Q: What
is the best way for me to get ahead at Farm Credit?
Q: What is a typical day in
the life of a Farm Credit employee?
Q: What
is the turnover like at Farm Credit?
Q: Why did you accept a job with
Farm Credit?
Q: How
many times will I move in my Farm Credit career?
Q: What does the future look
like for Farm Credit?
Q: When and how will I be notified
of the results of my interview?
A: When young people begin their careers at Farm Credit, they often ask what they need to do to succeed. I usually respond by saying that, first, you should set goals for yourself. This means to determine where you want to be in a year … three years … five years, and so on.
Study the right people. Choose a mentor. Ask questions. And study more than one style to figure out what works best for you.
Take advantage of opportunities. Seize the moment when you see a chance to do something that will benefit the organization, and participate in as many professional development programs as possible.
Finally, learn our business culture. Understand the core values. And focus on being the best over the long haul instead of searching for a quick payoff.
President and CEO
First Pioneer Farm Credit
A: A typical day varies depending on where you are in your career — and for some of you, there might never be a “typical” day, depending on how you choose to structure your career.
First-year employees who want to “fast track” themselves often do their learning after hours. I often tell the story of how I spent my off-hours poring over every loan file in my office so I could learn as much as possible. Then when everyone else was in the office, I was available to provide value by delivering information on a moment’s notice. The complexity of my assignments increased rapidly, so I learned faster.
Perhaps 25 percent of the first-year employee’s time is spent getting out with customers, gathering information, learning about their needs, and doing the legwork that supports our more experienced staff.
Later, after you acquire a basic understanding of how our services match up to customer needs, you’ll spend about half your time with customers, assuming greater responsibilities in customer relationships as you go along. You’ll spend the rest of the time in the office, documenting customer discussions, writing loans, doing tax returns, servicing troubled credits, and so on.
Because we are a customer-oriented organization, you’ll find that, as you acquire more experience, you will spend more time out in the field — literally and figuratively — marketing our services, identifying needs and enhancing relationships with your customers.
As I said at the beginning of my response, eventually you will evolve into a personal consultant for your own set of clients.
President and CEO
First Pioneer Farm Credit
A: Turnover at Farm Credit is very low. This is because success at Farm Credit depends on developing and maintaining long-term, meaningful relationships with customers.
From a business standpoint, low turnover is our strategic advantage. Every association will tell you that customer relationships are very important, which is why we spend so much time and so many resources recruiting, hiring and training our employees. We get the most out of these resources by hiring the right people and helping to ensure that they stay with us for many years.
Farm Credit is in the value-added credit business,
which means we need knowledgeable people who know how to develop long-term,
successful relationships with their customers. We help ensure longevity
at Farm Credit with excellent salary and benefits packages, an outstanding
work environment and career-long professional development opportunities.
President and CEO
Yankee Farm Credit
Q: Why
did you accept a job with Farm Credit?
A: I liked the people
and the culture at Farm Credit. And I really wanted to be involved in
agriculture. When you combine all of that with competitive salaries and
great benefits, Farm Credit really stood out in the marketplace.
I didn’t come to Farm Credit through the traditional route as an agricultural economics major. I graduated from Ohio State with a degree in animal science then managed a purebred hog operation in Illinois for more than a year. After that, I farmed on my own for a while and was a licensed commodities broker.
These were great experiences. My career at Farm Credit allowed me to use all of those experiences to advance in the organization and to make a difference for the ag community.
President and CEO
Farm Credit of Western New York
A: That’s up to you. Farm Credit is not the type of corporate culture that forces you to move between offices regularly in order to advance in your career.
We have people who settle into an area, learn the credit or financial services business, and love their customers. Their local Farm Credit branch becomes their home and their community, and they stay for their careers. We also have employees who want new opportunities and an occasional change of scenery, so they move around more often. In my case, I was fortunate since I had opportunities for advancement and moved just once in my 16-year Farm Credit career.
The best answer to this question is that it depends on your own objectives.
President and CEO
Farm Credit of Western New York
A: The future for Farm Credit continues to be very bright.
I base my optimism on two reasons:
- The strength of agriculture and related industries in the Northeast and its history of successfully adapting to changes in its markets.
- The underlying financial strength and deep-seeded
commitment of Farm Credit to these industries.
President and CEO
Farm Credit of Maine
Q:
When and how will I be notified of the results of my interview?
A: Decisions concerning employment offers are
usually made by March of each year. You will be notified of your employment
status by e-mail, letter or phone.
This consistency, along with the ability of Northeast agriculture to adapt, will result in continuing success for Farm Credit.
Vice President
Career Development Program
Farm Credit
