James Talent

"Everyone stops job hunting near the holidays". If you believe that...You're already losing. This week has been exceptionally busy. I've had calls with new and existing clients looking to lock in new hires for January. They've got big plans for 2026 and we all know you have to start the year off strong. ➜ These companies have woken up. ➜ January is the time to have people hit the ground running. ➜ Not starting the recruiting process from scratch. Don't waste the best part of Q1 interviewing when you can be doing that now. ➜ Candidates are still taking calls. ➜ They're still interviewing. ➜ Some already have offers locked in. I'm speaking with sales talent as you're reading this. Don't let your competition snap them up and get a head start. Who out there is making moves ahead of the New Year?

If you've found yourself actively applying to 100+ jobs and can't get interviews. Danny James gives his insight on how to stand out.

A tad late… PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2025 — what a week. 🎰 After Chicago last year, I was keen to see how Vegas stacked up. And honestly? Vegas took the win for me. It wasn’t quite as hectic, which meant I could actually spend quality time with clients without feeling like I was pulling them away from their booths. Plus, this year just felt different. Walking the floor, bumping into familiar faces, catching up properly… that’s when you realise how connected this industry really is. I caught up with clients I’ve placed candidates with, hearing how they’ve settled in, what’s ahead for Q4, and their plans for 2026. It’s an incredible feeling seeing people you’ve helped actually thriving. Had dinners, drinks, and real conversations that remind me why I love this industry. Passionate, down-to-earth people who genuinely care about what they do. Apparently, I’m taller and younger in person... I’ll take that one. 😄 And I made sure to take a day out for the full American experience 🇺🇸 — Breakfast at Denny’s followed by an afternoon shooting guns. But one theme kept coming up again and again: succession planning. So many companies have brilliant people, but many of them are nearing retirement. Everyone knows it’s coming… few have a plan. In five years, a lot of knowledge and experience will walk out the door. Are we training and mentoring the next generation now — or just hoping they’ll be ready when the time comes? This isn’t a future problem. It’s a today problem. As an industry, we can’t just automate our way out of it. We need people — skilled, motivated and curious people. That starts with giving them a reason to join. On a personal note, I won’t be at PACK EXPO Chicago 2026 (it lands on my wedding week and Erin D. would definitely kill me 💍). But I’ll be back in 2027, with more connections, more stories, and hopefully a few more people who’ve joined this great industry. To everyone I met in Vegas... thank you! 🙌

✨ New look. Sharper focus. Same mission. It's time for a re-introduction... When I first launched James Talent last year, I covered Industrial Automation & Capital Equipment. Many of my early clients were in the Processing & Packaging Machinery space and I found it fascinating. January this year, it just clicked. This industry felt like home. It ties perfectly to the broad engineering recruiting I’ve been doing for 10+ years, but with a level of depth and community that grabbed me. So I went all in. Since then, I’ve truly immersed myself...learning the machines, meeting the people, and understanding the challenges companies face around talent. Somewhere along the way, I’ve become a bit of a nerd about it. The results? → Presidents and General Managers have trusted me with critical hires. → Sales leaders who have driven growth and are hiring for their team. → HR who were against working with a recruiter, we're now a trusted partner. → Engineers who've stepped into management roles. → Service Techs who keep production lines running day after day. And many of them have left outstanding recommendations (check my profile). Now with a refreshed website, logo, and branding, I’m doubling down on that mission: → To become 'The' Trusted Recruiter for the Processing & Packaging Industry. And the timing couldn’t be better...Next week I’ll be in Las Vegas for PACK EXPO. If you’d like to have a chat about a new opportunity or a new hire, let me know - I’d love to connect in person.

This tool has made me THOUSANDS 💰 We've all spoken about mapping out a market. In true OCD fashion, I have taken it to the next level and color-coded this client map. There are over 900 companies on this map, they are split into: 🟠 Packaging Machinery Companies 🟣 Processing Machinery Companies As a true specialist, I have a duty to know what is going on in the Processing & Packaging Machinery industry. That starts with knowing all the players in this space. If you want access to the best opportunities, you need to partner with a Recruiter who knows where to find them 🔍 (When you zoom in, you can really see how densely populated some areas are with Processing & Packaging manufacturing)

Great opportunity for someone experienced selling food processing machinery. Reach out to Danny James for more information!

Happy Monday! I'm looking for an Field Service Technician with experience in Processing / Packaging Equipment and PLCs to join an amazing client of mine. This position can be based from anywhere in the U.S and is offering great rates of pay with great earning potential! 🎯 Field Service Technician 📍 Location: Remote, US 💼 Salary: $40-45/hr + Excellent Benefits! To apply, check out the job below or email me your resume: danny@james-talent.com

$3,000,000 in 3 months... I placed a sales candidate with one of my food processing clients just over 3 months ago and I recently caught up with him. Turns out he has been busy... Within 3 months he has built up an impressive sales pipeline of over $3,000,000. With CapEx, sales can have lengthy timelines, so it may take time for some of this to materialize into sales. However, I am buzzing for both this candidate and client - they are a small team and this early success will be instrumental to their future growth plans. Can't wait to catch up with him in a few months and see where he is then. We've agreed to have a virtual Whiskey 🥃 together when his first sale comes in.

We've all seen those jobs that have "Over 100 applicants"... I saw a great post from Adam Zdrzalka yesterday about the number of these 'applications' that are totally unqualified. Here were the stats: ❌ 50% of applicants don’t have the required skills for the role. ❌ 30% don’t live close to the country/timezone required for the role. ❌ 10% of applicants don’t even speak the required language for the job! ✅ So only 10% of applicants actually have the skills to apply. As a recruiter I wanted to give my take. Adam was speaking FACTS. If anything, I think he downplayed it - I find that 90-95% of my applicants don't have the required skills for the role. Although - I work in a very specialist market, so my numbers will be skewed. Below is an image from a job I posted recently. Yes...1104 applications. Only 6 had any relevant experience. That's 0.5%. So don't be put off by the number of applications... If you have the experience we are asking for... Go ahead and apply!