RECOMMENDATION

REPORT

Employee Recommendation Report for

an Accountant

Amber Hayes
Employee Recommendation Report for
Karissa Kuschel

Prepared for English 320

By Amber Hayes

Distributed October 15, 2010

 Table of Contents
List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………………………………….ii

Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………..iii

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………1-2

Organization Research………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Cargill………………………………………………………………………………………………………3-5

Sanford Health………………………………………………………………………………………..6-7

Chaffey College……………………………………………………………………………………….8-9

Conclusion and Recommendation………………………………………………………………………10

Works Cited.…………………………………………………………………………………………….……11-12
 List of Figures

Figure 1: Community Population vs. Number of Employees…………………………………4

Figure 2: Salary and Cost of Living Comparison……………………………………………………8

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 Executive Summary

Main Purpose

In my report I put together all of the research I did concerning your three jobs offers and the

companies in which you could potentially be working for. I also performed research on the

community that each job is located. By performing this research I am recommending Cargill as

the best job for you.

The Design

I set up my report for easy readability by you. The order of the report is:

 The job and company description and how they fit your needs

 A description of the size of each company and the size of the communities the

companies are located in

 A comparison of salaries to the price of living in each community

I hope you will find each section helpful in making your final decision. I chose these three key

points to focus on because I felt these were the areas in which you showed more emphasis

during our interview and in your questionnaire.

Recommendation

The last section of my report concludes my findings. In my conclusion you will see why I am

recommending Cargill to be the company you should choose to pursue your career with.

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 Introduction
Having to choose between three jobs is a challenge. When deciding between several

positions, it is important to perform thorough research on each company and make sure that

the job offer meets your needs and expectations. If someone is hasty about choosing a job,

they may make the wrong decision, most likely by failing to look into the job more carefully. In

this case, they may not choose the job that would be the best fit for them and make them

happier in the long run. That is why, in writing your recommendation report, I made sure to

carefully match your desires both as an employee and an individual with the company I chose

for you, which is Cargill.

I am hoping that the extensive research I have performed in regard to each organization

will provide a clear answer as to why I am recommending that Cargill be your employer of

choice. In my report I will present information on the community where each job is located,

the size of the corporation as well as important facts pertaining to each organization, and a

comparison of what each ones pay compared to the cost of living in each community. Since

you emphasized the importance of each of these points, I felt by comparing and contrasting

them it would better help you understand my recommendation and ultimately help you in

making your final decision.

I hope that the following report is helpful in your mission of choosing the “right” job. If

you have any questions about the information in this report, I have a list of sources you may

refer to get further information about each company. If you have any questions, please do not

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hesitate to contact me so I can answer them to the best of my ability. Good luck with your final

decision.

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 Organization Research

Based on the questionnaire I had asked you to fill out, and from our interview, I have

decided to base my decision and report on three key factors that are important to you when

choosing a job:

 Job and company description

 Size of the organization and community of the position

 Salary compared with cost of living

From these three factors, I chose the job that I felt supported all three of them the best and

would be a good fit for you.

Cargill-Fargo, ND

Job and Organization Description:

According the Cargill’s company website, Cargil.com, Cargill was founded in 1865 and

produces and markets agriculture, food, as well as industrial and financial products and

services. They believe in “helping customers succeed through collaboration and innovation,

and are committed to sharing our global knowledge and experience to help meet economic,

environmental and social changes.” Cargill is committed to business conduct, the environment,

to people, and to the community.(2010) The open position at Cargill is for a

Finance/Accounting Associate. Through my interview with you I learned that customer service

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was one of the main reasons you chose Accounting as a career, and in this position, you would

be working with Cargill customers from all over the world. You would also be able to put your
organization and leadership skills to good use. In this position, you will also have the

opportunity to manage staff within a year or two and you will have a very successful career in a

limited amount of time.

Size of Organization and Community:

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 In your interview with me, and through reading your responses to my questionnaire,

you stated how important it is to you to work for a large corporation because it will give you

more opportunity to interact with more customers and have more responsibilities. You had

also mentioned that since you grew up in a rural community, you would like to live in a smaller

area. In figure 1 below, it shows the comparison of community size to how many employees

each company employs. If you look at the graph, you will see that the company located in the

area with the smallest population, yet has the most employees is Cargill, whereas with Sanford

Health and Chaffey College their organizations have significantly less employees, even though

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the population of their communities are quite large.

180,000
160,000
140,000
120,000
100,000
Population of Community
80,000 Column1
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Cargill Sanford Chaffey College

Figure 1

According to Cargill.com, Cargill employs 131,000 people in 66 countries, so if at some

point you wished to relocate out of the Fargo area, you have the option to ask to easily be

transferred to one of Cargill’s other branches (2010). According to the City of Fargo website,

Fargo is the largest city in North Dakota, with a population of 95,556 people and is located

along the Red River of the North. Fargo has a low crime rate compared to other cities of its

size, which is an important aspect, since you mentioned safety is important to you.(2010)

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According to an article in Forbes, titled “Best Small Places for Businesses and Careers”, Fargo is

the seventh best small place for businesses and careers in the United States, with a low

unemployment rate of 3.1% (2010). If you choose to take the job at Cargill you will be working

for a large company in a smaller city, which you mentioned would be ideal for you.

Salary and Cost of Living:

According to the Accounting Salary Data-PayScale website, for a Finance/Accounting

Associate, your starting salary for working at Cargill will be $43,900 per year (2010). According

to relocationessentials.com, the cost of living in Fargo, ND is $34,188 per year. This amount

accounts for housing, utilities, transportation, health care, food and groceries, and other

miscellaneous expenses (2010). This is a positive aspect; since you are right out of college,

having a low cost of living will help you save money each month and establish a healthy

financial stability.

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Sanford Health-Sioux Falls, SD

Job and Organization Description:

According to the Sanford Health website, Sanford Health is the largest healthcare

corporation between the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and Denver, Colorado. They are

“dedicated to the work of healing” and their vision is “to significantly improve the human

condition through patient care, education, and research.” They value teamwork, strong

relationships with their patients and employees, and professionalism. They also employ the

most people in the region.(2010) The position at Sanford Health that was offered to you is for

an Accountant position. In this position you would be working more with other employees of

Sanford Health, in which excellent communication skills are still needed, which you obtain.

However, with this position you will also need to have an understanding of SMC, System

Management Controller, and if you don’t understand it you may have to take a course at a

community college to get that experience.

Size of Organization and Community:

According to Sanford Health’s website, Sanford Health employs over 10,000 people, it

has: 23 hospitals, 12 nursing homes, 18 assisted living facilities, 27 home health services, and

19 pharmacies (2010). The position that you were offered through Sanford Health is located in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota. According to information on Sioux Fall’s website, Sioux Falls has a

population of 157,935 people and is the largest city in South Dakota. Sioux Falls also has a low

crime rate at about half the average of the United States crime rate, which means it is also a

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safe community. Sioux Falls has an unemployment rate of about 3.3% with a median income of

$41,221 per household.(2010) Sioux Falls has a population of about 60,000 more people than

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Fargo; however, Sanford employs ten-times less employees than Cargill. Therefore, if being

employed with a large corporation in a small community setting is important to you, which you

mentioned it is, Sanford Health is not the best choice for you.

Salary and Cost of Living:

According to the Accounting Salary-Data PayScale website, the starting salary for an

Accountant working at Sanford Health will be $43,900 each year (2010). According to

relocationessentials.com, the cost of living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is $33,240 a year (2010).

This is a only a $948 difference a year, and this difference is in the cost in miscellaneous

expenses, which include things such as haircuts, tobacco/alcohol products, vehicle expenses,

etc. Therefore, if Karissa can make cuts in the miscellaneous expenses, the cost of living will be

almost, so in the end it will not make much of a difference and will not prevent you from

developing financial stability. Figure 2 below shows a comparison of the cost of living in each

city, and a comparison of salaries. You can see that the cost of living and salary for Cargill and

Sanford Health are almost identical, however, Chaffey College’s salary is slightly higher, but you

will notice that the cost of living in Rancho Cucamonga, California is also much higher than it is

in Sioux Falls or Fargo. Considering this position and the position at Cargill have the same

salary, and the cost of living in each community is only a couple of points apart, they are

relatively equal in comparison in this aspect.

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 $60,000

$50,000

$40,000

$30,000 Salary
Column1
$20,000

$10,000

$0
Cargill Sanford Health Chaffey College

Figure 1

Chaffey College-Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Job and Organization Description:

According to Chaffey College’s website, Chaffey College is a two year college and one of

the first colleges in California to be established. Chaffey has a wide range of diversity between

its students and employees and offers over sixty occupational programs. Their mission is to “…

improve lives within the diverse community it serves…where student success is highly valued,

supported, and assessed.”(2010) The open position at Chaffey College is for an Accountant.

Similar to the job at Sanford Health, you would be working more closely with other employees

of Chaffey College and auditors, so there is not much customer service involved. Whereas if

you work for a corporation in which you would be helping clients, you would have more hands-

on with customers and be helping more people, rather than working with the same co-workers

and auditors. However, you will be able to use your excellent organization skills through

keeping ledgers and journal.

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Size of Organization and Community:

Chaffey College employs 1,119 people at three different campus locations in California,

according to the Chaffey College website (2010). The one that has offered you a position is the

Rancho Cucamonga campus. According to the Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency

website, Rancho Cucamonga, California has a population of 117,736 people. Rancho

Cucamonga has a higher crime rate, but it is considered lower than average compared to other

larger cities in California.(2010) Looking at this fact, we can see that this is not the safest

community out of your two previous company choices locations. Also, this organization

employs the least amount of employees, compared to the population of the community it is in.

Salary and Cost of Living:

According to the job advertisement for the Accounting job at Chaffey Community

College, your starting salary will be $53,760 per year (2010). The cost of living, according to

relocationessentials.com, for Rancho Cucamonga, California, is $37,308 a year (2010). This is a

lot higher than both Sioux Falls and Fargo. Even though you are making slightly more money at

Chaffey College, the cost of living there is drastically higher than in Fargo or Sioux Falls. This

fact alone provides enough reason to rule out this college as an opportunity for employment.

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 Conclusion and Recommendation

Based on the questionnaire you have answered, my interview with you, and through my

extensive research, I recommend Cargill as the company you should choose as your employer.

The first way in which I recognized Cargill to be the best job for you is by its location in a smaller

community that is safe, which you emphasized was an important aspect to you. Secondly,

Cargill is a very large company where there is a lot of opportunity for advancement and you will

always have a variety of tasks to complete, so your job will not be too repetitious. Also, by

working at Cargill you will be able to integrate your strong customer service skills with people

other than other employees. Lastly, the cost of living in Fargo is low, and your starting salary is

at a good amount where you won’t have to worry about not being able to support yourself.

Cargill is a highly respectable company that is committed to its employees, customers,

and themselves. With Cargill you will also have the opportunity to work with people around

the world from your single location. It should also be noted that there is an opportunity to

travel, and if you ever decide you would like to move out of Fargo, Cargill offers several

companies all over the world that you can transfer to.

I hope you have found my report helpful and have found guidance through my

recommendation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I wish you

luck in your final decision.

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 Works Cited

"Accountant Job at Chaffey Community College." CPA - Career Center. 30 July 2010. Web. 28

Sept. 2010. <http://cpadirectory.careerbank.com>.

"Accountant Salary & Job Description, Accounting Salary Data - PayScale." PayScale - Salary

Comparison, Salary Survey, Search Wages. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2010.

<http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Accountant/Salary>.

"Best Small Places For Business And Careers: #7 Fargo ND - Forbes.com." Forbes.com Business

News, Financial News, Stock Market Analysis, Technology & Global Headline News. 10

Apr. 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2010.

"Cargill Inc." Cargill: International Producer and Marketer of Food, Agricultural, Financial and

Industrial Products and Services. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. <http://www.cargill.com>.

Chaffey College. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. <http://www.chaffey.edu>.

City of Fargo. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2010. <http://www.ci.fargo.nd.us>.

Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency, CA. 2010. Web. 29 Sept. 2010.

<http://www.rcrda.us>.

Relocation Essentials. 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2010.

<http://www.relocationessentials.com/default.aspx>.

Sanford Health, Sanford USD Medical Center Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 2010. Web. 19 Oct.

2010. <http://south.sanfordhealth.org>.
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Welcome to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 2010. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. <http://www.siouxfalls.com>.

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