Dude Ranch Hiring Considerations

Dude ranch owners and others in charge of hiring the dude ranch staff know the types of people they want on staff. They want to hire people that the guests will like, who will get along with their co-workers, who will work hard.

Here’s a little checklist that most dude ranch owners go through before hiring someone:

• Is this person happy? Good smile?
• Is this person friendly? Does he/she like people?
• Polite?
• Clean, neat, and western?
• Speak well? Clearly present ideas?
• Will she/he be hard working and flexible?
• Can this person solve problems? How much direct supervision will he/she need?
• Is he/she open to supervision?
• Physically capable of the workload at altitude?
• Mature enough to be away from home?
• Mature enough to work the entire season without burning out?
• Mature enough to handle social life without extremes or inappropriate behavior (alcohol)?
• Does this person smoke?
• Will he/she get along with others in bunkhouse with very little privacy?
• Does she/he fit in a rural lifestyle without cell phones, television and the hubbub of city life?
• Does he/she understand nature, the ecosystem, the minimal impact ethic?
• Does she/he understand the concepts of “delighted guest” and “safe guest”?
• Note that age, color or nationality are not terribly important in this industry.
• What is this person’s availability? Dates of availability are very important!