Recruiting- Spring Career Fairs

The lifeblood for Extension is having the right people in the right place. Recruiting the future County Extension Agent will require a systematic and innovative approach. In 2010, District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors should focus on the following in regard to recruitment and retention;

• Career Fairs at Universities-Career Fairs are excellent venues to interact with potential agents and the utilization of District recruiting team members who can provide students with first-hand accounts of the benefits of working for Extension.
• Development of meaningful relationships with college and university student organizations- Student organizations such as Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, Collegiate 4-H , Collegiate FFA, Block and Bridle, or Family and Consumer Science clubs can provide an excellent opportunity for middle managers to develop relationships with potential applicants.
• Recruiting Teams- One of the most creative strategies for recruiting a diverse workforce is to utilize the resources within your District/County – your current agents.
• Facebook and On-line Recruiting- Whatever the future holds in regards to Texas AgriLife Extension Service developing a high performing workplace, the key will be to recruit, develop and retain the best agents. Our success may be directly linked to our ability as mid-managers to provide technology in the workplace that matches the way they run the rest of their lives. With an audience of more than 250 million and according the Neilson's online June 2009 report on Internet usage people now spend more time (4:39 hours/month) on average on Facebook than any other of the top 10 web brands.
• Internship Programs- Research shows that connecting college students to meaningful internship opportunities with employers increases the chance that they will stay in that career field after graduation.
  
• Former and/or Collegiate 4-H Club members- This is a network of young people who already have a knowledge and appreciation for Extension. This network of students can become ambassadors for Extension and should be utilized in informal and formal recruiting efforts among their friends.

When recruiting at Career Fairs and Fairs District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors should...

• Involve County Extension Agents who are members of the District Recruiting Team. These individuals are the face of Extension and students will relate more to someone who is doing the job they are interested in then they will a middle manager.
  
• Distribute current recruiting materials.
• Have list of current vacancies in the state for students who may be searching for a position.
• Obtain name, phone, numbers, and email addresses for participants who may have interest in Extension as career.
• Provide prospective applicants with address for Texas AgriLife Extension Service Website (http://texasextension.tamu.edu/).
• Provide prospective applicants with instructions of how they can follow Texas AgriLife Extension on Twitter (http://twitter.com/txextension).
• Provide prospective applicants with address for Texas AgriLife Extension Service Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/agrilifeextension).
  
• Be prepared to discuss internship programs with Extension.
• Be prepared to discuss Texas AgriLife Extension Service salary and compensation package.
  
• Set up interviews with prospective applicants.
  
• Schedule time with faculty members and/or Career Placement Center Director to ensure that a positive relationship is developed or maintained. These individuals have tremendous influence on students long after we have left campus.
  
• Followup with prospects that have been identified as top prospects. Also, send email addresses to County Programs office where a followup from the Associate Director for County Programs can send a followup letter to prospects.
  

Attached is a link to a video that can be utilized to advertise spring career fairs at Colleges and Universities:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG_XjqHl1AM

This video can be embedded in an electronic post card or attached to an email that is sent to students who are invited to visit with you during a career fair. As an example, this video may be embedded in an electronic post card to students who are members of student organizations (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences student organization, Collegiate 4-H , Block and Bridle, etc.) at the College or University that is hosting the career fair. Also, Universities or Colleges hosting these career fairs may also use this on their web sites as an invitation from Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Remember, the next generation of Extension Agents are looking for a career with an organization that is progressive, exciting and innovative. District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors should utilize career fairs and expositions to project a image of Texas AgriLife Extension Service where prospective applicants leave these events thinking this is the kind of organization I would like to be part of.