Go to work on Monday. Take your lunch break. Go home. Repeat until Friday. Ah yes, the classic 9-5, 40 hours/week job. Is this you? Have you thought about exploring other options? What about those things called contract jobs … what are they and how do they work?
Contract jobs are just what they sound like, jobs that are contracted. The position could be contracted for a certain project, a specific length of time, a temporary position…there are a handful of reasons an employer would want to hire a contract employee. Contract positions can look completely different from one to the next, so it is important to understand exactly what is involved with the contract position you are considering.
So, what should we know about these types of positions? I reached out to our HR Team here at AgCareers.com to hear their thoughts on these roles from a Human Resources perspective. They shared that it is important to understand the parameters of the role.
There is no magic formula of how to perform within your job and not get fired. Every company is different, with different managers, employees, situations, and laws that apply to each based on their location. Can you be fired without warning? The short answer is it depends.
Generally, once an employee has committed an act of gross misconduct, the employee can be fired without warning. For example, stealing from your employer, hitting another employee or vandalizing office equipment may land you with a pink slip in a hurry. Gross misconduct rules should be equally applied to everyone from the top to the bottom of the organization. In addition, being a top performer doesn’t exclude one from the consequences of gross misconduct. If an employee is the top salesperson but uses illegal drugs at work, that employee may not have a secure job. Aside from steering away from gross misconduct, there are a couple of additional actions you can take that will help decrease the likelihood you’ll be fired without warning.
Starting a new position is both terrifying and exciting. There is an old movie quote that paraphrased goes something like, “Beginnings are usually scary, endings are usually sad and it is what is in the middle that counts.” When it comes to starting a new job, there is a similar beginning, middle, and end. During the first 90 or so days on the job, you will go through an onboarding period that will help you get up and running in your new role. When it’s done well, the onboarding process will make you feel like you are being welcomed into a new community.
Think a moment about the different perspectives. Your new employer needs to convey both culture and structure to ensure you get on board quickly and know how to be successful. You as a new employee need to know who to turn to, how to get your questions answered and of course, how to be successful. Good onboarding can meet both of your needs.
Your first reaction to PDA in the headline might be “How does this relate to my job search and pregnancy?” No, I’m not addressing “Public Displays of Affection,” also known as PDA. The U.S. Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of 1978 states that a pregnant woman cannot be treated differently from any other employees with disabilities, even though they are temporary. Pregnant workers may have pregnancy-related impairments that qualify as disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The PDA prohibits sex discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. It applies to current, past, potential or intended pregnancies, and any medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth.
To Share or Not to Share
Firstly, it’s good to know that this conversation is entirely up to you, the candidate! Any questions asked by employers regarding your marital status, pregnancy, or children are out-of-bounds. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) outlines guidelines in their Pregnancy Discrimination Fact Sheet.
Jessica Bartow joined the AgCareers.com team earlier this year as our Western US Talent Solutions Specialist. Jessica is based in a home office in California.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis in your role with AgCareers.com?
I help my clients with whatever they need – posting jobs, compensation data, registering for events, etc.
What do you enjoy about working with AgCareers.com?
I love the ag industry and am so thankful for the opportunity to help our industry leaders find and retain talent.
“Be on your best behavior!” Those familiar words from parents when you were starting a new school year or staying at a friend’s house for the first time. Most of us have times where we’d rather sleep in or we stayed out a little too late, but your first month on the job is crucial in your long-term success with the organization. Putting your best foot forward during the initial thirty days sets the tone with your employer, supervisors, and coworkers.
Hopefully, your new employer will communicate with you between your hiring and first day. It’s helpful if you can fill out the paperwork prior to your first day at work. The employer may share a company employee handbook and onboarding plan for your first few days or weeks on the job. These should be reviewed before you begin. Aim to understand the expectations for the first day, like company dress code, arrival time, lunch plans and more. If your new employer doesn’t readily share these details with you, ask!
Rushing in late every day and scurrying to your workspace won’t create the impression you desire. Likewise, packing up 15 minutes before your work day is done and running out the door a couple of minutes early will likely show your manager and peers that your level of commitment is low. Be settled and ready to work five minutes in advance and limit the urge to rush out the door when the clock strikes 5 pm (or whenever your work day ends).
We hear a lot of chatter about workplace diversity. Employers often allocate resources to recruiting diverse talent and are quick to tell candidates how welcoming of a work environment they’ll find. Job seekers want to know they are going to work for an organization that welcomes diversity in its most traditional sense, as well as a broader scope that accounts for diversity of thought and experiences. At AgCareers.com we recognize that as agriculture itself has diversified, so has its workforce. In response, we conducted a survey to capture employer’s efforts to address diversity within their organizations. While there’s a lot of talk about diversity in agriculture, we wanted data to back up the statement that the industry generally embraces and supports diversity in the workplace.
Our objective was that the survey responses would help us tell the story that we knew to be true. No longer is there a typical employee in agriculture; rather we’ve outgrown stereotypes about the demographics of our industry. The Workplace Diversity Survey- 2018 U.S. Edition did just that.
AgCareers.com is privileged and pleased to welcome our newest member to our team Kacey Toews! Kacey joins us from a home office in rural Powhattan, Kansas as Talent Solutions Specialist.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis in your role with AgCareers.com?
I handle all of the new accounts as well as my established accounts and assist them in utilizing our products.
What do you enjoy about working with AgCareers.com?
I love that every day is something different and being able to build relationships with the different Agriculture companies every day and see what I can do to assist them in their hiring needs. I also love working with our team, everyone is very helpful and encouraging.
What advice would you give to job seekers using AgCareers.com for the first time?
Make sure to post your resume on our database but also go through our “Career Cultivation” blog. There are tons of helpful hints and interesting posts in the blog that might assist you in your job search.
By Traci Via, Agriculture Future of America
While there are more than 6,500 languages around the world, body language is the most universal. We all speak body language. The handshake is probably the oldest and most used body language phrase, if you will, in the world. In fact, archaeological ruins depict soldiers shaking hands in the 5th-century BC. Some believe the origination of the handshake was a sign of peace.
Today, the handshake is used to greet, meet, congratulate, confirm an agreement and is a sign of good sportsmanship. The purpose of a handshake is to convey trust, respect, balance.
There’s a lot of science in a simple handshake: the pressure, angle, what you do with your other hand, and other expectations, especially within another culture. Here are just a few hand shake tips.
If a performance review conversation isn’t your favorite chat out of the entire year, dutiful preparation and ongoing conversations are the key. Contrary to popular belief, performance reviews shouldn’t be contained to one conversation between manager and employee at the end of the year. At the start of the performance year, employees should meet with their manager to discuss goals for the upcoming year. These preparations for performance appraisals should start at the beginning of the performance cycle, and continue all year. If you find yourself at an organization where performance reviews are an after-thought, consider scheduling meetings with your manager to plan your year and to discuss performance along the way.
In conjunction with your manager, develop specific goals for the upcoming year. Keep in mind that by attaching specifics to each goal, you’ll be more likely to achieve them because you have defined exactly what you are aiming to accomplish. While forming goals for the upcoming year, it isn’t a bad idea to reflect upon your performance last year. Try to incorporate any improvement opportunities to your current performance improvement plan you discussed with your manager the previous year.
