I count a number of millennials among my circle of friends and talking with one of them recently about job prospects, he shared some personal experience from an interview he had with a company.
I consider this friend to be a hard worker and talented in his field, so it was disheartening to hear him discuss what he viewed as “unrealistic” expectations for an entry level position. Listening to him tell his side of the story, I couldn’t help but conclude that my friend’s perspective was the unrealistic one, given the responsibilities of the job seemed typical for the proposed compensation.
Perhaps growing up with a “pay your dues” mentality shaped my opinion, and I’ve never accepted a job with a sense of entitlement. Achievements are earned, not given.
The majority of precision farming managers understand the difference, but there is a balance that needs to be struck in keeping younger employees motivated and productive. I’ve visited with precision managers weeks or even days after they’ve hired a new specialist, sometimes on the cusp of planting or harvest.
These times of the year are opportunities for both inexperienced and veteran new hires to prove themselves both to managers, as well as customers. Most precision managers don’t sugarcoat the rigors of planting season when onboarding new specialists — long hours, impatient customers and challenging problems to solve.
As one precision manager notes, “It’s a life changing experience for some people,” and not one which everyone will survive. This particular manager hired a new, younger specialist who had worked with another dealership, to assist with increasing service demands on the cusp of planting season.
Several days after my visit with the manager, I was informed the specialist was no longer with the dealership — unfortunately, an outcome I’ve heard on more than one occasion.
Every situation is different, and the job demands at one dealership are not the same at another. But setting expectations at the start can at least help dealers avoid or prolong a poor hire.
