Employment Application

Dude Ranch Employment Opportunities at The Hideout.

Since opening The Hideout guest resort at the Flitner Ranch in 1992, we have had the singular goal to provide our guests with the absolute best and most authentic Western experience possible. Since the very beginning, our repeat guest percentages have been high. And we continue to be rated in the media as "the best of the best."

Our most valuable advertising, however, is provided by our guests from around the world. So our most effective method of advertising continues to be providing exceptional service. From the best horses, to the best accommodations, to the best food, and the very best people, The Hideout leaves no aspect of hospitality to chance.

The Hideout is blessed with many assets and resources. One in particular greatly affects your vacation, and its one that we are extremely proud of: our staff. The Hideout is not a training camp for wanna-be ranch hands. But rather, a home base for top-quality, highly-experienced, and much valued ranch professionals.

Many of our people are with us year round (i.e., not seasonal workers). Some have been at The Hideout since our conception. Others in key positions had been working for the Flitner Ranch prior to joining The Hideout operation. This has been vital to prepare our crew properly. That is, to gain hands-on job experience on a working ranch, as well as in the hospitality side of the business.

Our people are like one big family and they genuinely love what they do. Whatever the position -- office, kitchen, housekeeping, maintenance, or wrangling -- the objective is always the same: to make sure our guests have the very best vacation they ever had ... year after year.

Most of our employees are native Westerners, the others have developed a passion for the ways of the West. They all are knowledgeable about regional geography, history, politics, nature and wildlife. The wranglers and staff at the barn are not your typical dude ranch hands. Instead, the men and women on our staff are professional cowboys and cowgirls, but who also enjoy working with people and sharing their passion for and knowledge of the West.

When guests visit The Hideout they can expect to be treated as a friend and member of the family. They can expect nothing less than excellent service and attention from our staff. And whoever is seeking employment at The Hideout needs to understand that these are the high standards under which we operate.

 

 

Character, Conduct, and Competence

We look to attract the right employees and hire based on character, conduct, and competence. Knowing also that one can train for competence, but not so much for conduct, and one's character has already been greatly determined.

Character:

·   Be honest, keep your promises, and just do it!

·   Know where to draw the line

·   Some things are just not for sale

·   Live each day with cowboy courage

·   Do what it takes

Conduct:

·   Live up to excellence in Western guest experience

·   Finish what you start or don't start in the first place

·   Push your comfort zone, but always be fair and honest

·   Ride for the brand, honor cowboy ethics and values

·   Talk less and say more

·   Intentions are nice, but our guests count on your deeds

Competence:

·   Preferably have a Western ranching background

·   Live up to the high standards of The Hideout

·   Walk your talk (that is, under promise and over deliver)

·   Passion, professionalism, and dedication are intrinsic to the ultimate guest experience at The Hideout

·   Each of us takes pride in being the best

·   Have a passion for the American West, farming and ranching, and the great outdoors

·   Although you excel in your trade, you realize that excellence is a journey

·   The Hideout guests pay your salary, and you need to earn it day by day, guest by guest, simply by being the best -- individually and as a team player!