both formally and informally. However, we believe the best way to retain talent is by meeting or exceeding employee expectations. By hiring employees that fit within our culture, our overall work environment is a more pleasant one," said Riley.
On the other hand, Gregson puts the responsibility of retaining top talent squarely on management.
"Creating an atmosphere in the workplace where people feel respected for their efforts, have a forum to express ideas for improvement, and the potential for advancement creates a sense of belonging and appreciation," he said. "Beyond this, it cannot be overstated that fair compensation and a good benefits package further solidifies an employee's feeling of stability in their employment."
Gregson went on to caution that there has, perhaps, been too much focus placed on attracting millennials and Generation Z to the paper industry.
"We spend too much time focusing on the psyche of younger generations and their expectations of employment," he said. "In my experience, I seldom hear someone express a negative perception or concern of working in the paper industry. They are typically more interested in the company they would potentially be joining. If we are managing our businesses to keep up with modern models with regards to technology, work environment, etc., younger generations seem very comfortable in joining our industry."
According to Riley, these "modern models" can mean everything from offering faster growth opportunities to more independent work roles, to highlighting the industry's sustainability initiatives and achievements. Stressing the social awareness and actions undertaken by the paper business is definitely something that is top of mind for many younger workers.
In response to questions from candidates regarding the importance of paper merchants in a time of digitalization, Riley and Gregson offer similar insight.
"First, we stress that paper isn't going away," Riley said. "There is a real need to continue the use of paper in almost every aspect of work and life. It's a privacy issue, comfort issue, and often a legal issue. Paper also continues to play an important role in packaging."
"This is a subject, as paper merchants, we need to be able to articulate clearly from all perspectives,” said Gregson. It is important to convey to prospective hires that the paper industry is not going anywhere any time soon, with examples they can relate to in their everyday life. Additionally, explaining the merchant's role and the value we create in the supply chain for our customers and our suppliers helps them understand the depth of the relationships we have on both sides, filling the gap between the mills and the printer. NPTA produced a very good promotional piece, 'Why Work with a Paper Merchant,' which I would highly recommend to all in the industry."
Finally, Riley and Gregson recalled timeless advice passed down to them early on when approaching employee hiring and retention tactics,
"I was told a while back to invest time into understanding how another person feels and experiences the world, especially when that view is contrary to mine. I've learned that showing genuine empathy allows me to connect on an emotional level, and it improves my ability to lead others,” said Riley
"The best advice I can remember hearing was to understand that you cannot manage all employees in the same way,” said Gregson “People are different. They react differently to situations and are motivated in different ways. Some employees need constant encouragement, monitoring, and interaction to feel they are part of the team. Some prefer to be given direction and left alone to produce. In my experience, with this understanding, it doesn’t usually take long to figure out how to manage the most out of your people."
Dan Gregson, Lindenmeyr Munroe Scott Riley, Mac Papers