Chapter 13 Hiring staff: making the right choices.
OBJECTIVESAfter studying this chapter, you should have an understanding of:
* long-term goals
* job description
* compensation package
* promotability
* up-to-date resume
* team-oriented approach
* affirmative action and equal opportunity employer basic understanding of Spanish special pesticide licensing commercial driver's license
* problem-solve difficult situations
Hiring the right employee in any profession is no easy task. Hiring qualified staff in the Green industry can be especially difficult because of its seasonality. If you are hiring full-time staff, what personal and professional characteristics should you look for in a candidate and why are such decisions so important to the long-term growth of the organization?
Defining Your Needs
The hiring of full-time staff should always take into consideration the continued, long-term goals of the organization. The successful operation of any business depends on the quality of its employees. Thus it is important to ensure that each individual performs as a committed and responsible member of the team. It is not uncommon for those hired into low-level management positions to eventually prove themselves to be diligent and motivated employees. Such individuals often advance into middle management and from there into more demanding supervisory roles. Staff who rise quickly within an organization often display two primary characteristics. They are dedicated to the long-term goals of the organization and are focused and trustworthy employees. It is therefore worthwhile to evaluate candidates for even the lowest-level manager position with an eye toward the future.
Developing a Hiring Strategy
Before requesting applications, it is critical to evaluate employment needs. Not all vacated positions need to be filled. It may be more advantageous to allocate resources to other areas of the organization or reassign work related responsibilities to other employees. If it is decided that the position needs to be filled, take the following steps to locate the best candidates. Provide a clear job description that accurately details the position's responsibilities. Be sure the position's technology requirements are consistent with the company's anticipated growth and candidates possess the necessary skills to keep pace with the changing needs of the industry. Offer a compensation package that is competitive within the industry. Select for interviews candidates whose level of education, work-related experience, and technical expertise meet or exceed the position's requirements.
When evaluating the suitability of prospective employees, a supervisor should closely evaluate the promotability of each candidate. This is especially true when striving to hire the best and most creative talent. In addition, for applicants being considered for management positions, note whether they present themselves professionally and produce an accurate and up-to-date resume. A team-oriented approach to conducting important interviews is invaluable for evaluating potential candidates. It is imperative that young supervisors familiarize themselves with affirmative-action and equal-opportunity employer (AA/EOE) hiring practices.
When many candidates are competing for the same position look for differences that may set one above the rest, such as being reasonably fluent in Spanish or having special pesticide licensing as well as a commercial driver's license. Try to discern a candidate's level of motivation, honesty, and ability to adapt to difficult situations.
Advertising the Position
The methods used to advertise a full-time position should be in keeping with the type and level of job being offered. A shotgun approach can result in large numbers of responses that are cumbersome and time-consuming to manage. Moreover, the majority of responses from nontargeted advertising will seldom be a good match for most positions. A focused approach is almost always the most beneficial for attracting dependable and motivated staff.
Advertisements placed in trade-related newsletters and magazines reach well-qualified candidates. Depending on the type and level of position offered, horticulturally-oriented employment agencies and Internet Web sites are resources to consider using. Dollars spent in locating qualified and dependable staff is money well spent.
Selecting Candidates to Interview
Analyze each resume and cover letter for accuracy. Does the resume obviously falsify important information? Does the date that the applicant graduated from college mesh with his or her overall employment history? Is the individual inflating his or her professional credentials? Are the cover letter and resume visually attractive, grammatically and syntactically correct? If an individual fails to produce an accurate and presentable resume, his or her landscape-installation proposals are unlikely to be any better. A committee should be appointed to assure objectivity throughout the entire interview procedure. once the letters of application and resumes have been adequately evaluated and candidates selected to interview, be sure to send a prompt and courteous letter of rejection to each applicant not selected.
The Interview
The next step is to schedule on-site interviews. Interviews may need to be scheduled outside normal business hours. Set aside sufficient time for interviews: at least an hour for the actual interview, additional time if a tour of the facilities is to be included, and enough time for the interview team to discuss the pros and cons of each candidate after an interview. Provide an interview environment that is conducive to a positive exchange of information; each interviewee should feel comfortable and not intimidated. Prevent interruptions during the interview by holding telephone calls and minimizing disruption from fax machines, copiers, and computers. Although it is important to ask job-related questions, it is equally valuable to allow time to simply get to know the interviewee. Much can be learned from seemingly idle conversation at the start of an interview session. If, for example, a candidate is interviewing for a sales-related position and has difficulty carrying on a simple conversation, he or she has little hope of succeeding in the position. An arrogant candidate who cannot stop talking about himself or herself may not be the right choice either. At some stage, allow the candidate the opportunity to ask questions about the position and the long-term goals of the organization.
The interview team should be prepared to answer questions about the compensation package associated with the position. Do not take the chance of losing a highly qualified candidate by not being able to answer rudimentary questions regarding retirement, health insurance, and vacation benefits.
CONCLUSION
During an interview session, probe the applicant's ability to problem solve difficult situations. Ask questions that encourage thoughtful answers. For instance, ask interviewees what they believe their greatest professional strength is, and follow up with a question about their most significant weakness. Questions that allow interviewees to talk about their long-term career goals can help evaluate their suitability for full-time employment. There will be times when the professional capabilities of an applicant will clearly make him or her the most qualified individual for the position. However, most candidates have weaknesses along with their positive characteristics. The key is to seek out the applicant with the highest potential of being successful in the position. Do not prejudice yourself either for or against a particular candidate. Some applicants will have glaring and undeniable deficiencies in their professional qualifications; others will have stellar qualifications. Remain objective and always use good judgment in selecting the right person for the job. A number of years ago I was asked to participate in the selection process for the director of marketing of a nationally prominent nonprofit institution. The senior vice president overseeing each interview was obviously sold on the professional abilities of a particular candidate. However, the candidate had held no less than five full-time positions in the last 4 years and was unable to give a reasonable explanation for changing jobs so frequently. Because the position demanded a reasonable commitment toward the long-term goals of the organization, the individual was clearly ill-suited for the position. As it worked out, the candidate was hired but left the position within a few short months.
Solicit the opinions from other trusted staff regarding each candidate. Some applicants try to act their way through an interview but show their true personalities to those they believe have no direct input in the hiring process. If applicants wait in a lobby, how do they interact with the nearby receptionist? Cordial and polite or overly nervous? Confident or boastful and arrogant? If candidates tour the facility with someone who was not at the interview, are they respectful or standoffish and rude? Do not rush to select; wait until each qualified candidate has been interviewed. No matter how critical it is to fill a vacant position, never hire an individual who you believe is not well-suited to the responsibilities of the position. Finally, remember that there will never be a perfect candidate. Some candidates may not have quite the educational background that you had hoped for or may not be quite as strong in their technical expertise or job-related experience. Perfect candidates simply do not exist, and there will always be some compromise in filling a job or position in any organization. Make your final decision by weighing the pros and cons of each candidate. Hiring qualified staff is never an easy task, and managers and supervisors must work to assure that a quality individual is chosen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why would the seasonality of much the horticulture profession make hiring qualified staff difficult?
2. Why is it important to coordinate employment needs with the long-term goals of the institution?
What relation does this coordination have to an organization's success in retaining top-quality staff?
3. It is imperative that job descriptions be carefully written. Find some Green industry job descriptions and critique them. What could be changed to improve them?
4. Do most horticulture-related organizations have a director of human resources on staff? Why is such a position so important to the long-term success of a business?
5. Give three reasons why the opportunity for promotion in an organization is of prime tai ice to retaining capable and motivated staff.
6. What does AA/EOE stand for?
Can you be an efficient and effective manager in the Green industry and not have a working knowledge of AA/EOE standards?
7. How are a candidate's technical knowledge, formal education, and professional experience linked to each other?
Is it possible for lack of formal education to be more than compensated for by an individual's professional experience within the Green Industry?
8. Why consider the hiring process as a coordinated effort composed of many interrelated parts?
Explain in detail what you see as the most important component of the hiring process.
9. Why is a team-oriented interview so important to successfully choosing the right candidate for a key position?
10. Would you use the information presented in this chapter as a guide for employment opportunities that you might apply for in the future?
Would you be able to hone your own personal interviewing skills using this information?
SCENARIO
Timothy Wilkinson's Hiring as the Assistant Production Manager at Spring Grove Nursery
Timothy Wilkinson was completing the spring semester of his senior year at a well-known university in the southeast. Timothy had attained a 3.57 GPA throughout his 4 years in college and had worked diligently to maintain a 4.0 GPA in all of his horticulture courses. During the summers of his sophomore and junior years, Timothy had worked with Carlson Brothers' Landscape & Maintenance. Carlson Brothers' had served southern Connecticut for over 25 years. Timothy enjoyed working at Carlson Brothers' and had gained a great deal of practical, hands-on experience.
Timothy learned the duties of his position quickly and by the end of his second summer had been given significantly increased responsibilities. Although the firm's landscape architects were the primary contact with each client, Timothy had developed superb customer-service skills and was looked on by senior management as an exceptional team player. As Timothy was leaving at the end of his second summer, Carlson Brothers' encouraged him to consider a full-time position as a customer-service representative for them after graduation. Customer-service representatives assisted the firm's landscape architects in solving client-related problems. Although Timothy had very much enjoyed working at Carlson Brothers', he was not sure whether fulltime employment within the landscape industry meshed with his long-range professional goals.
Early in the fall semester of his senior year, Timothy had begun to focus on the wholesale nursery industry as his career choice. His interest was largely fostered by Morris, a horticulture classmate and close friend. Morris's uncle ran a highly respected, 165 acre nursery that specialized in field-grown BBB trees and shrubs. Morris and Timothy worked at the uncles nursery in the fall and spring digging seasons and gained valuable hands-on knowledge within the trade.
One of the professors at the university told Timothy that a well-respected 425 acre BBB nursery across the state was interested in hiring an assistant production manager. After carefully reading the job description for the position, Timothy noticed that the nursery offered a good starting salary, promised expanded responsibilities for the right candidate, and had a profit-sharing plan. It was in the process of acquiring an additional 145 acres to expand its inventory of shade and small flowering trees. The nursery war only 2 hours away from the university, which would allow him to visit his girlfriend, Xiaojian, on weekends. Interested applicants were directed to e-mail, fax, or mail their resume to Mr. Wilson Douglas, the co-owner and general manager of Spring Grove Nursery. That weekend, Timothy and Xiaoj ian looked at the nursery's Web site and saw that the nursery offered a wide selection of ornamental trees and shrubs of the highest quality. The nursery was well established and was now in its third generation of ownership. It was founded over 65 years ago by Wilson Douglas's grandfather. They agreed that the job warranted further investigation.
Timothy and Xiaojian fine-tuned his cover letter and resume and e-mailed them to Mr. Douglas. Little more than a week later, Timothy received a call from Mr. Douglas' secretary to set up a telephone interview. They agreed on the following Thursday at 4:00 p.m. The telephone interview went well. Mr. Douglas asked numerous questions regarding Timothy's course work and work related experience, and he encouraged Timothy to ask about Spring Grove Nursery They arranged to meet the following Saturday at 9:00 a.m. for an on-site tour of the facility.
As Timothy drove up the road leading to the nursery, he noticed a man throwing sticks for two Labrador retrievers on a homes front lawn. The man was Mr. Douglas, whose home was directly adjacent the nursery. Mr. Douglas waved to Timothy and walked out to greet him. Timothy offered Mr. Douglas a firm handshake, and after some light conversation, Mr. Douglas and Timothy set out on a tour in Mr. Douglas's pickup truck. Mr. Douglas ribbed Timothy about wearing a three-piece suit but quickly put the young man at ease by complimenting him on his appearance and approvingly noting that Timothy was nearly 15 minutes early for their meeting. As they drove through the nursery, Mr. Douglas quizzed Timothy on the identification and culture of row after row of trees and shrubs. Timothy, silently grateful for the two semesters of his senior year spent as a teaching assistant for woody-plant identification courses, impressed Mr. Douglas with his general knowledge of woody ornamental plants, although he was unsure of some of the more esoteric cultivars.
After walking through a few of the newly planted plots and touring the equipment barns, Mr. Douglas and Timothy walked back to the office to talk more specifically about the position. As they entered the double-wide trailer, Mr. Douglas introduced Timothy to the assistant office manager and his wife, who oversaw all business-related aspects of the nursery. Both of them were working this Saturday morning because of the nursery's heavy volume of spring orders. As Timothy entered Mr. Douglas's office, he couldn't help but notice the numerous plaques and citations that almost covered three full walls of the room. Some were from the North Carolina Nursery Association and commended him for his service as both a past president and a former member of the board of directors. Other plaques recognized Mr. Douglas for his membership and support of service organizations throughout the region. One large plaque specifically commended Mr. Douglas for leading the fundraising efforts of a local hospital's $35,000,000 capital campaign. Timothy also noticed that Mr. Douglas had earned his baccalaureate and master's degrees in ornamental horticulture from the same university Timothy attended.
After approximately 20 minutes, Mr. Douglas asked Mrs. Douglas to join the discussion. The three talked for an additional 30 minutes, when Mrs. Douglas excused herself by citing the amount of work awaiting her. As she left, she told Timothy how genuinely impressed she was with him and that she appreciated his coming to meet with her and Mr. Douglas. After his wife left, Mr. Douglas asked whether Timothy had any additional questions regarding the position of assistant production manager at the nursery. Timothy said he had no further questions but he wanted to say that he was impressed with the operation and very interested in the position.
In reply, Mr. Douglas offered the position to Timothy on the spot. He requested that Timothy accept or reject the position within 2 weeks and told him he could ask either himself or Mrs. Douglas any additional questions that occurred to him. In Wednesday afternoon's mail, Timothy received a letter from Mr. Douglas's secretary containing a detailed summary of the compensation package. After discussion with Xiaojian, Timothy decided to accept the position and called Mr. Douglas Friday morning. Timothy worked for 8 very productive years with the Douglases before starting a wholesale nursery of his own. He had saved considerable capital during his employment at Spring Grove and was able to purchase 177 fertile acres in a neighboring county.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Timothy had attained a cumulative 3.57 GPA during his 4 years in college. How much emphasis do most prospective employers place on a student's academic record?
2. How valuable was Timothy's employment experience with Carlson Brothers' Landscape & Maintenance in preparing him for a career in the wholesale nursery industry?
3. How well suited do you believe Timothy would have been for the position of customer-service representative with Carlson Brothers' Landscape & Maintenance?
4. How valuable was it for Timothy to have gained additional experience in the horticulture trade by working at the nursery owned by his friend Morris's uncle?
5. If you were Mr. Douglas, would you have conducted an initial telephone interview with Timothy before inviting him for a tour of the nursery?
6. What is your opinion of Timothy wearing a three-piece suit to an interview at Spring Grove Nursery?
What is appropriate attire for an on-site interview at a wholesale BBB nursery?
7. During an interview session, would you expect to be given a tour of a B&B nursery in a pickup truck? Why or why not?
8. Overall, how do you think Timothy conducted himself during his interview session at Spring Grove Nursery?
What could Timothy have done differently to further support his chances of being offered the position of assistant production manager by Mr. Douglas?
9. How integral was Mrs. Douglas to the selection of Timothy for the position of assistant production manager at Spring Grove Nursery? Hint: analyze and evaluate the entire interview scenario before answering this question.
10. How much do you think the character and personal integrity of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas influenced Timothy in his decision to accept the position at Spring Grove Nursery?
11. How much influence do you think Mr. and Mrs. Douglas had on the future success of Timothy Wilkinson as a wholesale nursery owner?
CRITIQUE
The interview at Spring Grove Nursery between Mr. Douglas and Timothy Wilkinson did not follow accepted protocol. But it was a success for Timothy and Mr. and Mrs. Douglas. The point is that graduating seniors must be perceptive and anticipate the type of interview they most likely will be involved in. A college senior majoring in horticulture should know to expect part of the interview at a wholesale BBB nursery to be held bouncing along dirt roads in a pickup truck.
That Mr. Douglas had attended the same university Timothy was attending was a good indication that Mr. Douglas would contact professors he knew there to see what they had to say about Timothy. For his part, Timothy probably could have done a more thorough job of investigating Wilson Douglas and Spring Grove Nursery beyond simply looking at the operation's Web site. Mr. Douglas set up a telephone interview with Timothy before inviting him to the nursery for a personal interview because he was in the midst of a busy spring digging season. He did not have a moment to spare. If Spring Grove Nursery fell behind in its digging schedule, the Douglases might not have been able to make up the financial loss in the remainder of the year. That is how critical the spring season is to nurseries whose lifeblood is digging field-grown shade and flowering trees. For Mr. Douglas to have set aside an entire Saturday morning to interview Timothy at this time of year speaks volumes about his commitment to choosing the right person for the job.
Regarding Mrs. Douglas and her role at Spring Grove Nursery, neither you nor Timothy knew that she had earned a master's in business administration and had completed additional graduate-level course work in accounting. She had full oversight over the financial health of the nursery, was an astute entrepreneur, and directed the entire business side of a sizable and extremely productive nursery operation. Don't be misled by the relatively short time that she participated in the interview. Mrs. Douglas had of course given Timothy's resume close scrutiny and had discussed Timothy's qualifications with Mr. Douglas before his arrival at the nursery.
Although Timothy would be in the operations side of the nursery and Mrs. Douglas was in the office, if she had not been impressed with him, Timothy would not have been hired. The overall management of Spring Grove Nursery was very much a joint effort between the Douglases. When Mrs. Douglas told Timothy she was genuinely impressed with him and sincerely appreciated his coming to meet with them that morning, she was indicating to her husband that she liked what she saw in Timothy and that she approved hiring him as their new assistant production manager.
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Author: | Jackson, Donald W. |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Horticulture Management and Supervision |
| Geographic Code: | 1USA |
| Date: | Jan 1, 2009 |
| Words: | 3694 |
| Previous Article: | Chapter 12 Working through change: developing as a young supervisor. |
| Next Article: | Chapter 14 Evaluating staff performance: overseeing others in the workplace. |
| Topics: | |