Tips on getting a dude ranch job: 4
We got a followup note from Ellen Morin, at Sundance Trails Ranch in Colorado, adding her suggestions to Dan Morin’s. She says, with tongue in cheek, “Everyone knows that the best way to get a ranch job is to marry the owner!” On a more serious note, she adds, “A million years ago, I wrote a wrote a paper about this very subject!” Below, with her permission, are some of her suggestions.If you want to stand out, you should:
-Honestly determine if you fit (square pegs should not work in round holes)
-Know the rules
-Know Your Target
-Let the ranch know that you have studied them
-Follow Ranch practices
-Make it easy for the ranch to check your references
Call the ranch to determine its hiring schedule; for example, most northern ranches begin accepting applications by Thanksgiving and make hiring decisions in December.
And for more information, visit www.duderanchjobs.com.
Lora was a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Sunset Magazine and, more recently, Editor of Travel Publications for Sunset Custom Publishing. She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), and has won numerous writing awards.