Recruiter

Pearl River is seeking reliable, safety-minded individuals to join our HR team as a Recruiter in our plant in Carthage, Mississippi. This is a full-time, salaried role reporting to the HR Manager. Position Summary The Recruiter is responsible for building and maintaining a qualified pipeline of candidates for high-volume hourly positions and delivering a timely, respectful, and well-organized candidate experience from initial interest through orientation. The role combines active sourcing, community outreach, job fairs, local recruitment marketing, applicant tracking system management, screening, interview coordination, pre-employment processing, onboarding, data accuracy, and recruiting process improvement. The Recruiter partners closely with plant leaders and Human Resources to understand staffing needs, remove barriers in the hiring process, and help ensure new hires are prepared for a successful start. Primary Outcomes A consistent flow of qualified applications is generated through active sourcing, job fairs, community partnerships, local marketing, referrals, and direct job-seeker engagement. Interested candidates receive timely acknowledgment, clear next steps, responsive communication, and professional follow-up throughout the recruiting process. The applicant tracking system is accurate and current, with complete candidate records, timely status updates, documented activity, and prompt disposition of candidates who are not moving forward. Qualified candidates are screened and moved to interviews efficiently, with interview schedules aligned to plant staffing priorities and hiring-leader availability. Candidates experience a respectful, organized, and transparent process from application through offer, pre-employment requirements, and orientation. New-hire orientation is accurate, engaging, compliant, and completed on schedule, with required information entered correctly into ProLiant and the timeclock system. Recruiting results, bottlenecks, candidate feedback, and source effectiveness are reviewed regularly to improve application flow, interview completion, hiring outcomes, and candidate experience. Key Responsibilities Sourcing, Outreach, and Local Recruitment Marketing Develop and execute sourcing plans for high-volume hourly roles using job boards, workforce centers, community organizations, technical schools, employee referrals, social and digital channels, local advertising, and direct outreach. Build and maintain active partnerships with local workforce centers, schools, training programs, community organizations, staffing resources, and other sources of job seekers. Plan, promote, attend, and follow up on job fairs, hiring events, open houses, community events, and other local recruiting activities. Create and coordinate accurate, brand-consistent local recruitment marketing materials and job-seeker communications for open positions and hiring events. Engage prospective candidates in person, by phone, electronically, and through community outreach; clearly explain job requirements, schedules, work environment, hiring steps, and expected timelines. Maintain talent pipelines for recurring plant positions and re-engage qualified prior applicants or prospects when appropriate. Track applicant sources and event results to identify which channels produce qualified applicants, completed interviews, offers, and orientation attendance. Applicant Tracking System and Candidate Communication Manage the applicant tracking system as the system of record for recruiting activity, ensuring candidate contact information, application status, notes, interview activity, offers, and outcomes are complete, accurate, and current. Review new applications promptly and respond to interested candidates within established service expectations using clear, professional, and consistent communication. Move candidates through each recruiting stage without unnecessary delay and follow up on outstanding actions, documents, interview decisions, and pre-employment requirements. Disposition candidates promptly and accurately when they are no longer under consideration, using the appropriate reason and maintaining required documentation. Maintain accurate job postings, requisition details, screening questions, hiring-team information, and candidate workflows in the applicant tracking system. Conduct routine data-quality reviews to identify duplicate records, incomplete fields, stale candidates, missing dispositions, and inconsistent status information; correct issues and prevent recurrence. Protect candidate information and maintain recruiting records in accordance with confidentiality, document-retention, and applicable hiring requirements. Screening, Interviews, and Selection Support Review applications and conduct structured phone or initial screenings to evaluate qualifications, reliability, schedule alignment, interest, and ability to meet the stated requirements of the position. Provide candidates with a realistic and consistent explanation of the role, schedule, physical requirements, work environment, compensation information provided for the position, and hiring process. Coordinate interviews efficiently, confirm candidate and interviewer availability, provide reminders and instructions, and follow up promptly after interviews. Partner with plant and HR leaders to clarify staffing priorities, candidate requirements, interview capacity, and selection decisions. Document screening and interview activity accurately and communicate candidate status and next steps to the appropriate stakeholders. Monitor interview attendance, cancellations, rescheduling, and decision turnaround; identify barriers and implement improvements that keep qualified candidates engaged. Ensure selection practices and documentation are job-related, consistent, and aligned with company requirements. Offers, Pre-Employment, Orientation, and Onboarding Coordinate approved offers and communicate job details, start-date expectations, required documents, and next steps clearly to selected candidates. Coordinate post-offer requirements, including background checks and drug screenings, and follow up promptly on incomplete or delayed items. Prepare and facilitate comprehensive new-hire orientation and onboarding activities that are organized, engaging, accurate, and completed according to the scheduled start date. Complete required new-hire documentation and verify records for accuracy and completeness, including Form I-9, E-Verify, and other required hiring documents. Enter new-hire data accurately and on time in ProLiant and the timeclock system, and resolve discrepancies before the employee begins work whenever possible. Coordinate with HR and plant leadership to confirm orientation rosters, start dates, shift and department assignments, required training, and first-day readiness. Track offer acceptance, completion of pre-employment steps, orientation attendance, no-shows, and early candidate withdrawals; follow up to understand and address recurring causes. Reporting, Process Improvement, and Plant Partnership Maintain recruiting trackers, reports, and dashboards that provide accurate information on application flow, candidate response, screening activity, interviews, offers, dispositions, orientation attendance, source effectiveness, and open staffing needs. Review recruiting activity with HR and plant leadership to identify staffing risks, process bottlenecks, candidate drop-off points, and opportunities to improve speed and candidate experience. Document and maintain standard work, communication templates, event checklists, interview scheduling practices, ATS data standards, and orientation procedures. Use candidate questions, feedback, declines, no-shows, and withdrawal reasons to recommend improvements to job postings, outreach, scheduling, communication, and onboarding. Reduce manual work, duplicate entry, delayed follow-up, and data errors through practical process improvements and clear ownership of recruiting steps. Maintain regular floor presence to understand staffing needs, support communication with employees and leaders, and strengthen referral and engagement efforts. Provide support for HR documentation, record keeping, data entry, data integrity, reporting, monitoring, tracking, and audits as assigned. Complete other recruiting, HR, or special projects as assigned. Required Qualifications High school diploma or GED required; associate or bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field preferred. 1-3 or more years of high-volume recruiting experience, preferably supporting hourly positions in manufacturing, agriculture, food processing, distribution, or a similar operating environment. Experience using an applicant tracking system and maintaining accurate candidate status, documentation, and disposition data. Ability to source candidates through community partnerships, job fairs, local outreach, digital channels, referrals, and direct engagement. Strong written and verbal communication, relationship-building, customer service, organization, follow-through, and problem-solving skills. Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and HR or recruiting systems; experience with ProLiant preferred. Ability to manage multiple openings and candidates at different stages while meeting deadlines and maintaining accuracy and confidentiality. Ability to work effectively with job seekers, production employees, community partners, supervisors, and leaders across shifts. Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish is required, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with candidates and employees in both languages. Performance Expectations Application flow: Recruiting sources and outreach activities generate a sufficient, qualified pipeline aligned with current plant staffing priorities. Candidate response: Interested candidates receive prompt acknowledgment, clear next steps, and consistent follow-up throughout the process. ATS accuracy and disposition: Candidate records, stages, notes, outcomes, and disposition reasons are complete, accurate, and updated without unnecessary delay. Candidate experience: Candidates are treated respectfully and receive accurate information, organized scheduling, status communication, and closure. Interviews: Qualified candidates are advanced efficiently, interviews are scheduled and confirmed promptly, and decisions are followed up on in a timely manner. Orientation: Candidates who accept offers complete required pre-employment steps and receive an accurate, organized, and engaging orientation on the scheduled start date. Process improvement: Recruiting data and feedback are used to reduce delays, improve conversion between stages, strengthen source effectiveness, and improve the overall candidate journey. Confidentiality and compliance: Candidate and employee information is handled appropriately, with concerns escalated promptly. Pearl River Foods is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. #J-18808-Ljbffr Pearl River Foods