Like most industries, agriculture is facing a shortage of job candidates. This means you may be having trouble adding members to your team. Although you may want candidates who work in the industry, you could be better off looking in other fields. After all, relevant experience does not always make a candidate a good fit for a position.

Discover how candidates from industries outside of agriculture can benefit your team and where you can find them.

Search in Other Fields

Candidates from other industries can bring fresh perspectives to your team. This can provide better results for what you want to accomplish with the role. Hiring an employee with different experience and ideas can improve how your operations are run. The new hire also can add quality to your culture and business output. Plus, they can promote innovation with new ways of doing things to increase efficiency.

Update Your Job Postings

Include in your job postings only the necessary requirements to be productive in the role. Clarify what your preferences are and the fact that they can be trained for. This encourages candidates to apply as long as they have the basic skills needed for success.

Advertise in the Appropriate Places

Focus on the industries with values and work environments that are similar to yours. These employees should have the soft skills needed to adapt and thrive at your company. They also are likely to fit in with your team and be successful long-term. Post your job openings in their industry magazine and on their job boards.

Focus on the Necessary Skills

When interviewing, focus on the background and experience that truly are needed to succeed in the position. Keep in mind that candidates from other industries likely have transferrable skills that would help them be successful. For instance, employees in construction, logging, or the military likely have skills such as communication, problem-solving, showing initiative, working as a team, and managing priorities. You can train the right hire on the hard skills they need to get them producing as soon as possible.

Emphasize Your Mission

Look for candidates who believe in your core mission. They believe in the big picture and are motivated to help your company succeed. These candidates want to learn all they can to gain experience in the agriculture industry. They can provide insight to improve your operations as they see how things are run.

Partner with an Agriculture Staffing Firm

Morris Bixby Group has experienced recruiters who understand the agriculture industry. We work to understand your unique hiring needs so we can provide the qualified candidates to thrive in your roles. Get in touch with us today.