Are you hiring and expanding your team? It seems like everywhere I go I see banners, billboards, signs on trucks, advertisements on the internet, posts on LinkedIn…etc. Oh yeah…advertisements on radio, open audition days, etc. Every business seems to be hiring and the Talent War as they say is on. Throw into that the “concerns” about hiring Millennials, the forecasts for more work force shrinkage, etc. and there is cause for worry among business owners.

Many of the people that I correspond with know that I have been farming with my wife and children for the past 6 years – this has made for interesting conversations at business dinners as someone in the “know” asks me to explain the chicken plucker to the professionals at the table. Oh well…that’s who I am and I can’t hide it!

At any rate, I have been reading “Fields of Farmers” by Joel Salatin. It is primarily a book about Intern programs for farms, but his ideas apply to any industry. 

Joel makes the case that an internship with low pay but with wide and deep learning opportunities makes more sense than college in many vocations and that the employer is investing a LOT into this relationship. You may like the book or portions of it.

Does your industry need an Internship and/or Apprenticeship program? Something to think about.

An amazing note about this Farm Internship Program…. they normally get over 300 applications for less than a dozen spotts….and they pay Room + Board + $100/month for “incidentals”

How do they get 300 applicants for the opportunity to BUST YOUR REAR for 6 days per week at 12+ hours per day? Easy….they are THE employer (or intern program) of choice. 

They do not have Financial Compensation, but they have loads of Intellectual and Emotional Compensation. They are well published. People know what they will learn when they go there.

So, what is your employment advertising, your www.Mycompany.com/careers page saying about the great opportunity to come work for you?

Are you the employer of choice?

Does any advertisement CLEARLY tell your story and spell out your Financial, Intellectual and Emotional Compensation?

Have you thought of using video to either describe the position or the culture or to provide employee testimonials?  (some of my thoughts and an example here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/organic-agronomy-sales-representative-position-your-wayne)

Have you shifted your thinking about recruiting from the thought that people should line up and be grateful for the job to thinking of recruiting as Marketing where you must build a magnetic message that resonates with candidates?

(One of our clients had 48 applicants and 12 telephone “Triage Calls” and 2 onsite “Auditions” and hired 2 great people using our system).

Would love to hear your feedback and what you are doing on these fronts…

Do you have any questions that I can cover in future posts like this? Let’s connect and send me a message!

If we are not connected… let’s connect on Linkedin.

Would you like to learn more about the Makeup of Strong Salespeople? Grab a time on my calendar!