{"id":12903,"date":"2014-11-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-02T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/the-glove-to-fit-the-hand\/"},"modified":"2014-11-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-11-02T11:00:00","slug":"the-glove-to-fit-the-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/the-glove-to-fit-the-hand\/","title":{"rendered":"The glove to fit the hand"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\u201cIt\u2019s just a case of them coming along,\u201d the former sharemilker and farm owner said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see it as the glove fitting the hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said it was important to look at the situation from both the employer\u2019s and employee\u2019s side of the recruitment equation.<\/p>\n

When it came to finding new staff for farms he supervises, Johnson said they would either approach people they knew or advertise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never go head-hunting, but rather put two and two together if an opportunity arises,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there\u2019s nothing wrong with saying to someone, \u2018Next time you\u2019re looking for a job, give us a call\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertising had the advantage of thoroughly checking who could be suitable for the position.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe person you already know might not be the best out there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Generally, he used Fonterra\u2019s Fencepost website, describing it as a great tool for recruitment. He favoured a \u201cshort and sweet\u201d ad giving some basic details of the position and asking those interested to make contact.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also started to use the business-oriented networking website LinkedIn, which he said had the advantage of providing a number of different farming contacts.<\/p>\n

If there were no suitable inquiries about the position, he said farmers needed to be prepared to re-advertise or think of another way to attract the right staff member.<\/p>\n

He said emailing a one-page farm description to applicants laid a good foundation.<\/p>\n

The description should include details about the farm system such as staff employed and what sort of dairy the successful applicant would be working in. He recommended including potential production indices such as milking herd characteristics like Breeding Worth (BW) \u2013 if it\u2019s not a sharemilking position \u2013 and soil test details such as Olsen P levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to sell the farm to the best employee.\u201d<\/p>\n

More family-oriented details were also important, such as time off, how close the farm was to the local school, and how many bedrooms staff accommodation could provide.<\/p>\n

Johnson targeted a shortlist of four applicants to progress from the available recruitment pool.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s such a competitive situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember the best on your list is also the best on someone else\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

If a strong applicant was interested but the job wasn\u2019t suitable, he had a backup strategy. If there were no suitable applicants the position might be changed to suit, such as changing a managerial role to that of a contractor.<\/p>\n

\n

\u2018I would never go head-hunting, but rather put two and two together if an opportunity arises.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI like to hire for attitude,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m in pursuit of.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cautioned having a number of jobs in quick succession didn\u2019t necessarily mean there was a problem with that worker.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m most interested in is the current employer. They should be comfortable with their employee moving on.\u201d<\/p>\n

If that person is not on the list of referees he would ask the applicant why not, as legally the applicant\u2019s written permission was required for contact.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes they are testing the waters and they haven\u2019t told their current employer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

From the employee\u2019s perspective Johnson said they should have a pre-prepared CV they can email off in response to the job ad. He lamented the poor quality of some CVs that he saw.<\/p>\n

He recommended those applying for sharemilking roles should provide details of their financial assets along with their CV.<\/p>\n

\u201cA summary of their assets and liabilities lets you know if they can afford the cashflow and outgoings involved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A balance sheet should be included along with a record of essentials for the job such as bikes, calf feeders and fencing equipment<\/p>\n

He said career-changers had a lot to offer, including wider life skills and experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey often have a trade and a work ethic instilled into them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said many farmers still had the stereotype of \u201cwanting to help a young guy get ahead\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately a lot of farmers can get let down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Often farmers left hiring staff until the last minute and, while that should be avoided, it need not mean there wouldn\u2019t be a suitable candidate out there.<\/p>\n

Johnson believes there are a lot of resources, such as DairyNZ\u2019s HR Toolkit, that dairy farmers could call on if they wanted to improve their human resources skills \u2013 an area now seen as a legitimate part of the farming business.<\/p>\n

Ask the right questions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Johnson is happy to share some of his favourite interview questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always like to ask technical questions such as:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • What would you do if the vacuum on the milking plant dropped?<\/li>\n
  • How would you manage a downer cow?<\/li>\n
  • How do you prevent calf scours?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cSome interviewees have got plenty to say but others look at you as though you\u2019re speaking a foreign language.\u201d<\/p>\n

    He also asks applicants how they rate their progress in the dairy industry, which he believes gives an insight into whether they are critical of themselves or others for not achieving what they\u2019d set as their goal. He\u2019ll also ask for an example of a project they\u2019ve undertaken onfarm and what they regard as discretionary work.<\/p>\n

    To draw a passive partner out he will inquire of them how the person being interviewed handles stress.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI\u2019m trying to employ someone who is logical, calm and easy to get on with,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

    And the question which must have a positive answer is that which he asks of the current employer \u2013 \u201cWould you have them back?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Johnson preferred to interview all shortlisted candidates, and their partners, in a short timeframe, saying that was the most efficient use of his and the farmer\u2019s time.<\/p>\n

    He liked to have a table set up in an implement shed so there was an informal feel to the interview, and would get the farmer to start off by explaining their farming system.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe interview is really judging the person, but that\u2019s only part of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

    \u201cA lot of poor decisions have been made on the basis of one phone reference and a glowing interview.\u201d<\/p>\n

    He makes certain to discipline himself to get three phone references for each of those short-listed.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt can be hard to get in touch with people and that\u2019s especially the case with older references. Some people may also not have three references.\u201d<\/p>\n

    He preferred to check references after the interview, saying it could be time-consuming to do so before the interview. Interviewing early on gave a good feel for whether candidates lived up to expectations, which reference checks would hopefully reinforce.<\/p>\n

    Roy Johnson is a farm consultant with David Stewart and Associates in Te Awamutu.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When recruiting staff, farm consultant Roy Johnson works on the premise that the right person is definitely out there.\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":12904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t