Things you oughta know BEFORE you interview!

Things YOU need to do BEFORE you interview:

1) RESEARCH – Educate yourself

• WHO- learn who it is you are about to apply for a job with, look at the company’s (or personal) website, “google” them and see what comes up, ask around in the equine community.   Parents of young job seekers may even contact local police or better business bureau to check for outstanding complaints/concerns.
• WHAT – READ the job description/job posting.   Don’t apply to a job just because it is a job.  You may be wasting your time and the employer’s time. For a groom position (as an example) You need to know what their main focus is – is it a boarding barn? a training facility? a show barn? What is the main discipline? Dressage or Eventing?  Give yourself an idea of what will be expected.  BEFORE you apply.
• HOW – Also carefully consider the time it will take to commute to and from your job – make sure it is a manageable distance.
• WHY- check local pay rates for the position being offered.  be aware that pay rates vary by location and discipline.   Look out for the HorseJobs.ca Salary Survey being released this year.

2) BE PREPARED – After your research, make a list of questions. What are the things that YOU need to know.   # of stalls to muck out? Hours expected? Travel opportunities? Rate of Pay?  ( I always leave the rate of pay question until the end.  Personally some jobs just aren’t worth a million dollars and other jobs I would practically work for free – just don’t tell anyone that!! )

3) Now that you are armed with questions and research – INTERVIEW.  First impressions last so,

• Be on time
• Be polite/professional
• Be prepared

4) TALK –  ”OK.”  Those two little letters could cost you a big screen TV or the new IPod Touch that you have been after!!!  Think about it.  Have you ever been offered an hourly wage and accepted it by simply saying OK?  Did you know that by adding a mere 50cents to that full time wage could result in $1000? No big deal right? so why not ask for it.  Don;t be scared of negotiating – it’s not a painful experience.  It’s a challenge that could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars if you negotiate EVERY time you accept a new position, or have a performance review/salary increase.

It’s not just salary that is up for negotiation.  many jobs in the equine industry have other “perks” that form our compensation packages:

• Housing
• Coaching/Lessons
• Use of company vehicle (truck etc)
• Stabling/Board
• Health benefits
• Insurance

All of these things have great financial value and should be considered as part of your salary. ALL of these things are negotiable too.  If your hourly wage isn’t want you were aiming for – try to negotiate more coaching time  in lieu of pay.

5) GET IT IN WRITING.  Employment contracts are sadly NOT the norm in our industry but they should be.  You need to have a written agreement of your employment and you need to know if you are an employee OR a self employed contractor, in which case you are responsible for your own taxes and for profiding your own equipment etc.  Written agreements are designed to protect you.  Not only that but they help to communicate what is expected from you and what you will receive in return.

In my humble opinion, in order for the Canadian Horse Industry to progress we must all do our part in treating it in a professional manner.