I
F
A
R
MANAGEMENT
Recruiting
Farm Labor
BY RUSSEL D. POWELL
Multi-County Business/
Management Agent
The process of
recruiting farm
labor
follow the
paration of
job description,
cussed last week. IBt ir Ik
Recruiting is becoming more dif
ficult and time consuming as
many farmers are finding fewer
qualified people that are available
and willing to work. Recruitment
is simply the process of searching
for qualified applicants for the job
and getting them interested
enough to apply.
The main purpose of the
recruiting process should be to
generate a pool of qualified candi
dates from which you can choose
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the best for your job. It is impor
tant to note that there is a differ
ence between generating a pool of
“warm bodies” and attracting
qualified job applicants. One of
the best ways to attract qualified
applicants is to be specific about
the qualities you want. If you are
unsure about exactly what you are
looking for in an employee, take
time to think about what the job
entails and what skills are required
and then outline the position and
requirements in a written job
description.
There are numerous methods of
recruiting job applicants. Let’s
take a look at some of the more
common methods of attracting
good farm help and discuss the
value of each in your recruiting
program.
Suggestions from
Current Employees
Current employees can be an
excellent source of contacts for
new workers because they know
people in the community and have
at least some idea of your labor
needs. They also have a stake in
the process since they are likely to
be working with the person they
have suggested, if the person is
hired. However, this approach
should be used with caution
because there could be friction
between you and the employees
making the recommendation if the
new employee does not work out.
This points out the need
business-like relationship with all
employees and continual monitor
ing and appraising of employee
performance.
Word of Mouth
This technique is commonly
used with good success. Friends,
neighbors, salespeople, veterina
rians, and others who come in
contact with many people can
send applicants your way if they
know you are looking.
Want Ads
Want ads in newspapers and
agricultural magazines have sev
eral advantages. They are a quick,
relatively inexpensive and easy
way to reach a potentially large
audience. The most common com
plaint about want ads is that you
get many applicants, but none that
you want to hire. However, a
clearly written and specific ad
may solve this problem. Compare
the following ads and consider the
applicants they might attract.
Wanted: Worker for dairy farm.
Call 555-5555
OR
Farm Employees for 100-cow
dairy farm. Responsibilities
include milking, feeding, and
some machinery operation during
peak crop periods. Competitive
wages, health insurance, one week
paid vacation, and one day off
each week. Write Box 111 Any
town, PA.
Government Job
Services
State Employment Job Service
offices, located in each county are
often overlooked by agricultural
employers. You can call the Job
Service and talk with a counselor,
who will write-up the vacancy
announcement and post it in the
office (without the employer’s
name). Counselors screen appli
cants and only refer qualified ap
plicants to you.
Bulletin Boards
Posting a vacancy announce
ment in areas where farmers and
potential farm workers frequent,
such as farm credit offices, farm
supply stores, grange buildings, or
even college placement offices is
an inexpensive and effective
method of “spreading the word.”
The following information should
be included in the job announce
ment.
For mors Information-
Contact Melanie Wickham
P.O. Box 566
Stanley. NY 14561
Tel. 716-526-5356
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 29, 1989-Al7
• Title of the job;
• Description of responsibili-
ties;
• Description of skills required;
• Description of working
conditions;
• Key components of the wage/
benefit package;
• How to apply.
It may be helpful to distribute
the written announcements to key
salespeople and others who are
spreading word of the vacancy.
This will help insure that “the
word” is accurate.
Employment Agencies
Many private agencies make it
a business of finding employees
for prospective employers.
Although most are located in the
Midwest, their ads can usually be
found in popular agricultural
magazines. These firms represent
another legitimate source of quali
fied employees, but they tend to
be expensive - typically charging
employers a commission of 10 to
30% of the new employee’s annu
al salary.
In today’s job environment,
aggressive marketing of your jobs
is important and will be rewarded
if done carefully. One thing is cer
tain: effective recruiting in a com
petitive job market requires time,
effort, and patience.
Next week: Interviewing Job
Applicants
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