Employee Recruitment

"The most valuable asset of any business is its people. Land, buildings, merchandise and equipment may dominate a balance sheet, but they don't make a business successful; people do" Bernard Erven Ohio State University

Are you gambling with your success?

Agricultural labor management is a process of many interconnected relationships. Hiring the right person is actually the first of many critical labor management decisions.

As a manager, you must make the best use of an employee's skills, know how to build effective professional relationships, and have the ability to encourage exceptional employees to continue working on your farm. Overall, your skillfulness will motivate employees, and determine their individual strengths and needs.

• Employee productivity generates farm profitability and growth
• A reliable, productive employee has the needed qualifications plus motivation
• The employer provides the motivation and methods to meet employee needs
• Difficult, problematic employees will exponentially affect your farm business - negatively.

Recruiting and Hiring Outstanding Employees

Finding quality employees is absolutely necessary if profitability, growth and excellence are goals in your agricultural business.

Animals, equipment, financing, land and buildings matter a great deal. People matter even more. To a great extent, managers reach their goals through people. Getting things done through people requires competent employees. Mediocrity in filling positions can make a huge difference over time.

To have competent employees, people who have the potential of being competent must be hired.

The question is: Do I maximize my chances of hiring the "right" people or do I leave my success to chance? Each employer answers this question directly or indirectly and then lives with the answer.

The following eight-step process can be the foundation for a successful hiring plan.

Adapted excerpt from Recruiting and Hiring Outstanding Employees Bernard L. Erven Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, Ohio State University

Eight Steps for Filling a Position

1. Determine the labor needs the new employee is expected to fulfill
2. Develop a job description based on the needs
3. Build a pool of applicants
4. Review applications and select those to be interviewed
5. Interview
6. Check references
7. Make a selection
8. Hire

An additional informative article by Bernard Erven
"Finding Applicants in a Tight Labor Market (pdf)"

The Human Resources and Management One Stop Center at about.com provides a general resource on employee recruitment.