The maker-focused, fun, and philanthropic baking-mix company has teamed with Big Wave for 7 years and counting. Among the challenges over the years: Finding four great hires in HR to round out a suddenly too-small team in the midst of a critical Continental Mills-to-Krusteaz rebrand.
Working with the company’s VP of HR Liz Castro, Chris Englin immersed herself in all-things-Krusteaz as if she worked there—in advance of any candidate searches. She enthusiastically learned details about 1. existing team members’ roles 2. Krusteaz hidden-gem of a culture 3. core values, and 3. business goals. She came to see how the company didn’t just need to add people—they needed to build a high-performing team. And as their recruiter, Chris understood the importance of evangelizing the brand and its distinct work environment. She then ensured each step of her search for these four new candidates aligned to the new brand and kept pace with the evolution of HR: documents, job descriptions, postings, and all candidate communication.
About the experience of working with Chris Englin, Liz Castro said: “She doesn’t just give us candidates. Her approach involves drilling down to find specifics beyond job descriptions—into uncovering intangible assets—to ensure ideal team and cultural fits for the long term. Chris really knows our regional HR world, knows what matters in our marketplace—and most importantly—knows how HR fits into business strategy. And she finds candidates who are able to generate real business impacts. Chris also excels at peeling back layers when interviewing candidates, going beyond resumes to reveal relevant experiences and alignment that no one else even thought of. When I work with Chris, I never need to worry—she always finds us the right person for each role, all in a reasonable amount of time. And her high EQ, deep listening skills, experience, and authenticity put everyone at ease.”
