The industrial chemicals and coatings sector is a vast and complex landscape. From manufacturing giants to niche specialty materials producers, companies face unique challenges when finding the right talent. A knowledgeable chemical coatings recruiter can save you countless hours getting the right person in the right seat, contributing to the business.
The global industrial chemicals sector accounts for a significant portion of employment, highlighting the need for a skilled workforce. But simply “filling open positions” isn’t enough. In today’s competitive market, attracting and retaining top talent – that aligns with YOUR business specifically – is critical for success.
The employment of chemists and materials scientists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2022 to 2032, which is faster than the average for all occupations.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Here’s why the traditional approach to recruitment often falls short in this niche and how a specialized chemical coatings recruiter can build genuine connections that lead to a successful hire.
The Challenges of Hiring A Specialized Chemist
Hiring in the industrial sector goes beyond simply checking off a list of technical skills.
A good chemist recruiter will take the time to understand a company’s specific place in the value chain or market, its internal processes, and the org structure defining unique job scopes and responsibilities. Generic recruiting firms that lack deep industry knowledge often miss these nuances.
1. Leveraging Relationships for Better Hiring
At Thomas Brooke, we believe that strong relationships are the cornerstone of being a successful chemical coatings recruiter. Here’s how this approach benefits both companies and candidates:
- Deeper Understanding of Needs and Expectations: Meaningful communication with all stakeholders including the direct the hiring manager, gives us a clear picture of what’s truly required for success in the role. This allows us to probe beyond resume bullet points, to identify individuals who are a genuine fit across both technical and values dimensions.
- Better Candidate Screening and Matching: Taking the time to understand a candidate’s career aspirations and goals allows us to make more targeted matches. This reduces wasted time and frustration for both companies and candidates.
- Increased Candidate Engagement and Retention: When candidates know they are being valued as whole people in the process rather than in a transactional manner, they’re more likely to remain engaged and genuinely excited about the opportunity. This leads to a higher acceptance rate and a more loyal workforce.
- Improved Employer Brand Reputation: A positive candidate experience reflects well on your company. By building genuine connections, you establish yourself as a company that cares about its employees, attracting top talent in the process and building “brand ambassadors” even from candidates you don’t hire.
2. Chemical Coatings Recruiter with a Skill & Fit Approach
Our approach goes beyond resumes and skills checklists. We take the time to truly understand your company’s needs, values, and culture. We then leverage our extensive network and industry expertise to identify candidates who are a perfect fit, not just on paper but in practice.
Here’s how this approach has benefited our clients in the paints, coatings, polymers, and specialty materials industry:
Case Study – Chief Operating Officer
We found a unique Chief Operating Officer for our industrial coatings manufacturing client – this was someone who could improve their manufacturing processes and also motivate and coach the team, with the same values as the owner. The owner deeply desired his business to be more impactful in the lives of his employees, while pursuing operational excellence. Our candidate’s shared fundamental values and worldview, combined with his deep understanding of the specific KPIs for industrial coatings manufacturing, allowed him to make a significant impact on the company’s growth in a short time, while also aligning with the owner’s vision for his workforce.
This successful placement highlights the importance of finding someone who matches not only on the industry knowledge within the coatings space, but also the stage of the journey in the company’s growth and development.
Case Study – Plant Manager
We recruited an exceptional Plant Manager to navigate a relocation and company restructuring. By understanding the company’s culture – both the good and the not-so-good parts – and the specific goals that absolutely had to be met through the restructuring, we identified a candidate who could not only manage the day-to-day operations but also build trust and rapport with the team during a period of significant change.
These are just a couple of examples of how our skill and fit approach to industrial recruitment has helped companies in the paints, coatings, polymers, and specialty materials industry achieve their business goals by hiring the right people for high-impact positions.
3. The Benefits Last Beyond the Hiring Process
Focusing on building strong connections throughout the recruitment process leads to several advantages for your company long after the hiring process is over:
- Reduced Hiring Costs and Time to Hire: By making targeted matches and avoiding irrelevant candidates, you save valuable time and resources now and down the road. We hear this frequently from clients who have been frustrated in the past by hiring processes that failed at the end for reasons that could have been avoided by better communication of expectations.
- Stronger Company Culture and Employee Engagement: When you are intentional about sourcing and hiring individuals who explicitly align with your company DNA, you will build a more positive and productive work environment and reduce the painful cost of turnover. This absolutely translates to the bottom line.
- Higher Productivity: The right talent alignment means reduced friction and increased productivity – less time spent on trying to make the square peg fit in the round hole and more spent on actually moving the ball down the field.
Conclusion
In the competitive industrial coatings sector, building strong relationships is essential for attracting and retaining top talent. An experienced chemical coatings recruiter can identify and attract the best candidates by understanding your unique business niche. We can find individuals who are not only technically skilled but also a perfect fit for your company’s values, culture, and goals.
Ready to leverage the power of relationship-based recruitment? Contact Thomas Brooke today, and let us help you find the perfect talent to drive your company’s success.
FAQs
What are the biggest challenges companies face when recruiting a specialized chemist?
Finding candidates with the needed specialized technical domain knowledge who will also fit into the company’s specific environment in terms of role scope, org structure, and culture.
How can a chemical coatings recruiter save me time?
It takes significant time and resources to source highly specific talent consistently. It also takes time to develop trust to uncover all the factors influencing whether a candidate is the right match for your role and company. We take that time on every search because it is our core business, whereas for our clients, the recruiting process is generally an extra responsibility for an already-overcommitted HR or hiring manager. A deep understanding of the paints, coatings, polymers, and specialty materials industry allows us to find the right chemist or coatings specialist for your company.