Royal Canin case study

The Challenge

This multinational specialist pet-food company were commissioning a £multi-million site in Castle Cary in Somerset and required 3 key personnel. We met with the MD to discuss the challenges and future plans for the Royal Canin brand in the UK. It was imperative to get a good understanding of the culture of the company. The MD was frustrated by the calibre of candidates he had seen previously, and wanted a very particular type of candidate that would give 100% for the Royal Canin business and were not just looking for ‘a job’.

Candidates needed to work in Somerset but travel extensively to France in the early stages of employment to learn the processes within an established Royal Canin factory. French language skills would be beneficial. Candidates needed to be able to adapt to a constantly changing environment and they required people to be passionate – which can be a rare commodity.

The Solution

• The candidates we were looking for would have a highly specific skill set and personality type so we needed to adopt a structured and targeted approach.
• We designed and posted a striking advertising campaign in the Food Manufacturer magazine to attract an initial wide group of applicants.
• Managing responses and telephone interviewing a wide pool of candidates, we worked this down to a shortlist of 5 candidates for each position. This was a key part of the process because a lot of applicants had the necessary skills and experience on paper, but it required an in-depth analysis of their motivations and personality types to determine the candidates with the correct fit.
• The client interviewed candidates in England and in France and we successfully placed all three positions.

The Feedback 

I always felt that the communication between myself on Jonas was very effective & efficient and there was always a great understanding of what my thought processes were. I do think the confidence not just I had in Jonas, but the company had in them helped towards an effective process.  I have now been in the job for 5 months and it is everything I expected and more, proving that dealing with Jonas was a massive benefit, and there were no stones unturned."  - Warwick Laycock – Successful Candidate

Jonas did an excellent job in sourcing our management team for our new UK operation.  They took the time to understand the culture of our company ensuring the roles were filled with the right individuals.  I would definitely use Jonas again in the future. - Eric Lefeuvre - Hiring Manager