About This Issue

In today’s fast-paced society, it’s always a good idea to slow down every once in a while and assess where you are.  This is especially true in the world of work, which can put ever-increasing demands on your time and resources.  In this issue of The Animal Science Monitor, we examine two instances—retaining top employees and achieving your career development goals—where taking the time to assess the situation can pay big dividends.  We’d like to thank you for being a loyal reader of The ASM, and we hope today’s issue helps to bring the big picture more clearly into focus.

—Dan and Don

Tips for the Boss

Sometimes, people make things harder than they have to be.  This is often the case in the world of business and employment, and it’s especially the case when it comes to retaining employees.  That’s not to say that time, effort, and planning aren’t required for a comprehensive retention program.  However, you can prevent top employees from jumping ship with a few basic strategies, ones that are logical, simple to implement, and ultimately cost-effective.

Recently, I was interviewing a candidate who we were recruiting for a supervisor-level position with a swine management company, and the way he described his opinion of work really struck a chord with me.  He said, “The main things I want out of a job are to enjoy going to work, to be treated fairly, and to be paid for what I do.”

Sounds fair enough, right?  The problem is that this degreed professional had waited two years for his last raise . . . and when he received one, it was a whopping $15 a week.  On top of that, he has a boss who attempts to motivate his employees by screaming progressively louder in order to get his point across.  Considering how this candidate views his current employment and what his ideal job should be like, it’s no wonder we’re able to get him interested in our opportunity.

A (seemingly) simple solution
The chances are extremely good that we’re going to help this candidate find a job at a company where he feels appreciated.  However, it’s a shame that his current employer is going to lose him for reasons that are completely preventable:

• The company lacks an annual review program that rewards those employees who deserve more.
• One of its managers does not recognize the efforts of the people who are on his team.
• The company simply failed to show this person that he’s appreciated.

Many people leave their place of employment for reasons exactly like the ones listed above.  The cold, hard truth is that a company should never lose a performing employee for any of these reasons.  But I see it happen all the time.  The important question is this: has it happened at your company, or is there a chance it could happen?  If you don’t know the answer to that question, be pro-active about remedying the situation and decreasing the chances that one of your employees is going to leave:

• Tell everyone on your team (who you wish to retain) that you appreciate their efforts.  A face-to-face conversation is best, but if you’re swamped with work, send a personalized email.
• Make certain that you have an annual review program in place.
• Research the salary ranges and norms for people in positions like those who report to you, and try to keep your people paid at least to the level of industry norms.

Who will be ready when I call?
Outside of rewarding performance with a commensurate increase in compensation, these retention tips cost nothing.  All they require is a little extra effort in the way of verbal gratitude and an expression of how important the company feels the employee to be.  As the old saying goes, “We can do this the hard way . . . or we can do it the easy way.”  There’s an easy way to retain employees, and while some companies fail to recognize this, yours doesn’t have to be one of them.

The bottom line is that people who feel appreciated and paid well don’t jump ship when a recruiter calls them.  However, those who don’t feel appreciated and aren’t paid well are hoping that I call them today.  And when I do, they’ll be ready to leave.  Which group do you want your team to fall into?  The choice is largely yours.

If you have any questions about this topic, including more information about average salary figures for certain positions within the industry, please contact me at dan@consearch.com.

Hot Jobs

The ASM is pleased to publish information regarding exciting new opportunities.  If you’re interested in any of the positions below, please email Don Hunter at brg@charterinternet.com.

To Search all of our Jobs, click the following links:

Poultry Jobs
Dairy Jobs
Equine Jobs
Swine Jobs
Companion Animal Jobs

Swine Management Positions

Location: Rural Ohio

We're recruiting for three levels of management for a progressive swine management company. We're looking for Breeding Department Managers, Farm Managers and a Sow Production Manager. Competitive salaries, excellent benefits, relocation assistance and a reasonable workweek provided. For more details contact Don Hunter brg@charterinternet.com.

Dairy Nutrition

Location: Pennsylvania & New York

Three of our favorite clients are recruiting in PA & NY. In this role you will provide dairy nutrition advice and solve problems for producers while selling them their nutritional products. The compensation is outstanding the ability to work with LARGE HERDS only is there if this is your preference and you can even choose self-employment with one of these clients. We have 14 different territories available. Send your resume or an email expressing your interest to Don at brg@charterinternet.com and he'll follow up.

‘Species Focus’ in the Fall

We’ve received a lot of great reader feedback at The Animal Science Monitor during the past couple of years, feedback which has helped to shape our publication and make it the very best that it can be.  And now, we’re looking for even more feedback from you—our loyal readers.

Beginning in the fall, The ASM is going to run a new feature, one called “Species Focus.”  This new series of articles will highlight a professional working within a different species discipline (swine, sheep, goats, etc.), with an emphasis on what’s happening within that discipline and what things you should look for in the future.

We would very much like your help with this new feature.  What individuals or organizations should we contact?  What topics should we discuss and what questions should we ask?  Each “Species Focus” piece will be approximately 500 words in length, relatively brief but packed with solid content regarding current industry trends and possible future developments.

Please send your suggestions and feedback to matt@animalsciencemonitor.com.

We look forward to presenting this new feature within our newsletter and to providing the best and most up-to-date content possible.  As always, thank you for your input and for being loyal readers of The Animal Science Monitor.

Your ASM Calendar of
Upcoming Industry Events

At the Animal Science Monitor, we’re advocates of continuous education and the promotion of industry events such as conferences and conventions.  The training and networking opportunities that exist at these events are extremely valuable and can pay dividends in a number of different ways.

That’s why we’re now running a regular column devoted to upcoming events in the animal science and animal nutrition industries.  And as always, we value your input.  If there’s an industry event that you believe we should promote through our newsletter, please email your information to matt@animalsciencemonitor.com.

Although we regret that we missed the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, since it was held earlier this month, below are two upcoming industry events of note.

June

The Noble Foundation Annual Estate Planning Seminar
Time/Date: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 28
Location: Southern Oklahoma Technology Center in Ardmore, Oklahoma
Description: This event is designed to help farmers and ranchers learn the best techniques for managing real estate, livestock, machinery, and cash investments. The speakers include Craig Watson, J.D., a member of the State Bar of Texas and the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys; John A. Bachelor III, a CPA and attorney who focuses on securities law, tax law, estate planning, and agriculture/small business planning; and C. Dan Campbell, a legal professional specializing in estate planning.
Registration: The seminar costs $10 (that price includes lunch).  For more information or to register, call (580) 224-6501 or visit www.noble.org/agevents.

July

Cattle Industry Summer Conference
Dates: Monday, July 16 – Friday, July 20
Location: Adam’s Mark Hotel in Denver, ColoradoDescription: This event is co-sponsored by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA); the Cattlemen’s Beef Board; the American National Cattle Women, Inc.; and Cattle-Fax. The week-long event is packed with both training and leisure activities.  The latter include a Western Swing event and a billiards tournament.

Registration: For more information about the Summer Conference, call the NCBA Convention & Meetings Department at (303) 694-0305.

Managing Your Career

Your Mid-Year Checklist
(By Don Hunter)

I was recently having a discussion with my recruiting partner and co-publisher of The Animal Science Monitor, Dan Simmons, when our conversation turned to assessing the progress each of us have made toward accomplishing our goals for 2007.  Since it’s already June, we decided this would be a good time for such a discussion.  After a quick inventory of the objectives he set for himself at the beginning of the year, Dan observed that to this point, he had failed to meet two of his five goals, including his very first one.  He promptly questioned the validity of such an assessment.

Although Dan was joking (I think), June is the ideal time of year to conduct an assessment of your progress in terms of the goals you’ve set for your career development in 2007.  In this day and age of hustle and bustle, it’s all too easy to become preoccupied by the day-to-day grind and lose sight of the big picture, whatever it may be.  By taking the time to conduct a mid-year checklist, you can more effectively keep yourself on track and increase the odds that 2007 will be one of your best years ever.

A career/personal Q&A session
In actuality, you should be doing two things right now—conducting a mid-year checklist and planning your vacation.  (We’ll be discussing the topic of work-life balance in more detail in next month’s issue of The ASM.)  If you didn’t write down a list of goals for 2007 at the beginning of the year, make certain that you do so for 2008.  In fact, you might want to start thinking about that list now, after you’ve finished your mid-year checklist.

To help you conduct as thorough and as accurate an assessment as possible, below is a list of questions you should ask yourself.  And although, like Dan, you may not be thrilled with the answers, you can use them as motivation for the second half of the year.

• Have you updated your resume with recent accomplishments?  The career reason for this is that potential employers use past accomplishments as an indication of future success with their company.  The personal reason is that your resume is a great place to document your achievements and take a moment to pat yourself on the back.

• Have you updated your references and checked in with key references?  The career reason is that ideally, you should have five solid references on your resume.  By contacting them, you not only ensure that their contact information is accurate, but that you remain top-of-mind, as well.  The personal reason is that these people had an effect on your life, and your life will be richer by staying in touch.

• Have you done anything in terms of enhancing your professional development?  The career reason is that learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge is crucial to advancing your career and reaching your long-term objectives.  This is an area you should be addressing each and every year.  The personal reason is that when you stop learning, you start ending your life.  You’re too young to look at that now.

• Are you actively participating in associations?  I can’t stress enough the importance of attending industry functions like conferences and conventions.  The career reason is that you’ll enhance your professional development through both training and networking efforts.  The career reason is that the relationships you build in your industry and outside of your direct employment are often incredibly rewarding.  Dan told me about some deep friendships he’s enjoyed because of associations he’s active in.  Now he’s pushing me to attend some of these same meetings.  (Check out a future issue of The ASM to see if I listen.)

• Have you updated your contact/networking list?  If you’re not already, you might consider utilizing some of the latest networking and contact tools, such as LinkedIn.  According to PC Magazine, “LinkedIn is by far the most developed business- and career-oriented networking site and service out there; it's the way millions of career-minded people will find their next jobs.”  If you use LinkedIn, click here to link to my profile.  If you don’t use it, click here to get started.  The career reason is that it’s not just what you know, it’s who.  The personal reason is that you might hear from an old friend.

• Have you struck a healthy work-life balance?  If you’re not sure, ask two people—your boss and your spouse.  If one of them feels as though they’re getting short-changed, they’ll be sure to let you know.

• Is one of your goals to be published?  If so, contact us.  We have publishing opportunities within the pages of The ASM.

Discover what works for you
So—how did you do?  The good news is that no matter how off-base you feel you might be, it’s only June and there’s still plenty of time to reach all of your goals and objectives for the year.  If you’re feeling ambitious, you might even want to schedule a quarterly checklist and review your progress again at the end of September.

The key is to discover what works best for you.  You might need to check your progress four times a year or just once.  And keep in mind that you don’t have to limit your checklist to the questions above.  You can add to it as you see fit.  What do you want—ultimately—for your career?  Where do you want to go and what do you want to do?  The answers to these questions will help you to set short-term goals in the interest of reaching your big-picture objective.

In the end, it’s all about doing what you have to do to get where you want to go.  Unfortunately, it’s easy to lose focus and to get caught up in the present at the expense of the future.  By using a career development checklist on a consistent basis, you can stay on target and take the steps needed to achieve both your short-term and your long-term goals.

If you have any questions about this topic, please send me an email at brg@charterinternet.com.  And if you’re currently engaged in a job search or are interested in advancing the scope of your career, be sure to send me your resume.  I’d be happy to discuss your career goals and ambitions, including ways in which I can help you to achieve them.  Any exchange of information, including resumes, will be kept in total confidence and handled in a discreet fashion.