Whether you’re a small farm or a large agriculture business, your job postings play a key role in attracting candidates to apply for your open positions. When candidates are reading a job posting and deciding if they want to apply, they are looking for answers to a few key questions. Before we dive into the questions that your job posting should answer, let’s clear up a common misconception related to job postings and descriptions.
Job Posting vs. Job Description
The term “job posting” is often used interchangeably with “job description”, however, the two serve different purposes when it comes to your ag company’s recruitment process.
Job postings are public advertisements of available job openings, typically housed on company websites, job boards, and social media. They are used to market your company to job seekers and attract candidates to apply. Think of job postings as your marketing tool in terms of agriculture recruitment.
Job descriptions are more detailed, internal documents outlining a more technical and exhaustive list of responsibilities, skills, and qualifications required for a specific role within the company. Job descriptions help keep your company structure organized and help you properly focus your recruitment efforts. While mostly for internal use, it can be provided to candidates further in the hiring process or after being hired for the position.
Now that we’ve outlined the difference between a job posting and a job description, let’s ensure your company’s ag job postings are checking the boxes of candidates’ common questions.
Who are you?
While job seekers care about a position being the right fit for their ag career, they’re also just as curious about the company they would be joining. In your ag job postings, it’s important to provide some information about who your company is, what you’re doing, and why they would want to work for you.
In your posting, include a 3-4 sentence summary that includes your agriculture company’s products or services, mission, values, culture, and what sets you apart from competitors. Give candidates a well-rounded idea of what it would be like to work for you.
What does the job consist of?
Now to the main focus of the job posting, the details of the job itself. Start with a short paragraph serving as the “elevator pitch” of the role, providing an overview of the job and its impact on the company. Next, list out the main job responsibilities in bullet points. Try to be specific, painting a clear picture of what the job looks like and where they will spend their time. The more scope you can add, the better.
Keep in mind that your job posting does not need to contain an exhaustive list of job duties, but instead outlines the main focus areas and responsibilities with the goal of attracting applicants. A more extensive outline can be housed within your internal job description.
Where is the job?
Your job posting should include where the job will be performed so the candidate can fully identify if the position is a fit for them. Is the job fully remote, hybrid, on-site? Is any travel involved? These are all questions a candidate will want to know before applying for the job, and should be included in your posting.
If travel is involved, specify how often the employee can expect to travel and if the travel will be local, regional, multi-state, etc. Candidates applying for jobs that involve travel will want to know if they would be regularly traveling overnight or be home each night.
If your position is remote or hybrid, be sure to list this in your posting. Remote and hybrid positions are attractive options to job seekers, so you are likely to see a broader pool of applicants for those types of positions when advertised.
Who is a good fit for this job?
This part of your ag job posting should outline the skills, traits, experience, education, and training this candidate needs to be successful in this role. Think about your “wish list” and who would make an ideal candidate for the position.
Keep in mind to not make your qualifications list too stringent or unrealistic. According to AgHires 2024 Job Seeker Survey, if a qualification in your posting is listed as “preferred” (but is not required), 38% of candidates would not apply if they did not have that qualification. So, to expand your talent pool and avoid missing out on candidates who would eliminate themselves, list only the required qualifications in your posting.
Are you open to different types of backgrounds? Are you willing to train? Are you open to new graduates or less experienced agriculture candidates? If so, these are also important elements to add to your job postings to attract more qualified agriculture candidates and allow you to be more selective when hiring.
What are the perks?
Candidates want to know what’s in it for them regarding compensation, benefits, and other perks before applying to work for your ag company. Where applicable, include details about your company’s benefits in your job posting, such as:
- Hourly or salary pay range
- Insurance benefits (Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Short/Long Term Disability)
- 401K/retirement options
- Paid Time Off (PTO), sick time, and leave programs
- Commission or bonus opportunities
- Holiday pay
- Overtime pay
- Schedule flexibility
- Work vehicle, laptop, phone, or other provided equipment
- Tuition reimbursement or continuing education support
- Profit sharing, stock options, etc.
Our survey results indicate that when salary information is provided, 70% of individuals express a higher likelihood of applying for the job, and 74% are more inclined to apply when benefits information is included. So don’t hold back on bragging about your company’s perks in your job postings!
Conclusion
Your job posting should serve as a concise summary of the position, including details about your company, the main job responsibilities, the job location, candidate qualifications, and your company’s offerings. Including these key components in your posting will provide enough information for candidates to make an informed decision on whether or not they’d like to apply for the job.
When crafting your next ag job posting, use these tips to make sure you’re answering job seeker’s common questions and positioning yourself as an attractive place to work.
If you need help effectively advertising your agriculture jobs and reaching qualified talent, AgHires is here to help. We offer a range of job posting packages and full-service recruitment solutions to help solve your unique hiring challenges. Tap into our network of industry professionals and let our team of expert agriculture recruiters serve as your talent advisors throughout the entire hiring process. Contact us today or learn more about our services.
Interested in more hiring tips from the ag recruitment experts? Check out our Hiring Advice Blog for tips on reducing turnover, enhancing company culture, vetting candidates, and more!
