Too many farmers take costly shortcuts when adding employees. Here are some blunders to avoid, according to Robert Milligan, senior consultant at Dairy Strategies based in Bruce, Wis., and Richard Hadden, a leadership consultant at Contented Cow Partners headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla.
1. Employ a haphazard process.
When your interviews are unstructured, you’re sending a message to the person you are interviewing, Milligan says. What kind of view will potential hires have of your business if their first impression is unstructured?
2. Hire whomever turns up.
Not everyone is cut out to commit to your standards, Hadden says. Look first at whether a prospective employee’s attitudes and values fi t with those of your organization. Then look at the other requirements you need for the position.
3. Keep job descriptions unclear.
This is a recipe for disaster. Instead, identify the top three to five competencies that will enable an employee to succeed in a position, Milligan says. Use those competencies to shape recruitment and to draft interview questions.
4. Delay recruiting.
Never stop recruiting, Hadden says. It’s unwise to postpone recruiting the moment you have an opening because the probability of the best person having an opening in their career at the same time you have an opening is astronomical.
