Human Resource
Management:
Employee Attraction and
Selection Guide
Curriculum Guide
I. Goals and Objectives
A. Understand the importance of knowing the job you are trying to fill.
B. Learn how to build an applicant pool and evaluate applicants.
C. Understand the process of hiring and training.
II. Descriptions/Highlights
D. The risk of hiring a bad employee can be minimized with a sound recruitment and selection
process. Recruiting and selecting the right employee for a position is among the best human
resource practices you can use for the long-term benefit of your farm.
E.
Review the five steps agricultural managers can use to recruit and select the right employees for
their businesses: 1) consider the needs of the position and the business, 2) build an applicant pool,
3) evaluate the applicants, 4) make a selection, and 5) hire and train.
F.
Consider the needs of the position and the business – Understand the job and you’ll understand
the best possible person to fill it. Ask questions. Does this position require an employee to have
good written and verbal communication skills? Will there be any responsibilities involving
mathematics? Does this position require interaction with other farm employees?
G. Review the four steps to accomplish this: 1a) determine the time requirement of the position, 1b)
a job analysis is important in filling any position, 1c) a job specification is used to take the
employee qualifications discovered in the job analysis and group them in terms of knowledge,
abilities, skills , or licenses, and 1d) develop a job description.
H. Build an applicant pool – Two successful employee recruitment methods used by agricultural
employers are word of mouth and referrals. Many employers have had success with offering a
bonus for employees who refer a qualified applicant who is hired and works a certain amount of
time. Other recruitment methods include government agencies, schools/universities/colleges,
want ads, private agencies, and the Internet. Make your business the kind of place talented and
hard working people feel appreciated and valued.
I.
RM8-3.0
1-00
Evaluate the applicants – It is easy to worry about misjudging applicants; i.e., either letting a
good employee slip through the cracks or being fooled by someone who was very impressive in
the interview process but just isn’t the same when it’s time to go to work. Review the following
steps for evaluating applicants:
3a) Go over the job analysis, specification, and description, highlighting the skills and
qualifications you need to evaluate during the process.
3b) It is usually a good idea to run the applicants through some hurdles, or a series of evaluation
tools. Choose your evaluation method. Some evaluation methods (hurdles) include:
Page 1
Written applications gather essential information and gauge the applicant’s ability
to read and write. They may be used to narrow a large field of applicants.
Written tests are an excellent tool when technical knowledge is required. Computer-based
tests may also be a relevant tool.
Oral tests may help assess the applicant’s communication ability and technical
expertise. Examples may include asking the applicant to give instructions to other
employees or discuss the structural conformation of a cow. Interviews allow potential
employers and employees to get to know each other. Interviews may take a serious, grilling,
tone or be very laid-back and conversational. Well-planned interviews that ask open-ended
questions work best.
Practical tests require the applicant to perform one or more of the required skills through a
mock situation. They may be asked to operate a piece of machinery, sort through a pen of
steers, or load sacks of feed onto a trailer.
References require the applicant to provide the names and phone numbers of past
employers. Keep in mind, some employers may hesitate to provide negative information
about a former employee out of fear over lawsuits. Other employers may give glowing
recommendations to unsatisfactory employees they want to get rid of.
3c) Create tools. After you have decided which hurdles you’d like to use, take some time to
develop each one. Prepare the job application. Formulate the questions for the written and
oral tests. Set-up the practical tests and prepare questions for former employers that you
can ask during reference checks.
3d) Job preview. This allows the potential employee to get a good feel for all aspects of the job
and the business. A well-written job description helps. If possible, exposing applicants to
current or former employees will help in this process.
3e) Hurdles. Take the potential employees through the pre-established hurdles.
3f) Let them interview you. Remember, evaluation goes both ways. While the applicant might
not get the job if he or she doesn’t perform well, you might not get a great employee if you
don’t put your best foot forward too.
J.
Make a selection – After taking all applicants through a series of hurdles, it’s time to make a
decision and extend an offer. If none of the applicants meet your criteria, do not hesitate to reopen the application process. Or you may hire a temporary employee and reconsider the
applicant at a later time to be promoted to full-time status. That is acceptable, as long as the
employee and employer are on the same page. Legal and employee morale problems may arise if
the temporary employee expects to be made permanent and this does not happen. Be very careful
in this area.
K. Hire and train – Negotiating terms of employment may or may not be necessary for your
situation. Handling the hiring process in a fair and legal manner is important. Refer to
publication RM8-4.0 in this series for legal questions on this and other related issues.
L.
Training employees is absolutely vital in preparing them for success. They will need advice on
everything from the informal relationships among coworkers to their specific job responsibilities.
Frequently, it is helpful to instigate a mentor relationship between new employees and existing
employees that know the ropes.
M. Performance evaluations should be done on a regular basis for everyone who works on your farm
or ranch. This is especially true for new employees. Training new employees and reviewing their
progress regularly for at least three months may prevent future problems.
RM8-3.0
1-00
Page 2
N. The best thing you can do while training is to create the kind of environment where employees are
not afraid to ask questions. Take the time to listen to both questions and ideas. New employees
may bring a new approach to old problems. Utilize this fresh perspective.
O. The best advice for managers who are looking to recruit is to be innovative, persistent, and
realistic. Recognizing the strengths of your business and the positions you offer will go a long
way toward enticing quality people to build careers with your farm.
III.
Potential Speakers
A. Extension Economists
B. Human Resource Consultant/Manager
IV.
Review Questions
A. Why are employee performance evaluations a good idea?
Answer: Regular performance evaluations may allow an employee to avoid forming
bad habits before they get started. For new employees, instruction and guidance will most likely
be viewed as helpful while employees that have been on the job for a while may view it as
insulting or criticism. To avoid the latter, you should start performance evaluations early and
continue throughout the employee’s career.
V. For More Details
Billikopf, Gregory. Labor Management in Ag: Cultivating Personnel Productivity. Agricultural Extension:
University of California.
Ervin, Bernie. Recruiting and Hiring Outstanding Staff. Agricultural Extension: The Ohio State University.
Fogleman et. al. Employee Compensation and Job Satisfaction on Dairy Farms in the Northeast. April 1999.
Cornell University, RB99-02.
Rosenberg, Howard. Labor Management Decisions. University of California APMP Research Papers, Volume
8, Number 1, Winter-Spring 1999.
Schuler, R. (1998). Managing Human Resources. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing.
RM8-3.0
1-00
Page 3
Human Resource Management:
Employee Attraction and Selection Guide
Ž
Employee Attraction and Selection
L Minimize risk of hiring bad employees
L Sound recruiting and selection process
L Long-term benefit of your agricultural business
Ž
Five Steps for Recruiting and Selecting the
Right Employees
L Consider the needs of the position and the business
L Build an applicant pool
L Evaluate the applicants
L Make a selection
L Hire and train
RM8-3.0
1-00
Page 1
Human Resource Management:
Employee Attraction and Selection Guide
Ž
Consider the Needs of the Position and the
Business
L Understand the job first
L Ask questions like:
T
Does this position require good written and verbal
skills?
T
Will there be any responsibilities involving math?
T
Does this position require interaction with other
employees?
L Develop a clear understanding of the “ideal” employee
for each position.
L Review the four steps to accomplish this:
RM8-3.0
1-00
T
Time requirement (full or part-time)
T
Job analysis
T
Job specification
Page 2
Human Resource Management:
Employee Attraction and Selection Guide
T
Ž
Job description
Build an Applicant Pool
L Word of mouth
L Referrals
L Bonuses/incentives to employees who refer
L Government agencies
L Schools, colleges, universities
L Want ads
L Private agencies
L Internet
L Make your business such that it attracts good people
RM8-3.0
1-00
Page 3
Human Resource Management:
Employee Attraction and Selection Guide
Ž
Evaluate the Applicants
L
Review the job analysis, specification, and description
L
Evaluation methods:
Written applications
Written tests
Oral tests
Interviews
Practical tests
References
T
T
T
T
T
T
L Create tools
L Job preview
L Hurdles
L Let applicant interview you
RM8-3.0
1-00
Page 4
Human Resource Management:
Employee Attraction and Selection Guide
Ž
Make a Selection
L
You may or may not hire anyone
L
Don’t hesitate to re-open the application process
L
Hire temporary employee
L
Be careful with temporary versus full-time
Hire and Train
Ž
L Negotiating terms of employment
L Handle the hiring process in a fair and legal manner
L Training
L Specific job duties
L Mentor relationships
L Performance evaluation
RM8-3.0
1-00
Page 5
Human Resource Management:
Employee Attraction and Selection Guide
L Friendly work environment
RM8-3.0
1-00
Page 6