Why we love what we do

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.

 

 

Being Good at Your Job Can Be Very Rewarding

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.

6 Insider Tricks to Getting a Better Job

Insider Job Tips from a Certified HR Professional

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.

Harlan Class of New Hires learning a job

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!

Let's break down Rebecca's advice here:

Career Advancement Tip #1

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.

Fact:

In the past 3 years, Harlan Foods has nearly doubled its size.

 

Career Advancement Tip #2

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'.

Fact:

None of Harlan Foods positions are seasonal or temporary.  Harlan Foods is an Essential Employer.

Career Advancement Tip #3

Look for employers with an active mentorship program.  Ask for details about the program.

Fact:

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.

 

Career Advancement Tip #4

Look for employers who can demonstrate they reward employees who proactively step up, perform and lead.

Fact:

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.

 

Career Advancement Tip #5

Look for organizations that have a learning driven, team oriented culture.

Fact:

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.

 

Career Advancement Tip #6

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.

Fact:

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.

 

Career Advancement Tip #7

Invest in yourself.

Fact:

Harlan Foods career paths are documented.  We promote from within.

Celebrating New Food Professional Certifications!

We want to congratulate one of our Avon team for being the FIRST employee to achieve our SAFE Champion certification. Here is a little bit from Racheal:
 
"My name is Racheal Szany and I am currently the Human Resources Specialist here at Harlan Bakeries. I have over 10 years of Customer Service and Food Manufacturing experience with various companies. I also have my Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing Communications from Purdue University. My strengths are planning, scheduling and multitasking."
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
 
#innovation #food #foodmanufacturing #continuousimprovement

3 secrets to kickstarting upward mobility in your career

These secrets are what drive Harlan's Food Manufacturing Professionals to succeed

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.

Opportunity Often Hides in Plain Sight

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!

Secret Number One:  Invest in the 'Right Now' You

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:

  1. Improve my communication skills.  I am going to work on communicating with others by not just listening to what they say but observing their body language.  I am going to do a better job in listening to what others say and how they act.  I am also going to learn 2 new words a week and work to include them in all of my communications.
  2. I am going to smile more and make better eye contact with others.  The vibe I put out is the vibe I will get back.
  3. I will practice constructive feedback.  At work and at home, I will ask those who I respect and trust as well as work for what I can do to improve.
  4. I will improve on being curious.  I will work to ask more questions and learn from what I hear.
  5. I will practice these activities until they become a habit.
Smile more

Harlan employees putting the three secrets to work by smiling more

Secret Number Two: Build Upon Your Success

Once your Secret Number One activities start to become a habit, build on them.  How do you do this?

Here are some examples:

  1. Be confident.  Know what your are doing to improve yourself is the right thing.  Confidence like the other steps above comes from practice and habit.  Know that your current situation doesn't define you.  What you do defines you.
  2. Look for opportunities to learn a new skill or master a new task at work.  Master these new skills or tasks.  Take inventory of the improvements you have helped to make.  Communicate these improvements to your boss and ask for more.
  3. If new opportunities or responsibilities are not available to you at work, you might be in the wrong job.  However make a list of the tasks and responsibilities you want to take on.  This will help you in interviewing for a new and better job.
  4. If your situation or work environment is holding you back from improving, change it.  Move on.  The worst thing you can do is go to work every day and never improve your career path.

Secret Number Three: Teach Others What You Now Know

Helping others learn

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.

Moving up and improving your career and in turn your life requires only a couple of things.

  1. Always work to be improving and learning.
  2. Be friendly and approachable.
  3. Have confidence in yourself and your abilities.
  4. Be able to communicate well.  This includes asking for and taking feedback.
  5. Be willing to help others improve.

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.