I spent some time last week with a wonderful group of feedlot owners. These are the people who manage five- to fifty-thousand head of cattle at one time and bring them to market for the world’s dinner tables.
One of their biggest concerns?
Finding enough cowboys. Yes, cowboys!
Even in a slow economy, most young people just don’t apply for jobs that require spending the day riding horses and ATVs. A good portion of the reason why is lack of awareness.
The feedlot business, like most, has not really made an effort in the past to recruit young people. They’ve always sort of shown up when needed. Most have come from the surrounding rural communities and are, in many ways, connected to agriculture.
But with the distractions of technology, the focus on convenience in society, not to mention increased mobility, these young people are simply unaware of the opportunities that await them a couple of miles down the road. On top is this is the insistence, by many, that they go to college, because “everybody goes to college.”
But this ignorance of jobs and careers is not confined to feedlots. It might be argued that with a few high-profile exceptions, all industries face this challenge, especially in attracting front-line people.
So the question is, “What are you and your colleagues doing to ensure that your organization and industry are building consistent awareness of the jobs and careers available? Recruiting applicants, like any other promotion takes targeted effort. Want a few quick, but proven ideas that won’t consume big money or time? Read our next post.