Layoffs are rampant right now across the business world, so at some point in the near future, your company will probably review the resume or interview a candidate who has previously been laid off during their career.

Following the four pillars process can help with assessing talent that have been laid off to determine if they’re a good fit for your agricultural business.

According to Mark Waschek, President, Ag1Source, when you’re interviewing a candidate who has been recently laid off, it’s important to really understand what their goals are. Of course, their primary motivation is that they need a job, but is the job they’re being interviewed for aligned with their long-term focus?

Candidates have a variety of reasons for interviewing for a new role, such as moving to be closer to family, scaling back their work commitments to spend more time with their family, caring for aging parents, spending more time traveling or on a side project, etc. In Waschek’s experience, those motivations will trump the motivation for a job.

“The candidate will tell you what you want to hear, especially if they’re overqualified for the position,” he said. “So, what hiring managers need to do is dig into their long-term motivations. Do they see themselves staying in this community long-term? If there’s going to be an opportunity within the next 12 to 18 months that you can move them up into, then go ahead and hire them.”

Recruiting, onboarding and training are all costs involved with hiring a new employee, especially when an overqualified employee will be paid a salary most likely at the top end of the range. Thus, organizations need to be careful that they’re not paying too much for what ends up being a short-term need.

“That’s where the situation goes awry with so many companies,” Waschek said. “Both the candidate and employer are letting short-term needs drive the conversations. It’s a collision of short-term motivators that are not ideal for the long-term.”

However, a short-term approach can be leveraged to an employer’s advantage, if everyone goes in with the same expectations. Waschek shares the example of LinkedIn when it first started. LinkedIn’s founder, Reed Hoffman, knew he needed the brightest and best out there to help his fledgling start up. He offered a deal to people who were currently employed by Google and Microsoft: He couldn’t pay them the high salaries they were making in their current roles, but if they would work for him for two years, he would give them an opportunity to add something to their resume that they were looking for. After the two years, the employee could part ways with LinkedIn, with Hoffman’s blessing—and the career advancement they were seeking. While unconventional, Waschek notes that it’s actually quite effective.

“There’s nothing wrong with a short-term employment contract that guarantees that your organization will provide the employee with training or experience they need or want,” he said. “By the end of those two years, they will appreciate the experience they’ve gained—and if there’s an opening in the company that’s coming soon, they may choose to stay.”