Employee attrition and talent acquisition cost agencies a lot. According to a research, it costs an estimated $5,000 each time an employee leaves and requires to be replaced by another. With this in mind, it only makes sense that organizations pay close attention to finding the best candidates who have the skills and qualifications needed for the job and the ability to stay for the long haul.

This session focuses particularly on animal welfare staff’s recruitment, onboarding, training, and retention. Joining the Justice Clearinghouse to provide guidance is Adam Leath. Adam is the Director of the Volusia County Animal Services where he leads investigation and response to animal cruelty and animals involved in natural disasters. He’s also previously led other animal welfare efforts with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association (IVFSA).

Specifics discussed are:

• A rundown of the items that must be included and taken into account for the job description and what to avoid when drafting this.
• The importance of conveying positivity, enthusiasm, and your distinct organizational culture when posting an advertisement for a job opportunity.
• The different places to best cast your hiring net to reach the most qualified potential candidates.
• Offering a competitive salary that would be appealing to your target candidates.
• How the timings for the post can impact how candidates perceive the role as well as the organization.
• Pointers on how to best interview candidates by considering:
  • Whether the interview will be virtual, over the phone, or in-person.
  • Having team members and/or leaders the candidate is most likely to interact with involved.
  • The type of questions to ask that will allow you to learn the most about the candidates’ skills, values, motivation, and attitude.
• The steps to take during onboarding as part of due diligence while managing the candidates’ expectations and keeping them updated about the process.
• The post-recruitment probationary phase where the employee is:
  • Provided the needed training necessary to accomplish their job.
  • Assessed based on agreed-upon performance metrics.
  • Invested upon and given the chance to learn and grow through goals and developmental milestones.
  • Cross-trained in other functions within the agency.

Questions from the audience were about:

• Tips to best engage Millennial and Gen Z applicants.
• Other statistics related to the cost of turnover.
• The value of soft skills for professionals.
• Deciding to let go of someone who isn’t performing as expected during the probationary period.
• Decisions surrounding training and the costs these entail.
• Recommendations on evaluating candidates in terms of skills and concern for the job.
• Having the talk with remaining employees after a team member was terminated.

Other Webinars in this Series Include:

• Marketing and Hiring: How to Stand Out When You’re a Small Fish in a Big Pond
• Creating a Constant Stream of Recruits: Finding Great People to Meet Your Agency’s Goals
• Responding to a Recruiting Crisis: Using Innovative Tactics to Transform Your Recruiting Practices
•  The Workforce Crisis and What Law Enforcement Agencies Are Doing about It.
• Recruiting and Retention of Police: Strategies for Small and Medium-Sized Agencies
• The New Generations: How to Recruit, Retain and Motivate
• (This Webinar) The Secret Sauce to Finding the Best Candidates
•  Creating and Maintaining a Great Workforce: Recruiting and Retaining Quality Employees
•  Recruiting the Next Generation to Your Agency

Resources and Handouts

• ACO Training and Evaluation
• Sample Job Posting – Veterinarian
• ACO Phone Interview Form
• Sample ACO Job Description
• Field Supervisor In-Person Interview Form
• ACO In-Person Interview Form

Audience Comments

• “I liked how he was talking about when the hire starts to have them set goals, engage them in the process of onboarding personally.”  — Stephani
• “Valuable tips on hiring practices. Great presentation and handout materials. You do a fantastic job of providing relevant topics and excellent guest speakers.  Thank you!” — Kim
• “I appreciate Adam’s comments about how the hiring considerations have changed with the younger generations coming into the workforce. This topic is valuable to remind me to get out of the “We’ve Always Done It This Way” box. Thanks, Adam!!” — Kelley
• “I like the idea of using pictures for recruitment and open-ended questions during the interview process.” — Cris
• “Thoughtfully update the job description and make the job posting positive and enthusiastic. Describe the position as an opportunity to “make a difference.” Thank you very much—very informative and I loved all the photos of the dogs and people!!!” — Cindy
• “The years of experience and service from the presenter, hands-on approach.” — Kamal

View our Animal Welfare Webinar  Schedule and Recordings

This webinar has been certified by the National Animal Care & Control Association and is approved for 1 Continuing Education Unit. Please refer to your NACA membership portal for current CEU submission process. Current NACA Members who attend the live presentation or watch the recording will be able to download a jointly issued attendance certificate that includes the National Animal Care & Control Association logo. Visit the NACA training page for a complete list of future trainings.