Each month we publish a One Minute Message (OMM) on a topic that is important to our company's success, as well as, the well-being and personal success of our Food Manufacturing Professionals.
August's OMM topic was 'Commitment'. Specifically, what does commitment mean and why is it important to the success of our S.A.F.E. Certified Food Professionals?
In this episode, we are proud to have one of the Supervisors from Harlan Foods' Avon, Indiana production facility share what Commitment means to him and to his team.
Click here to stream August's One Minute Message
Harlan Foods believes that we can only create world class food products by recruiting and developing professional-grade talent.
Developing food manufacturing professionals is important to our family of companies for a very important reason:
Each week across all of our production facilities, we are responsible for manufacturing the food products that over 66,000,000 people enjoy and rely on at meal time each week.
This includes an ever increasing range of exciting, delicious and nutritious food products ranging from Harlan Bakeries iconic bagels and muffins to Apple Valley Foods award winning pies.
For nearly the past five years, our professionals have won a record number of blue-ribbon first place prizes at the American Pie Council's National Championship. This year, our team of Food Manufacturing Professionals brought home a record 27 First Place Ribbons.
Delivering on this responsibility requires a commitment to quality and professionalism from every single team member.
Here at Harlan Foods and also at Apple Valley Foods, we don't just refer to our team members as 'Professionals'. We treat our team members as professionals. To ensure we meet our high standards each day, Harlan Foods has developed a professional standards program called S.A.F.E., which stands for Standards-Based, Accountability Driven, Food Excellence.
S.A.F.E. has many important programs, which are all part of 'How We Work'. These programs range from Mentor programs, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) Trivia, success bonuses for Mentors, success bonuses for achieving safety goals, as well as, achieving S.A.F.E.'s professional certifications. S.A.F.E. and the unique approach to 'How We Work' helps our professionals to build trust and reliance with one another, as well as in many cases, developing lasting friendships.
Employees who receive their S.A.F.E. Certifications after completing the necessary training and development work also receive promotions and raises as part of their S.A.F.E. Certification. And, this training is provided to our employees at no cost as part of Harlan Foods and Apple Valley Foods' commitment to the professional development and success of our employees.
Harlan Foods is the only food manufacturer making a professional improvement program such as S.A.F.E. available to its team members.
Our One Minute Messages are part of our commitment to the education and development of our team members. We hope you enjoy our One Minute Messages!
If you are a Harlan Foods/Apple Valley Foods team member, thank you for your professionalism and commitment to excellence.
If you are interested in joining our team, click here to get started!
If you are a customer of Harlan Foods or any of our subsidiary companies, thank you for trusting us to deliver safe, quality and delicious food products, manufactured with care by the team of people you see speaking in our One Minute Messages.
Harlan Foods pays new employees very competitively. Did you know that as a new employee at Harlan, you can receive your first professional certification after 90 days of employment? This Certification is part of Harlan Foods S.A.F.E. program and when you are certified, you receive a diploma, a promotion...and a PAY RAISE!
We created this infographic to show all the ways that as a Harlan Foods employee you can take home extra cash on top of Harlan's competitive hourly pay!
Interested in learning more about how to make more money as a Harlan Foods' S.A.F.E. Certified Professional?
It is impossible to build a successful career, move up, and achieve the goals of increased pay and greater responsibility without building trust with the people you work with.
However, trust begins with yourself. To be successful in your career, you have to trust yourself to do the right thing at all times. You have to build a foundation of trust with your team members and also with your superiors and managers. Trusting in yourself and having others trust you isn't hard. It just takes a few things to make this happen but trust only comes when you do these things consistently.
In this post, we look back at one of Harlan Foods previous One Minute Messages which focuses on how to build trust. We share some surprising facts about the importance of trust and in the video link below, we share the some of the secrets to successfully building trust, which are the foundation for career success, upward mobility and job satisfaction.
Here are some interesting facts on the importance of trust in the workplace...We want to share these trust building secrets so you can succeed and increase your success no matter where you work. Or, if you are looking for a new job or career where you can grow and move up faster, we want to offer you something to think about when considering a new workplace.
Did you know that:
Our team created this video to help everyone understand the importance of trust and how to easily develop this with your work place team members, no matter whether you work at Apple Valley Foods, Harlan Foods or somewhere else we knew this message was important, so we want to share it with everyone.
Our leadership team believes that everyone should enjoy a workplace where mutual respect, trust, safety, quality, respect for diversity and career growth are part of our daily activities and goals. We also want our employees to work in a place where all employees can have fun, thrive and grow.
Our entire team here at Harlan Foods works hard every single day to create a workplace where every employee feels valuable and can succeed in achieving their personal and professional goals.
We know it is important to create an environment where all of our employees can thrive, build self confidence and construct a strong foundation of trust and respect with everyone they work with.
If trusting yourself, growing and succeeding in your career is something you a would like to experience more of, then consider joining Harlan's team of Food Manufacturing Professionals.
Each month, Harlan Foods publishes a One Minute Message (OMM). This is a short video designed to help Food Manufacturing Professionals, as well as aspiring professionals across a wide range of industries grow and advance in their careers.
You might be wondering why do we say 'aspiring professionals' instead of 'employees'? Is there a difference?
Yes. At Harlan Foods, we believe there is a big difference. An employee is anyone who applies for a job, shows up and collects a paycheck is an employee. That doesn't mean they are valuable to the company that employs them, to their team members or even to themselves. Sure, there are lots of good employees, who are solid team members. However, we believe there are many who can go a little further. Not an extra mile but just an extra 50 feet. Going a few extra feet is relatively easy, when you build the habit and it can deliver big results in your career and also your personal satisfaction at work.
The video below shows what being a professional looks like and how easy it can be to go an extra 50 feet. It's not all that hard and is more of a choice in how you show up to work and how you do what you do. But, it is what a professional does.
You see, professionals often go just one step further than others. a basketball player who stays to shoot baskets for an extra 15 minutes after practice or the Food Manufacturing Professional who reminds another team mate to wash their hands before returning to work or giving an encouraging smile to someone they pass on the floor.
When you build a habit of professional behaviors, others will respond to you copying your behaviors and they will trust that you are always going to do the right thing.
Another word for Respect is Trust. When you do the right thing to the best of your abilities, when you actively help and support your team members and you do something each day to improve either yourself, the work you do or the place you work in, the people around you will grow to trust you-and respect you and...they will copy what you do.
When you are trusted, you are given new opportunities to grow and advance in your career. Let's take a look at an example of what we are talking about. Meet Bahaa. He is there on the right, promoting quality and engagement with professional confidence and pride. Bahaa leads by example.
Bahaa is one of the members of Harlan Foods' Quality team. Click on this video link to take a look at Bahaa building the trust that has turned into respect. When you watch the video, you will see some of the simple but very important things Bahaa does every day to earn the trust and respect of his team, including management. By building trust and respect, Bahaa has also put himself into a position where he has been promoted quickly and given more responsibility-and more pay.
Because of the respect he has worked hard to earn, Bahaa was recently selected for a very important role. He was asked to deliver a Harlan Foods One Minute Message. In this message, Bahaa spoke to all of Harlan Foods' professionals on the importance of building trust and respect.
Click here to watch Bahaa's One Minute Message on Respect.
We hope that you take away something valuable from Bahaa's One Minute Message that will help you succeed and grow as a Professional, wherever you currently work.
However, if you are interested in working with Harlan's team of professionals and elevating your career like Bahaa has, you can get started on that journey today by clicking here.
We are pleased to be awarding S.A.F.E. certifications tomorrow to some of Harlan Foods' NEWEST certified food manufacturing professionals at our Kitley location in historic Irvington, Indiana. When you manufacture food products that 2 in 10 Americans trust and enjoy every single week, it is important to have professionals staffing your team. Congratulations one and all for a job well done!
Along with the professional certification, this S.A.F.E. certification, available at or past 90 days of employment and good standing status comes with BOTH a raise and a promotion! Bonus (literally)!
#professionaldevelopment #foodmanufacturing #innovation #careergoals
It is a New Year, loaded with New Opportunities for Career Growth!
Harlan Companies is hiring a talented and dynamic visual arts professional. While you might not have heard of Harlan or any of our companies, we are a well established leader in a number of industries from commercial development to environmental restoration.
Not familiar with environmental restoration? It is our job to ensure that large energy projects remain environmentally responsible and friendly. We ensure that the natural habitats pipelines and transmission lines travel through do not negatively impact the delicate natural habitats of the plants and animals which reside there.
Harlan Companies also operates in a number of other business niches which will allow you to use your creative abilities in new ways every single day! You will also have the opportunity to assist with a wide variety of digital and visual projects for our sister company, Harlan Foods. Harlan Foods is a North American leader in food manufacturing. Today, we feed 2 in 10 Americans every week. It is pretty likely that you have had a product we make! You can learn more about Harlan Foods by visiting harlanfoods.com.
Interested? Start the New Year with a new career opportunity by applying for this position today.
When you love what you do, it isn't work. And, we here at Harlan Foods LOVE breakfast and snack time. We make some of the most delicious muffins and Gluten-Free organic granola you will find-and finding it is easy.
Our muffins are available at a variety of retailers and club stores-and coming soon to a major quick serve restaurant chain! Our granola is available under many of your favorite brands found at your local grocery.
You don't always know Harlan Foods makes the products you love, but we do. Each week, we provide delicious food choices to 2 in 10 Americans like these mouth-watering items!
If you are interested in applying and joining us as a Certified Food Professional, you can apply today by clicking here on this link!
New jobs can be hard. When you take a new job, it is often because you are looking to improve. More money, better opportunities, better benefits. Maybe you are looking to get promoted and move up faster. There are lots of reasons to take a new job.
But do you know the number one reason people leave new jobs in the first month?
It is because they don't feel welcome. That is why 4 out of 5 new employees leave. They don't feel welcome, they feel excluded, they don't feel safe and they feel alone and frustrated.
This is usually because the culture of the organization doesn't value how employees feel and what is important to them.
That is not the case at Harlan. Not only do we value our employees, we work hard as a team to ensure that our new employees thrive and succeed right out of the gate.
Our Harlan Food Manufacturing Professionals all receive specialized certifications under our S.A.F.E. program, which stands for Standards Based, Accountability Driven, Food Excellence.
These employees aren't just incentivized to work with new employees. They WANT to! Team members work together to support new employees, helping them over their first 90 days learn their job, make friends and learn what they need to know in order to pass their S.A.F.E. AFP certification.
When new employees achieve their AFP, their graduation is a small celebration for everyone. The employee who just passed their AFP at that 90 day period gets a raise and a promotion. Their mentors also receive a bonus for their work in helping the new employee getting their AFP certification.
Mentoring has rapidly become part of Harlan Food's culture. We love the feeling of helping our team members succeed. In fact mentoring is part of our company mission. We have 3 Mission Pillars: Integrity, Quality & Customer Service. 'HELP OTHERS SUCCEED' is part of our Integrity Pillar. We have learned that when we do this, everyone succeeds.
Take a look at a small example of some of our mentoring activities. This is what we do to help each other succeed, remain safe and have fun at work every single day.
If this is something you'd like to learn more about, just click here to get to our Fast Track Application.
It's pretty simple really. Yes.
You can determine if your workplace has a good culture by asking yourself a few simple questions.
If you answered 'no' to any of these questions, then your workplace might not have the best culture. And, if any of these things are important to you, you might want to look for a new job.
Why? Today, you can find a job pretty much anywhere you want. You can always find a place to make money. You can't get the time you waste in a dead end job back though. Never waste your time in a dead end job with an employer that doesn't care about you. Never. You are worth more.
Building a positive culture takes time and isn't easy, especially when there are a lot of employees who are from diverse backgrounds. The thing you want to look for in an employer is are they committed to constantly improving culture along with business performance?
The team at Harlan Foods realizes how important a positive culture and workplace is. We have launched a number of programs designed to grow and expand the well-being of our team of Food Professionals. Yes, we call our employees 'Food Professional' because that is what they are. Each week, we feed 1 in 10 Americans with safe, nutritious and delicious food. Only professionals can do that.
Here are some of the programs we have launched for our team's well-being and success:
In the first half of 2023, we are launching even more programs designed to improve the welfare, happiness and satisfaction of our team. They are our greatest asset. As a family run company, our commitment to this cause is in part why 20% of our workforce has been with us ten years or more.
We'd thought we would share a few pictures of a day at Harlan. If you like what you see and are looking for a better opportunity, then give us an opportunity to share with you what Harlan is all about.
Meet Destiny. Destiny has been with Harlan for over 5 years and works at our Irvington, Indiana facility. Destiny recently was promoted to a Champion Level Mentor where she works with new employees, who are called 'Apprentices' to ensure they are successful during their 90 day food manufacturing internship.
After the first two weeks of paid, on the job training, every single Apprentice is assigned their own Mentor, like Destiny. The Mentor's primary role is to help Apprentices be successful and find happiness in what they are doing as they learn their new roles.
After successfully completing the Mentorship program, Apprentices are able to earn their AFP certification as soon as 90 days from when they are hired. When an Apprentice achieves their AFP certification, they receive an IMMEDIATE pay increase!
How does this make our employees feel? Here is Johnson after he received his AFP certification. He looks pretty happy!
As a Mentor, Destiny can earn $500 for each Apprentice she works during their 90-day Mentorship program. That can add up to a $6,000 in bonus pay each year!
Destiny recently shared, "I love helping my Apprentice team mates become happy and successful here. It's very rewarding to me to be able to work with them each day and see them grow in their new roles. When I am able to help them graduate and achieve their AFP Certification, it is so worth it. They get a very important industry certification for free and a pay increase to go along with it! What's not to love about that?!"
Click on Destiny's picture or click here to hear more about Destiny's role as a Harlan Mentor and how making more money doing that has made her even happier here at Harlan.
Being a mentor is open to all Harlan employees who have been with the company for a year and have passed both their AFP Certification as well as their Champion Mentor Certification.
What would you do this holiday season if you knew you'd be making up to an additional $6,000 per year just by helping others?
Often employees gather for safety meetings or to prepare for achieving the day’s performance goals. Typically, these meetings are led by a supervisor or a team lead.
While our supervisors and team leads are seasoned and committed leaders, we often find time to stop and celebrate the positive growth of team members. Each day, like other manufacturers we gather to start our day in a team huddle. Unlike most other manufacturers and distribution facilities, it’s our team, not our supervisors who are responsible for completing our S.A.F.E. Team Activity Boards. Each team has direct control of what it will do for the day.
We call ourselves Food Professionals for a reason. We take what we do very seriously. Each week, the products that Harlan Foods creates feeds nearly 33,000,000 people across the U.S.
The reason there are so many happy faces is because our teams are truly teams and this is what makes them as a group and individually successful.
In our team huddles, part of the work we engage in daily is the professional advancement and improvement of each Food Professional as well as recognition of a job well done. Yesterday, some of our team took a moment to do that and we thought we’d share that moment with you.
We are a close-knit group who are proud of what we do and who we work with on a daily basis.
If you like what you see or if our approach sounds like something you would like to be a part of, or even know a little more about, then reach out and set up a time for us to meet and allow us to introduce ourselves to you.
sat·is·fac·tion
noun
“The fulfillment of wishes, expectations, or needs, or the pleasure derived from this.”
Shouldn’t the time you spend at work make you satisfied?
The rest of the world is stressful enough. Going to your job should be something you enjoy. You look forward to. It should be something you are proud of doing. Shouldn’t it be doing something worthwhile? Shouldn’t you go home each day, safe, satisfied and fulfilled?
There are lots of just jobs. Plenty of them. They are promoted on semi trucks, billboards and busses. Sorting boxes filled with online orders is a job, no matter how it is presented.
Feeding families who rely on what you make, for breakfast time. For family dinners. For birthday parties and family celebrations. That is mission-based work.
All things being equal, wouldn’t you rather get well compensated for doing something that really matters?
If you answered ‘yes’, then you are just a little different from everyone else who is just looking for a job. You are special and, you matter to us.
Someone who helps to feed families across America is important and should be invested in. That’s what we do at Harlan Foods. We find people who matter, we invest in them, and turn them into Certified Food Manufacturing Professionals who each day feed 1 in 10 Americans.
When you become a Certified Food Professional, work is no longer work. It is fun. It is fulfilling. It is rewarding. These are things that all our Food Manufacturing Professionals deserve-fun, fulfilling and rewarding roles they and their families can be proud of and pay and benefit packages that allow them to live the lives they want.
If mission-based work, solid pay, performance bonuses, free healthcare, free training and professional certifications, upward mobility, a stable and positive work environment, and job to interest and skill matching are important to you, schedule a face to face or a phone interview and see what Harlan Foods has to offer you.
Click here to see what satisfying, mission-based work looks like here with us.
Get started on a more rewarding journey today as part of our team of Food Manufacturing Professionals.
Are looking for a new job? Does your current place of employment no longer excite you?
Maybe it never did. Or, possibly what was advertised wasn't exactly the reality you go into each day.
There is a big difference between a job where you trade your time for a paycheck, and a place that values you and excites you. A place where you feel you are making a real difference in your life and the lives of others.
Don't settle for trading your time for a paycheck. We only have so much time and can never get it back!
As valuable as you are, you should always be investing in yourself and you should look for an employer who does the same. Hiring bonuses and hype around 'find a new career' isn't about you, it's about a company trying to fill an empty slot. So look for more. Look beyond the signing bonus. What happens next? What is that employer doing every single day to help you feel fulfilled and to increase your professional value.
Why would they do this? Simple...
Take a look at the infographic we put together that contains a few more interesting facts about Mentorship programs and also Mentorship here at Harlan Foods.
If you would like to know more about open positions and opportunities for growth here at Harlan Foods, click here.
Did you know Harlan Foods feeds 1 in 10 Americans? If you are interested in learning about the wide variety of foods we make which make their ways to grocery, club stores and quick serve restaurants around the country every single day, click here.
If you would like to hear from one of our Mentors, you can hear his advice by clicking here.
Hope. According to the dictionary, the word 'hope' has three meanings.
What does the word 'hope' have to do with jobs? Simple! For team members to find satisfaction in their tasks and roles, they should have hope that they will have opportunities to grow, explore and try new things. In other words, employees want to be challenged, find success, feel rewarded by seeing what they do come to life in some way.
Employees should hope that their employers and team members care about their well-being, desire to grow and to perform. Employers should care about clearly communicating the mission and purpose of what's being done and even the why behind what is being done!
As an employee, understanding this and then having the opportunity to choose how you as a participant can add value to the cause, mission and even improve yourself along the way seems pretty important. Having that gives hope that what you do has meaning beyond the paycheck.
You can get a paycheck anywhere.
So, ask yourself. What do you hope for in your work life?
As you think about this, here are a few things about Harlan that might align with what you are hoping for in your work life.
If we were to shut down all of our food production, a number of grocery store shelves and freezer cases across the country would quickly go empty. Restaurant patrons would be disappointed to learn that many of their favorite items were not available. Providing families and communities with safe, nutritious, delicious and affordable food is important. This is our mission and our promise every day.
We invest in training team members, just like every other employer. However, we go a step further. We provide all of our employees with a comprehensive continuing education program as part of our SAFE initiative. SAFE stands for Standards Based, Accountability Driven, Food Excellence. Under SAFE, each employee can achieve either an AFP or CFP certification. These industry leading certifications mean Harlan team members are the best of the best in food manufacturing. We take great pride in doing things well.
Studies have shown that companies which provide mentorship programs produce happier, more productive team members who advance faster. As part of SAFE, Harlan has rolled out a comprehensive Mentorship program to assist our Apprentice Food Professionals (new employees) grow and thrive during their first 100 days. This program not only benefits our Apprentice Food Professionals but also the Mentors who get a great deal of satisfaction and even performance compensation for ensuring the success of the Apprentices they work with. It is our way of providing certainty that new employees are successful in their roles.
As part of SAFE, Harlan has developed workplace simulations which allow prospective employees to explore and understand all of the various departments, teams and tasks found within Harlan.
This gives the job-seeker the opportunity to find what they are interested in or tasks which align with their personal skills. The job simulation also provides individuals who might not find food manufacturing for them an opportunity to quickly understand this and adjust their job search. Harlan wants to ensure that every new Apprentice says "I love this" instead of 'This isn't what I expected."
So, what do you hope for in your work life? A better job? A promotion? More pay? Better benefits? Sure. All of those things are important. You should work to make sure these things are available to you.
However, maybe there is something else. Having a real purpose in what you do.
Does feeding families across North America every day give your inspiration? Does achieving professional accreditation which tells others you are at the top of your profession? How about being mentored by other professionals or perhaps having others look up to you for help and inspiration as a mentor?
How about finding a work environment and role that aligns with your personal sense of purpose?
This is what our team at Harlan can offer. If you like the sound of it, reach out and say hello. We'd love to meet you.
On the home page you will find a link to our open positions, or drop us a message in our contact form. We'll get in touch with you quickly and work to find you a role you can be passionate about as a Harlan Food Manufacturing Professional.
Harlan team members are passionate about their mission and purpose. Regardless of their role, each Harlan Food Professional is critical to ensuring that Harlan delivers on its promise to feed America. Today, one in ten Americans rely on Harlan Foods for safe, nutritious and delicious food.
See what a member of our Sanitation team members have to say about the role they play in helping to deliver on this promise.
Tammi is a former Emergency Room nurse who recently re-located from Florida. She finds an overlap in her role here at Harlan and her hospital work. See what Tammy has to say about her role at Harlan by clicking here.
Harlan Foods team is made up of a wide variety of skills supporting an equally wide variety of departments and roles. Harlan's Food Professionals represent an equally wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. Vietnam, Burma, Afghanistan, Mexico, Canada, India, China among others are all nationalities which make up our family.
We find our strength in our diversity and also our common bond in the passion we have for making safe, quality food for our friends and neighbors. Many of our team have found their forever home.
One of our forklift drivers, Austin has found his forever home at Harlan
Over 20% of our team has been with Harlan over a decade and numerous team members have been with Harlan since its inception.
Several of Harlan's team have been with the company since day one-over 30 years.
If this resonates with you and you want want to join Sammy, Tammi and the rest of the Harlan team in a career as a certified Harlan Food Professional, click on this link to get started. We look forward to having you as part of our growing family.
Harlan wants to recognize and congratulate James Murphy on his success as a Harlan Foods mentor. James is a Champion-Level Certified Harlan Food Professional who is one of our Employee Mentors.
Studies have shown that over 85% of employees involved in mentorship programs indicate they are happier and more successful in their roles.
Each new employee has the opportunity to enter into Harlan's Mentorship program prior to receiving their Harlan Foods AFP Food Professional Certification.
James recently graduated his first mentee and his team was on hand to recognize his success. Congratulations James!
Harlan Foods is one of a number of leading companies such as General Electric, Caterpillar and Intel Corporation who believe investing in the success and well-being of their employees through a mentor program pays dividends for both the employee and the company.
Harlan is committed to our employees well being and success.
If you are interested in learning more about Harlan’s mentor program, please click here.
If you are interested in James' advice on how to be successful as a Food Manufacturing Professional, please click here.
Harlan Foods currently has a limited number of employment opportunities open for new applicants. If you are interested in joining Harlan's fast track to success, growth, better pay, benefits and career advancement, click here.
Our HR Director Rebecca Ehsan, PHR, SHRM-CP is a Human Resources insider with a load of practical knowledge on how to assess an employer and the questions you should ask before talking a job. Each week, Rebecca's team interviews dozens of candidates for one of Harlan Foods open AFP (Apprentice Food Professional) classes.
You can see the first episode here.
A recent class of Harlan Foods Apprentices going through job shadowing
New hires go through on-boarding, mentorship and training as a group, or a class. This way, new employees have a group of peers to better support them.
There are a lot of jobs open but like employers they are all not created equal. What looks good on the surface might not be what you thought 6 months later. Don't waste your important time in the wrong job!
Take a look at this helpful video and learn from the insights Rebecca shares!
Look for an organization that is growing. Ask this question of your prospective employer. This helps to better understand what opportunities for personal growth and upward mobility exist with that company.
In the past 3 years, Harlan Foods has nearly doubled its size.
Look for job stability. Steer clear of firms where the majority of the open positions are tied to seasonal fluctuations or temporary positions. Look for firms that are classified as 'Essential Employers'.
None of Harlan Foods positions are seasonal or temporary. Harlan Foods is an Essential Employer.
Look for employers with an active mentorship program. Ask for details about the program.
Less than 1/3 of employers have a mentorship program. 87% of employees who participate in mentorship programs have higher job satisfaction and receive higher pay.
Look for employers who can demonstrate they reward employees who proactively step up, perform and lead.
Harlan Mentors are volunteers who go through advanced training and are well compensated for their mentee's success. Harlan Foods has several similar programs that reward employees beyond base pay.
Look for organizations that have a learning driven, team oriented culture.
Harlan Foods has a wide variety of training and educations programs designed to engage employees and provide the tools and knowledge required for greater job satisfaction and upward mobility. This includes Harlan's SAFE program (Standards Based, Accountability Driven, Food Excellence) and Harlan Food Manufacturing Professional Certifications.
Make sure the employer isn't just using the word 'career' to attract your attention. There is a big difference between a career and a job. Career means a consistent path of employment in an area of specialty or consistent employment with a single employer who affords you growth and advancement opportunities.
Over 20% of Harlan employees have been with the company for a decade or more. Most team leads and supervisors have risen to their management posts from entry level jobs. Harlan Foods promotes from within.
Invest in yourself.
Harlan Foods career paths are documented. We promote from within.
Here at Harlan, we are always working to improve. Operational excellence and career path growth for our Food Manufacturing Professionals is very important to us. To improve your career, you have to improve yourself.
In the last year, Harlan has launched a number of programs designed to help our team members grow and succeed in their careers as Food Manufacturing Professionals. These include our Mentorship Program, Our Apprentice Food Professional Program, Our Certified Food Professional and Master Certified Food Professional certifications and our Safety Sweepstakes just to name a few.
We decided it was a good idea to share some of the career secrets we use at Harlan. If you feel that the approach we take to employee success is something you'd like to know more about, we would love to talk to you about joining the Harlan team. You'll find a link at the bottom to help you get started.
Why do we go to work? Every day we trade our time for money. A paycheck, right? Well, that is true for most people. However, you are NOT most people!
Have you ever wondered what it would take to have more? Have you ever thought about where you wanted to be in a year? Two? What would your life look like? Does it have a nice new car or a better place to live? College courses? Maybe a better vacation? More money in the bank?
What does your future life feel like? Do you feel happier, more satisfied, more confident? Does your 'Future You' feel more at ease? Less anxiety about money? Imagine that feeling. Do you like what the 'Future You' looks like and feels like?
So how do get from your 'Right Now You' to the 'Future You'? Actually it is pretty simple and it doesn't matter if you are working your first job, are under employed or are the CEO of a company. Put these 3 secrets to work and you will improve!
Improvement happens one step at a time. It is a process, to improve your career, you have to want to do it.
In order to get to your 'Future You', you have to describe what goals the 'Future You' has achieved and the steps the 'Future You' took to achieve these goals. In other words, you have to invest time and effort into the 'Now You' to get to the 'Future You'. Here are some examples of how to do that:
Harlan employees putting the three secrets to work by smiling more
Once your Secret Number One activities start to become a habit, build on them. How do you do this?
Here are some examples:
Harlan Food Professionals are always helping others learn
Secret Three builds on the activities of Secrets One and Two. The only difference is you now are sharing these knowledge with others to help them on their career path.
These five things are all forms of good leadership and it's mastering these things that will transform the 'Now You' into the 'Future You'. By adopting these three secrets and working at it consistently, in two years, you and your life will look very different.
Ready to get started on the 'Future You'? Your path to success is just one click away. Just look for the 'Get Started at Harlan' form on the home page.
There are a lot of good reasons to come to work here at Harlan. Free healthcare for one. But free Smart TV's? Ok wait. Let's back up and cover reason number 3.
There are lots of reasons to consider taking a new job. Here at Harlan, not only will we work to outline the 25 reasons to become a Harlan Food Professional, we will also provide you with tips and tricks to help you land a better job, no matter where that is.
That's right. Free health care for you. Harlan has partnered with Proactive MD to deliver an end-to-end healthcare clinic to address virtually every health need you have from prescriptions to check ups to testing just for our employees! And...
It's free.
We've put together this video of what our Proactive MD clinic provides for our Food Manufacturing Professionals. Click here to check it out.
As a Harlan Food Manufacturing Professional, free healthcare is one of the many benefits you get working for a food manufacturer that delivers safe, nutritious and delicious food to 1 in 10 Americans.
One of our Food Manufacturing Professionals shows off the new Smart TV he won from Harlan
During our Harlan's recent open enrollment, Harlan raffled off a big screen smart TV. Win a free TV by signing up for free health care? Yep, that is how Harlan rolls.
The winner of that TV was our Bake Line 3, Avon, Indiana Senior Team Leader employee, Felix Sanchez Aguiar. Felix has been with the company for nearly 8 years, and he is responsible for oversight of all the 2nd shift BL3 line employees. Felix has successfully moved up the ranks of management during his career at Harlan.
Careers at Harlan are rewarding. In multiple ways! Get started on your upward journey today by clicking here.
Most employees think they are getting interviewed for a job. It never dawns on them that they should be interviewing the company they are considering for employment as well.
Most people don't think about what their job means. Think about it. Where is the one place you spend most of your time? It's probably a tie between with your friends and family and at your job.
You invest your time for a paycheck. But what else should you get out of the time you spend working? Experience? Sure. Shouldn't you get something more though? After two years with an employer, should you be the same person as when you started?
If you are, your employer isn't doing you any favors. Often, employers see employees as just workers, not a valuable asset. How do you see yourself? How does your family see you? Can you be replaced without any thought or are you valuable?
If you see yourself as valuable, look for employers who think the same way as you. After two years of employment, you should not be the same employee as when you started.
Recently, Harlan opened its Workplace Simulation to help prospective employees identify a role they will love. Instead of taking the traditional approach of simply describing a job, we allow future Food Manufacturing Professionals the opportunity to experience a variety of roles and select the one they feel is best for them.
Make sure the employer is willing to show you exactly what the work environment is like. While you are interviewing for a job, you have to do that job somewhere. What is that 'somewhere' like? Some questions to consider:
Harlan job candidate participating in a simulation activity
Make sure that the employer help you match your interests with different types of work. There is more to a job than what's in a job description. Let's use a job we have open as an example. Quality Assurance Technician. Here are 3 of the job responsibilities:
If you don't like technology, are not good at concentrating for extended periods of time, are not super-detail oriented and are not naturally curious, you won't like this job. At least not for long. But these things are not always in the job description. So the only way to find out if you will like it is to experience what it is like first hand. By simulating what the job is like and what the environment is like, you get a really good idea if it is a good fit for you. So invest in interviewing employers who provide you this opportunity!
Harlan's Bake Line Simulation Area
One of Harlan's actual bake lines
Make sure the employer provides you pro-active support and resources that extend beyond the first day or week. Most employers have an 'on-boarding process'. Often, this can last a day or a week. After that, well, you are on your own to figure it all out, which can often be difficult and sometimes frustrating. Invest in interviewing employers who have a solid mentorship program that lasts at least 2-3 months.
Harlan Mentors are both knowledgeable and fun to be around
One of Harlan's Master-Level certified mentors
Some questions you might want to consider asking the employer:
Make sure the employer provides you in-depth and on-going training that has some form of certification or certificate of completion. If you have ever played a video game, you know that the better you get at the game, you advance upward and often collect badges which recognize your achievement. The same should hold true with your job. After two years with your employer, have you moved up based on mastering certain skills and activities? Did you get any additional or advanced training as part of your employment? Did you receive any certifications? Ask these questions when you are interviewing your next employer!
Make sure the employer can clearly outline to you the advancement and/or promotion path and can validate to you that the path is real. The best way to explain this is to outline what we do here at Harlan.
Our SAFE program, which stands for Standards Based, Accountability Driven, Food Excellence, has several certifications within it. Every employee goes through the process and is required to achieve 2 of the 3 certifications. Once the employee achieves the second certification, they are eligible for advancement and promotion. This can happen within the first year of employment! If you chose to interview with us, make sure to ask about our certification programs.
We've created a video that helps to bring some of the things we have touched on here to life. Our goal is to help you find a place you can build a meaningful career, not just find a job. Jobs are plentiful. Opportunities to grow and advance from that job require a little more effort on your part.
If growing and advancing is important to you, please use this information as a guide and if you are interested in joining Harlan, simply click here.
Let's face it. Today, if you want to find a new job, it's pretty easy. Just drive down the highway or city street for 10 minutes and you'll see 'NOW HIRING!' billboards and signs everywhere.
Interviews can be informative for the employer but not always for the prospective employee
Most employers have to offer competitive wages and benefits if they want to have a chance at attracting potential employees. If you are a job seeker, you have lots of options right now.
So which one is best for you?
When you go to an interview, how honest is that employer going to be about what that job is really like and what task it really includes? Think about your last job interview. Did the person interviewing you really work to match your interests with a job description or did you just interview for a generic open job?
Harlan believes that it is important for our job candidates to know exactly what a Food Manufacturing facility is like and what a Food Manufacturing Professional is responsible for doing day to day.
Harlan Work Place Simulation Station 5. Bake Line. Notice that not only are the tasks outlined but what a prospective employee should consider.
Why is this so important?
Because food manufacturing isn't a distribution job. It isn't a services job. Harlan approaches getting started very differently that most other companies. This is because our employees are required to become Certified Food Professionals through the training Harlan provides.
Why do does Harlan do this?
Because 1 out of 10 Americans have had a food product made by our Food Professionals. Feeding America's families is a very important responsibility.
To ensure we consistently deliver on our promise of Safe, Quality Food, Harlan attracts the highest quality candidates who are looking for a work place they can stay for 10+ years instead of just a few months. We take our role and duties as Food Manufacturing Professionals very seriously.
By the way, over 21% of our Food Manufacturing Professionals have been with Harlan for 10 or more years and many of our supervisors and managers started out in entry level positions!
One 9 different stations in Harlan's Workplace Simulation-plenty of different options to try!
To help attract the right candidates Harlan has opened its Workplace Simulation Center to help job applicants understand what it is like to work as a Food Manufacturing Professional and to help them find a role they will love and can excel in. We built our work place simulation so prospective employees who are unfamiliar with our industry can experience it all first hand BEFORE they sign on. Our simulation also helps job candidates determine what role is most interesting and will help to fast track employees for growth and advancement.
A prospective employee trying out one of several hands-on tasks at the Simulation's Warehousing Station.
After all, we know that if you have doubts on day one, you won't stay. We also know that if you don't love what you do, you won't can't build the foundation for a solid professional career. To help bring this to life, in this Workplace Simulation image, you see a prospective employee trying a task in a specific department she doesn't have much interest in. Instead, she was able to try other tasks in other departments and found something she loved to do and was passionate about!
Lots of job advertising talks about careers right now, however, few companies actually are investing in providing the tools needed for employees to love their jobs and to excel. A great career can begin with a solid job but it also requires access to training, learning, growing, more responsibility, advancement and access to better benefits and pay. Great careers are the by-product of employers and employees working together as a team.
If you are looking for more than you are currently finding, then come visit Harlan. You'll quickly experience the difference just like our most recent hire, Omo.
Oma's search for a role she loved ended at Station 6, Packaging in Harlan's Workplace Simulation.
"The Harlan Workplace Simulation gave me the opportunity to try different things and find something I can do very well. This was the only employer I have interviewed with that cares about helping me find something I want to do. I can't wait to start. I am going to be a Food Professional!"
Get started today on YOUR journey to become a Harlan Food Manufacturing Professional by clicking here to schedule your interview and Work Place Simulation visit.
Food is life and the Food Professionals at Harlan help to feed 1 in 10 people in America. Having a valuable mission and purpose in your life can be as important as a good paycheck. Actually, wouldn't both be nice?
Think about it. When you go out with your family or friends to a popular restaurant and when the delicious breadsticks are delivered to your table, how would you feel when you say to those sitting around the table, "Hey, I made that". How about when you go through the drive thru and in the bag you open are products you have made or as you walk through the isle in the grocery store, you see products that you helped make be put into shopping carts.
Being proud of what you do really comes to life with these examples, doesn't it?
Food Manufacturing isn't for everyone. We are looking for people committed to more than just showing up for a job. We are looking for professionals that want more out of life and seek real upward mobility.
We'd like to share our company Newsletter, 'The Dish' with you so you get a feel of what we are about. We are a family owned company that has been in business for 30 years. Our jobs are not seasonal and we want to work along side other professionals that are seeking stability and are willing to invest in themselves in order to move up into more pay, more responsibility and authority in their roles.
Take a look at the latest issue of The Dish. If you like what you see, set up an interview here or simply visit us in Avon, Indiana during the week to participate in our open interviews.
Either way, we would love to meet you!
Our career opportunities are diverse and provide competitive pay and benefits!
There are four simple steps involved in becoming a Certified Food Professional.
We need you to make the decision and take the action to begin your journey to career growth. Together, we will successfully help you achieve your goal to become a Certified Food Professional!
Here are some frequently asked questions which will help you in deciding whether a new career as a Food Professional is for you.
Q: What are the certifications Harlan offers?
A: The most common is the Harlan CFP certification. To be eligible for the CFP Certification, team members must first complete the AFP process.
AFP stands for Apprentice Food Professional. This phase lasts 90 days from completing the on-boarding and initial training process. During your AFP training period, you will learn the basics of your role and tasks as well as the foundational elements for both product quality, communication, safety. During this time, you will undergo how the team you are assigned to works as well as the production line or team you are affiliated with. At the end of your apprenticeship, you will take a certification test and graduate to your CFP (Certified Food Professional) training period.
Your CFP or Certified Food Professional training period will last approximately 8 weeks. During this time, you will learn detailed information on how to fully master and excel in your role. You will also learn, and commit to memory, every aspect of manufacturing and plant safety. You will master and commit to memory every aspect associated with product manufacturing quality.
Harlan is the only food manufacturer to offer this certification to employees.
As part of this process, you will be taught more advanced communication and team collaboration techniques. During your CFP training process, all of these advanced skill will be put to practice as well. During this time period you will be scored by your supervisor as well as complete training and testing modules through our learning management system.
As your CFP training period concludes, you will take a final test and graduate to CFP (Certified Food Professional).
Q: What level of certification makes the most sense for me?
A: All employees must fall within one of three groups- New Hire Trainees, Apprentice Food Professional or Certified Food Professional. As your career advances, you will have the opportunity to also graduate to higher CFP levels. The below chart breaks down the different levels which include Several CFP Levels based on role and responsibility as well as Master CFP Options based on skill and expertise gained on the job.
Q: How will an AFP/CFP certification help in my career progression within Harlan?
A: Like many advanced certifications or degrees, having the CFP designation indicates to the industry that you have mastered specific best-practices as well as meet and/or exceed industry accepted standards and practices. As your CFP Certifications expand, so does upward mobility!
Q: What are the eligibility requirements for the AFP/CFP certifications?
A: First, you must be a legal resident of the country in which the Harlan facility you are applying to resides (i.e. United States or Canada). You must have proficiency in speaking, reading and understand the English language. English is our language for quality and safety.
Second, you must successfully complete your New Hire period. This means showing up for work on time and each day. During your New Hire period, you will be assigned a Harlan Food Professional Mentor. Engaging with and learning from your mentor is also a requirement to be eligible for moving from New Hire to AFP and from AFP to CFP.
Q: How do I keep my certification valid?
A: Each manufacturing line must meet certain defined performance criteria, including that team members all being in good standing. This means all employees tied to a specific team (such as maintenance, shipping, etc.) or a specific manufacturing line must be in good standing as a New Hire, AFP or CFP. Also, each team and line must successfully complete and pass on-going audits. If all Food Professionals are in good standing and their team or line passes the audits, they achieve Center of Excellence certification.
Also, each CFP must re-certify for their CFP status annually. Certification remains valid as long as they successfully re-certify and their team or line have an active COE status. Not passing your CFP re-certification or your team/line's inability to regain a lost COE status will invalidate the CFP status of team members affiliated with that team or production line.
Harlan offers competitive benefits for all its Food Professionals. These include:
Details on these benefits are outlined to you during the interview process. We look forward to you getting started on your Food Professional Journey so apply today! Click here to get started now!
Are you frustrated with having a job but knowing that job offers you very little future? Do you ever think about rising up the ranks but wonder how you are going to make that happen?
Every day you probably work hard in your job but are your efforts working for you in return? At the end of this year, will you be any closer to a larger role with more responsibility, authority and pay?
Do you want more from your work life than you are getting? If you are willing to invest in yourself, leave the job behind and begin building a career as a Food Professional. We are hiring talented, motivated and committed team members who aspire to be certified professionals.
Moving into a rewarding career is easier than you might think. Click here to see how simple changing your life can be.
It is that simple! If you are looking to improve your work life, becoming a Harlan Food Professional is the best way to kickstart a new and prosperous career!
