You'll need to screen applicants to determine those you will interview, interview selected applicants, check references and then choose your preferred applicant.
Selecting the right person for your role will mean you get great performance and productivity from them which will positively impact on you, other team members and your farm. People have a huge impact on the success or failure of your farm and the cost of selecting the wrong person can be high.
Getting Started
- Phone screen the top applicants by asking key questions about their experience, skills and qualifications and the reasons they are interested in your role. From this create a shortlist of 3 - 5 people you will interview and notify them. Also notify those that were unsuccessful.
- Arrange and carry out interviews making sure you will not be interrupted. Have questions prepared which will test the applicant's competence against the job description and the tasks and responsibilities they would have on your farm.
- Use a range of question types to find out:
- how they have behaved in certain situations in the past
- what they are interested in
- their strengths
- areas they find challenging
- their goals for the future.
- Make sure you get a feel for their attitude and how they would fit in your team and on your farm.
- Check the references of any applicants you are particularly interested in. Remember you can only contact nominated referees. Ask them questions about how the applicant has performed in the past and clarify any detail or unclear areas from your interview with the applicant.
- Review all that you have learned about your preferred applicants and decide which person, if any, is right for your role.
Remember to....
- Follow a thorough recruitment process to find the best person for the role.
- Once you have started the recruitment process then you want to keep it ticking over. Applicants are likely to be applying for a range of roles and any time wasted means your potential pool of applicants is reducing.
- The cost of selecting the wrong person can be high - lower performance, higher operating costs, reduced morale and increased staff turnover.