“REAL Success took all the hard work away from us!”

The Situation

Pilkington Farms has been working with REAL Success for many years. Paul Harris has been supporting them with the development of their team and their overall people management. Matt Pilkington then reached out to James, our Recruitment Director, for some recruitment support within the team.

The Task

James was able to go and see the team at Pilkington Farms, with Matt showing James around the two units and the development of the third unit. Matt explained that they would need to find a Senior Herdsperson to run their brand new dairy unit which was due to be completed in the coming months. Matt outlined his plans for the role and James was able to go through the full recruitment process with Matt, including how it works and what to expect. As we started the process, the Head Herdsperson for one of their other units handed their notice in, meaning we were looking for two roles.

Action

• Job description and advert created for both roles, which was then posted on Indeed, the REAL Success Website, LinkedIn and other outlets.
• A unique Social Media project was created by our Marketing team and distributed across different platforms and groups.
• The recruitment team screened, phoned and reference checked all applicants. James also proactively contacted different candidates he knew and contacts who could help spread the word.
• Relevant candidates on our database were contacted regarding the position.
• Candidates shortlist was sent over to Matt and his team for review.
• These candidates were then sent Vita profiles, which helps us understand how they like to work and be managed. Due to the previous work completed with Pilkington Farms, we were able to use the Vita profiling system to match the current personalities in the team.
• Certain candidates were then invited to the farm for an on-farm interview, organised by the recruitment team. Interview questions and resources were sent to the team to support them through the process.
• After different interviews, a candidate was offered the role for the new dairy unit. A detailed job offer letter was created and signed by the candidate, allowing them to hand in their notice.
• The recruitment team then completed the full onboarding process, completing a driving license check, qualifications check and a Contract of Employment.
• Constant communication was kept between James, Matt and his team. With James updating them on the current candidate market, changes that needed to be made and overall advice.

The Result

• An excellent candidate was hired for the new dairy unit in 2023 who has settled in brilliantly and has had a positive impact on the business.
• A second candidate was hired to replace the leaving Head Herdsperson, who joined at the start of 2024. She is also doing well and enjoying her role.
• At the end of the process, due to the expansion of the business, a Herd Manager was required to join and lead the biggest of the three units. We were able to successfully find a suitable candidate, who joined in the middle of 2024.
• James and Matt still keep ongoing communication after the recruitment process has finished.