Fairly Important Matters Clay County Agricultural Fair General Manager Search Process I was asked to document the process we used to select our General
Manager. We wanted to make this a team approved decision and pro- cess. The board decided to use its Nominating Committee as the Search Committee. We met as an Executive Committee to discuss a timeline, process and
qualities that we needed to fill the position. A suggested timeline and process was documented and submitted to the board for approval. The timeline was critical because we wanted to make the transition
prior to the upcoming fair. The board approved the timeline and press release at its August meeting. The press release was sent out the follow- ing day. The decision was made to announce the opening to anyone who might be interested.
It was decided that the job posts should include the salary
range and a job description. Posts were done on Facebook to create awareness and job postings were done on the following websites:
International Association of Fairs and Expos Florida Federation of Fairs
Clay County Agricultural Fair The goal was to create awareness nationally, state-wide, and locally.
The press release created awareness in our local papers. The link was used in social media and was posted on the fair’s home
page news feed. The timeline allowed for the open application period to be a little over
one month. All applications required a resume, personal references and approval for background checks. The day after the application deadline the Search Committee met to
review all applications and narrow the selections to five. Next, the Executive Committee met to review the five applications and
narrow the selection to three. The top three will be invited to a personal interview with the full board of directors. The narrowing process was done in a unique way. All applications
were copied and given to the Search Committee prior to their review meeting. At the review meeting, a list of names only was given to all committee members. They ranked their top five based strictly on the application and were asked not to put their names on the ballot. The ballots were collected and the results posted. Next, all applicants receiv- ing votes were openly discussed. Each committee member was asked to share their pros and cons for the applicant. Afterwards, I shared any known industry background knowledge of each applicant. Once that was completed, a new ballot was passed out to rank their top five. The votes were posted on and ranked as follows:
The applicants with the most vote from the committee members
The average score for each applicant This allowed the committee to select its top five recommendations to
the Executive Committee. Feedback from the committee members was that this was a fair way to evaluate all applicants and it was a decision of the entire committee rather than being influenced by individual mem- bers. All applicants not selected were sent an email to notify them and thank
them for their interest. Background and reference checks were complet- ed prior to submitting to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee met and the same
review process was
used. They used the same process to select the finalists. They chose four instead of three, who were invited to be interviewed by the full board. Our Office Manager contacted each finalist to share our plan for transportation, accommodations and the next steps. At the next regular board meeting, the final process to be used for the
finalists was approved. The interviews would be done at a special called board meeting just for that purpose.
40 FAIRCRACKER-SPRING 2016 Ricky Nelson & Gary Schmidt with the Osceola
County Fair with Miranda Muir as she graduates from the Institute of Fair Management
The Special Board Meeting started with a cookout so the members
could meet the candidates socially prior to the interview sessions. The Office Manager, Chairman of the Board and I met with the four finalist outside on the porch to explain the interview process and draw names for the order of the interviews. They were told that each would be called the next morning with the board’s decision and the top choice would be invited back to the office to negotiate an agreement. Next, the process was explained to the board. Each director drew their standard question to
ask each finalist. It was explained that added
questioning was encouraged to get a feel for each candidate. A form listing the standard questions along with the names of each
candidate was provided to each board member for notes. Each candidate was individually brought back in to the boardroom for follow-up ques- tions. After all questions were completed, the four finalists, Office Manager
and I left for the night. The board openly discussed each person and then voted their choices on a ballot listing the four names. The ballots were counted by the Executive Committee. The results were shared with the board and a
vote taken to confirm
the choice. In addition, negotiation limits were authorized by the board for the Executive Committee. The Office Manager called each finalist with the decision the next
morning. A meeting was held with the top choice candidate, Executive Committee and me to reach an agreement. A follow-up meeting was required, plus a special called board meeting to approve the final agree- ment. As a result of this process, I’m proud to announce Tasha Hyder as the
new General Manager for the Clay County Agricultural Fair. This is the process that worked for us. Thanks for allowing us to share
our plan. By Pete Sutton
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60