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Hum an Resource Managem ent:

Em ployee Attraction and

Selection GuideSarah L. Fogleman, David Anderson and Dean McCorkle*

A recent study by Ern st and Young concluded th at recru iting and r etaining keypersonnel is the single largest concern of the 400 fastest growing companies in thecountry. Is your farm one of those 400? Probably not. Should agricultura l man -agers be concerned about finding and keep ing high quality em ployees? You be t.

Successful managers have learned that an ounce of prevention is better than apound of cure when it comes to dealing with employee problems. The risk of hir-ing a bad employee can be minimized with a sound recruitment and selection

process. Recruiting and selecting the right emp loyee for a position is important forthe long-term benefit of your farm. This guide covers five steps agricultural man-agers can use to recruit and select the right employees for their businesses.

Five Steps To Recruiting and Selecting

1. Consider the needs of the position and the business

2. Build an applicant pool

3. Evaluate the applicants

4. Make a selection

5. Hire and train

Consider the needs of the position and the business

Too frequently, in the rush to fill a position, the position itself goes unscruti-nized. Would you spend thousands of dollars on a tractor without understandingthe jobs you expect the tractor to do? Understand the job and youll recognize thebest possible person to fill it.

Ask these questions:

q Does this position require an employee to have good written andverbal comm un ication skills?

q Will there be any r esponsibilities involving ma them atics?

q Does this position require interaction with other farmemployees?

q Will this person h ave to read, drive, lift, see, talk, listen,weld, calculate, stand, instruct, etc.?

Developing a clear un derstan ding of the ideal emp loyee foreach position is important in attracting such an employee and

ensuring that he or she gets the job. This can be accomplishedthrough four steps.

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*Extension Agricultural Economist, Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative

Extension Service; Assistant Professor and Extension Economist, The Texas A&M University System; and

Extension Program SpecialistRisk Management, The Texas A&M University System.

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q Determine the time requirementof the p osi-tionpart-time, full-time, seasonal, tempo-rary.

q Do a job analysis to describe and record allaspect s of the job. You can do th is throu ghobservation, interviews with other employ-ees, recommendations of experts, workdiaries, questionnaires, and mechanicalinstrum ents (stopwatches, counter s, films).

After the analysis you should know thephysical and intellectual requirements theemployee must meet; a comprehensive listof tasks to be performed; and w here theposition fits into the overall organization.

q Develop a job specification to group the nec-essary em ployee qu alifications in term s ofknowledge, abilities, skills or licenses.Remember to take no skills for granted. Ifyou are hiring someone who may have tomix and apply chemicals, dont be con-cerned merely with the applicants physical

capabilities and mechanical experience.You shou ld specify that app licants also haveadequate reading and mathematical skills.Job specifications might include items suchas having a valid drivers license, or know -ing how to drive a tractor, weld and dobasic mathematics.

q Job descriptions have become very p opularin the last few years. The job analysis andspecifications are combined in the jobdescription to give potential and currentemployees an accurate perception of the

position. Descriptions a re typ ically a p agelong and include the job title, job summary,key duties, supervisory relationships, andworking conditions.

Finally, always keep in mind the needs ofyour business. Do you need employees who willbe able to grow and expand with your opera-tion? Maybe you are interested in developing ateam-based work structure w here every em ploy-ee will need to be able to work well with others.Understanding the role you will expect anemployee to play in the big picturemanageri-

al responsibilities and long-term commitment tothe farmwill help in recruiting and hiring theright person for your operation.

Build an applicant pool

Getting qualified and interested applicants isa common concern. According to one study, themost successful employee recruitment methodsused by agricultural employers are word ofmouth an d referrals from curren t or formeremployees. In fact, many employers have hadsuccess with offering bonuses for employees

who refer qualified applicants who are hiredand w ork a certain amount of time. Recruitmentalso can be done through government agencies,schools/universities/colleges, classified ads, pri-vate agencies, and the Internet.

Knowing the kind of individual who wouldbest fill a position helps, too. For example, tohire a ran ch man ager, determine the kinds ofmagazines a successful manager might subscribe

to and the organizations to which he or shemight be long. Advertise your position th roughthose channels. Also develop a network of otherpeople in the business, as well as in schools andcolleges that have ranch management degreeprograms, and let them kn ow about your p osi-tion. Concentrated efforts are frequently muchmore effective in the long run than a shotgunapproach.

By far the best method of recruiting new tal-ent to your business is to make your businessthe kind of place where talented and hard w ork-

ing people feel appreciated and valued. Thismakes it easier to retain good employees anddevelop a reputation for being a great employer.

Evaluate the applicants

Evaluating applicants can b e difficult for m an-agers to do. Its easy to w orry about m isjudgingapplicantseither letting a good employee slipthrough the cracks or being fooled by someonewho is very impressive in the interview processbut just isnt the same when its time to go towork. The following steps may help.

q Go over th e job an alysis, specification anddescription, highlighting th e skills an d q ual-ifications you need to evaluate during theselection process.

q Choose your methods of evaluation. For acomplicated position r equiring severalskills, you will need more than one method.To determine if an applicant has all the nec-essary tools for a position, it is usually agood idea to run the applicants over somehu rdles, or a series of evaluation tools.Often, one hurdle must be cleared before

an applicant can advance in the selectionprocess.

Some evaluation hurdles include:

Written ap plications

Written tests

Oral tests

Interviews

Practical tests

References

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Written applications gather essential infor-mation and gauge the applicants ability to readand w rite. They may be u sed to narrow a largefield of applicants based on qualificationsagood first hu rdle.

Written tests are an excellent tool whentechnical knowledge is required. The format ofthe test can varymu ltiple choice, short answ er,essay. They may be open book, allowing the

applicant access to the materials available on thejob. The applicant m ay have to examine soiltests or photos of diseased crops and make deci-sions accordingly. Com puter -based tests m ayalso be relevant tools.

Oral tests may help you assess the appli-cants communication ability and technicalexpertise. Examples include asking the applicantto give instructions to oth er employees or to dis-cuss the structural conformation of a cow.Another good test qu estion is to give the ap pli-cant a hypothetical problem an d ask w hat steps

he or she would take to solve it.

Interviews allow employers and potentialemployees to get to know each other.Interviews may take a serious, grilling tone orbe ver y laid-back and conversational. Well-planned interviews in wh ich open-ended ques-tions are asked work best. Of course, someapplicants may sound very impressive during aninterview and disappoint once on the job. Otherapplicants may be very nervous in an interviewand miss their opportunity to shine. This is whyits always good to combine an interview with a

practical test.Practical te sts require the applicants to per-

form one or more of the required skills. Theymay be asked to operate a piece of machinery,sort through a pen of steers, or load sacks offeed onto a trailer. A committee of otheremployees and farm managers should evaluatethe applicants performance on practical tests.These tests also demonstrate the applicantsthought processdid he or she ask questions,prioritize tasks, and stay calm if something wentwrong?

References provided by the applicant shouldinclude past employers. Keep in mind that someemployers may hesitate to provide negativeinformation about a former employee out of fearover lawsuits. Other emp loyers may give glow-ing recommendations to unsatisfactory employ-ees they hope will leave. People you know andtrust are the only ones you can really rely on togive an accurate picture of a potential employee.Even then, people have different perceptionsand personalities. So consider all these thingswhen weighing employer references.

q Create evaluation tools. After you havedecided w hich tools youd like to use, takesome time to develop each one. Prepare thejob app lication. Form ulate th e qu estions forthe written and oral tests. Set up the practi-cal tests and prepare questions for formeremployers that you can ask during refer-ence checks. Its always a good idea to askother employees to critique your evaluation

instruments and, perhaps, participate inone or more phases of the evaluation.

q Job preview. This allows the potentialemployee to get a good feel for all aspectsof the job and the business. A well-written job descr iption he lps. You m ay add to th isby having an open house for potentialemp loyees and their fam ilies or allowing anapplicant to shadow a current employeefor part of the d ay.

q Tests. Take the poten tial emp loyees throughthe pre-established tests. If an applicant

fails to clear one hurdle, he or she maythen be eliminated from the pool. It isimportant to watch the applicant carefullyduring the practical tests. If you feel theapplicant is in danger of harming anyone oranything, the test should be stopped imme-diately and the candidate should bereleased from the process.

Well qualified applicants usually like thisapproach to hiring because it allows themto interact with other employees anddemonstrate their abilities with hands-on

tests. This gives them a good feel for thefarm and th e working environment.

q Let the applicant interview you. Remem ber,evaluation goes both ways. While the appli-cant might not get the job if he or shedoesnt perform well, you might not geta great employee if you dont put your bestfoot forward, too.

Make a selection

After all applicants have completed the evalu-ation process, its time to m ake a d ecision an d

extend an offer. If none of the applicants meetyour criteria, do not hesitate to re-open theapplication process. Or, you may hire someoneon a temporary basis, with the intention of mak-ing it permanent if his or her performance is sat-isfactory after a specified p eriod of time. That isacceptable as long as the employee and employ-er are on the same page. It is very difficult tomaintain a separation between temporary (pro-bationary) and permanent employees. Legal andemployee morale problems may arise if the tem-porary employee expects to be m ade perm anent

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and this does not happen. Be very careful in thisarea.

Hire and train

Negotiating terms of employment may or maynot be necessary for your situation. Handlingthe hiring process in a fair and legal manner isimportan t. Refer to pu blication RM8-4.0 in th isseries for legal questions on this and other

related issues.

Training em ployees is vital in pr eparing th emfor success. They will need advice on everythingfrom the informal relationships among cowork-ers to their own specific job r esponsibilities. Itcan be helpful to set up a mentor relationshipbetween a new employee and an existingemployee who knows the ropes. This gives thenew employee a friend within the business,someone to go to for everything from minorquestions (which restaurants in town are good)to major issues (how to deal with another

employee or manager). Likewise, the mentorwill feel complimented when entrusted w ith theresponsibility of m entoring a new co-worker.

Performance evaluations should be done on aregular basis for everyone who works on yourfarm or ranch. This is especially true for newemployees. We all know it is best to stop badhabits before they start. Training new employeesand reviewing their progress regularly for atleast 3 months may prevent future problems.When an employee is new, instruction and guid-ance w ill most likely be viewed as h elpful. After

the employee has been on the job for a while,the same instruction or guidance might beviewed as cr iticism. Evaluations should startearly and continue throughout the employeescareer.

The best thing you can do while training is tocreate the kind of environment in w hichemployees are not afraid to ask questions. Suchan en vironm ent h elps employees and man agerswork together to make the team the best it canbe. Take the time to listen to both questions andideas. New employees may bring a newapproach to old pr oblems. Take advan tage oftheir fresh perspective.

Making it work

Recruiting and selecting the right people foryour business is a challenge, and every situationis unique. If you are innovative, persistent andrealistic, and can communicate the strengths ofyour business and the benefits of the positionsyou offer, you shou ld be su ccessful in attr actinghigh quality employees to build careers withyour farm.

References

Billikopf, Gregory. Labor Management in Ag:Cultivating Personnel Productivity. CooperativeExtension Service, University of California.

Ervin, Bernie. Recruiting and Hiring OutstandingStaff. Cooperative Extension Service, TheOhio State University.

Fogleman et. al. Employee Compensation and JobSatisfaction on Dairy Farms in the Northeast.April 1999. Corn ell Un iversity, RB99-02.

Rosenberg, Howard. Labor ManagementDecisions. University of California APMPResearch Papers, Volume 8, Num ber 1,Winter-Spring 1999.

Schuler, R. 1998. Managing Human Resources.Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western CollegePublishing.

Produced by Agricultural Communications, The Texas A&M University System

Educational programs of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended, and June 30, 1914, incooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Chester P. Fehlis, Deputy Director, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M UniversitySystem.1.5M, New ECO

Partial fund ing support h as been provided by the Texas Wheat Produ cers Board, Texas Corn Producers Board,

Texas Farm Bureau an d th e Hou ston Livestock Show and Rodeo.