Cosmetics packaging jobs: when expectations differ between companies and candidates

The latest DARES report confirms a fundamental trend: with 93,900 fewer private sector jobs over the past year but an upturn in permanent contract hiring, the job market has become a field for experts. In cosmetics packaging, this reality amplifies the differences between the expectations of companies and candidates.

The current paradox is striking: net salaried employment is down (-0.4% over one year) but the employment rate has reached a historic high (69.6%). This structural transformation is redefining the rules of the game. With a limited pool of available candidates, competition now focuses on those already in post.
In the industry, companies report difficulties with demand (lack of customers) more often than difficulties with supply (lack of staff). Business challenges take precedence over the shortage of profiles, and each recruitment must demonstrate its ability to generate commercial activity.

What companies are really looking for

Faced with immediate market challenges, cosmetic packaging companies are primarily looking for operational efficiency. They favor profiles capable of generating concrete results quickly: 5 to 8 years of experience, simultaneous technical and commercial expertise, and specific sector specialization.
For sales and technical sales representatives, expectations focus on immediate sector expertise: knowledge of processes, regulatory constraints, and customer decision-making channels. Companies rely on experience to reduce adaptation time and ensure performance.
Faced with a market that is no longer growing, they are particularly looking for “hunter” profiles capable of developing new accounts and winning market share from the competition. This ability to prospect and develop business is becoming a major differentiating factor.
For project managers, the emphasis is on cross-functional coordination skills and a high degree of adaptability to multiple changes during projects. Faced with tight deadlines and sustainable development challenges, they expect complete autonomy in project management and a strong business vision.
The central objective is to identify THE talent capable of reviving or developing commercial activity. Because the market is no longer growing, it is necessary to preserve market share and even conquer new markets in a context where overall demand is stagnating or declining for certain needs.

New candidate requirements

Mirroring this, candidates in the sector are taking a more strategic approach to their careers. In a turnover-driven market where mobility is becoming the norm, they evaluate each opportunity according to six essential criteria:
Transparency of issues: visibility on the company context, the challenges of the position, real expectations, and the level of autonomy required. In an environment where caution reigns, changing companies is unsettling: you need to know what you’re getting into.
The interest of the mission and the alignment of values: a genuine search for CSR solutions, respect for the environment, development of “clean” materials. Candidates want to contribute to meaningful projects that are consistent with the sector’s environmental challenges.
Career development opportunities: learning other technologies, discovering new ways of doing things, meeting new types of customers. Candidates seek to enrich their expertise without being confined to operational tasks.
Financial recognition: attractive packages with variable components for salespeople, consistency between individual and collective performance. The absence of variable components becomes problematic in a sector where personal contribution remains measurable.
Organizational stability: financial strength, clear strategic vision, modern management. Candidates carefully analyze the signs of the company’s sustainability.
Technological environment: high-performance tools, modern information systems, effective customer management support. Technological obsolescence casts a shadow over the company’s overall image and raises doubts about its capacity for innovation.

Sector-specific characteristics to be taken into account

Family transfers and managerial changes
The cosmetics packaging sector, historically rich in SMEs and family businesses, is undergoing numerous transfers. These transitions naturally bring about changes: new management styles, changes in the working environment, and team renewals. When a historical figure recognized by the industry leaves the company, this can raise questions among candidates about the new corporate culture.

Acquisitions and restructuring
Acquisitions by large groups raise questions about the future organization, the stability of teams, and the continuation of projects. Candidates naturally evaluate these factors in their decision-making.

Reputation and information flow
In this sector, where players know each other, information circulates quickly. The reputation of managers, company results, and more traditional or controlling management approaches all directly influence the attractiveness of positions.

Business development and portfolio building
The shift towards primary packaging is attracting many candidates eager to discover new technologies. They highlight their ability to learn quickly, while companies question this increase in skills in the face of their immediate challenges.
Another challenge is emerging: few candidates are willing to rebuild a customer portfolio from scratch. The acquisition cycles are long and require significant effort.

Building bridges between expectations

For companies, the challenge is to clarify their expectations while being realistic about integration times. Communicating about the organization’s evolution, ongoing projects, and managerial culture allows candidates to calmly evaluate the opportunity.
In terms of business development, how can we encourage candidates to invest in building a portfolio? The question of financial support during this phase becomes central: progressive target bonuses, guaranteed income, and business development bonuses.
For candidates, explaining their motivations for changing jobs, the skills they have acquired, and their potential for adaptation makes it easier for companies to evaluate them. Detailed knowledge of the sector, its challenges, and its constraints enhances credibility.
For recruiters, the challenge lies in providing genuine support for this decision-making process. This means engaging in frequent dialogue, reassuring candidates during the transition while remaining transparent. It means providing genuine support that identifies deep-seated motivations and anticipates the right fit at the right time.

Towards a more collaborative approach

In this context of diverging expectations, successful recruitment requires a stronger relational approach. Working with a pool of specialized talent, understanding their backgrounds and motivations, and anticipating their development needs are all factors that help create the conditions for a successful match.
The goal is no longer simply to match a resume with a job description, but to create the conditions for a lasting collaboration that is in line with the realities of the sector and the aspirations of each individual.

Ioulia Mikaïloff
Identités Remarquables - ioulia.mikailoff@identites-remarquables.fr