Education vs. experience: what do employers pay for? IoPP's annual Salary Survey shows that packaging departments want `knowledgable' employees, but offer higher wages to college grads

Food & Drug Packaging, Dec, 2002 by Lisa McTigue Pierce

Despite tough economic conditions these past few years, most packaging professionals earned more this year compared to last. And, overall, job satisfaction is high.

So says the 2002 Salary Survey conducted by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP). If you're looking to change jobs or add to your staff, this study can help you benchmark your worth or calculate a salary range for an available position.

In the study, salary information was cross-tabulated by age, sex, job function, geography, experience, education and packaging certification. Among survey details (also see "How this data was collected" on the opposite page) is a description of participants:

* The majority (61%) of all 727 respondents work for an end-user company, 36% work for a packaging supplier company and 3% answered neither and are probably self-employed consultants or educators.

* The majority (79%) of all respondents are male; 21% are female.

* Nearly half (49%) of the respondents identify their job function as "engineering." A fair portion list corporate management (14%) or marketing/sales (14%).

* More than three-quarters (77%) are IoPP members. Members are more likely to be over 35 years old and are more likely to be Certified Packaging Professionals (CPP). Of the respondents, one in four has attained CPP status.

Paper weight

As expected, the survey shows a correlation between salary and knowledge. The more you know, the more you earn. What's interesting, though, is how "knowledge" is defined and compensated. It could be education, experience or a mix of the two.

Most young people who enter the packaging industry carry a diploma. That piece of paper not only makes it easier for them to land a job, it also gives them the power to negotiate higher salaries, with or without any experience in packaging.

Jim Jeselnick is president of Quality Search, a recruitment company specializing in the packaging industry. He says, "We rarely ever place anyone without a degree. It doesn't have to be in packaging, but most of the clients we deal with demand a degree. Less than 5% [of our candidates], if that, fit into the category of not having a degree."

Because they're in short supply compared to the pressing demand, packaging-school graduates can pretty much pick their position. Even so, most of these schools help their recruits find good jobs. For example, Michigan State University's School of Packaging is set to hold its annual Career Fair in January at the Kellogg Banquet and Conference Center on MSU's campus in East Lansing, Mich.

Billed as "the recruiting event not to miss," the Career Fair 2003 lets employers meet hundreds of students and graduates of the School of Packaging. Companies can meet and screen candidates for full-time positions or internships on Jan. 15 and then conduct interviews on Jan. 16.

If you're interested in registering booth space, call Peggy Nuerenberg, MSU's placement coordinator at 517-353-6797. But hurry. Space is limited and sells out fast. Last year more than 70 companies from across the U.S. were able to meet with some of the 300 students who attended.

One degree of separation

Let's say you've got years of experience but no degree. What then? "There are positions for them, typically more on the supplier side rather than the end-user side," Jeselnick says. The catch? Those jobs don't pay as well.

An option for those with the street smarts but without a college education would be to work as an independent contractor and forego company benefits. "If the candidates have the technical skills, it doesn't matter if they have a degree because they aren't permanent employees and aren't up for promotions and the like," Jeselnick says. Without having to pay expensive benefits to these outside workers, companies can usually afford to pay a better hourly or per-project wage.

Having to cut expenses is causing many packaging departments to compromise on acceptance requirements and sometimes even rewrite job descriptions to a lower level. Jeselnick says that what a company can afford is the main concern in seven out of 10 placements done by Quality Search.

Although the survey shows that respondents who work at end-user companies tend to earn a higher base salary than those at packaging suppliers, there's been a shift recently of seasoned packaging professionals from end-user to supplier companies. The survey also shows that respondents working for supplier companies tend to get larger bonuses, largely due to a greater prevalence of sales/marketing personnel at these firms.

Jeselnick explains that the end-users who make the shift to the supplier community usually have a latent sales chromosome. "If they've got the knowledge and the personality to make that transition into sales, they're going to do it," Jeselnick says. "Forgot about the loyalty factor. Throw that out the window. They're gonna go for the bucks."

Certifiably marketable

Considering how much technology has changed in the packaging industry in last 20 years, how do you stay knowledgeable and marketable long after the ink has dried on your diploma?