Who am I?
About Dairy Farm Recruitment
My name is Bianca Hoeksema Arkeveld, the face behind Dairy Farm Recuitment. I’m from the Netherlands and live in Ireland now. My love of cows and farms was clear from an early age. As a young girl, I could be found very often at the petting zoo, and on a dairy and cheese farm when I was a little older.
I loved it, rural life among the cows and other animals. So it did not surprise my parents that I married a proper ‘cow-man’ and lived on a beef and dairy farm for many years.
Even after more than 15 years, I think working as a recruiter is the greatest job in the world. It gives me great satisfaction when both the employers are very happy with their employees, and the employees are very happy with their job. So I pull out all the stops to make sure people are in the right place at the right time.
Emigrating to Ireland
I have been an outdoor girl all my life, and surprised absolutely no one when I married a proper ‘cow-man’. First we lived on a beef farm and later on a dairy farm. Any of my free time was happily spent farming with my husband.Â
When the Dutch legislation for the dairy farming sector changed, we decided to move to Ireland in 2021. We chose Ireland because it is an English-speaking country that is incredibly well suited for farming, and there are many opportunities in dairy farming . My husband is the Farm Manager of a dairy farm with 450 dairy cows, managing 4 employees daily. And he feels very much in the right place there.
Combination of knowledge and experience
At age 21, I started working as a junior intermediary at an employment agency. I gradually developed into a full recruiter. It was wonderful for me to get the right employees in the right place. I became very intense about it. After that, I held various positions in business in Human Resources and as a recruiter, and I still have that same drive. As far as I am concerned, it is the most awesome job.
So I pull out all the stops to make sure people are in the right place at the right time. Emigrating to Ireland, my knowledge and experience in the dairy industry and recruitment allow me to fully empathise with both parties. I know what a farmer needs and what qualities are important in addition to knowledge and experience. And from the employee’s perspective, I know what it is like to work on an Irish dairy farm. And since every season is different here, I can tell you in advance what to expect.
