MightyRecruiterFarmworkers ensure the overall quality of a ranch or farm is maintained. This can include a litany of tasks, including harvesting crops, operating tools and feeding the livestock. Farmworkers are also typically expected to maintain a property’s irrigation system to ensure all the soil and crops remain properly irrigated.
Excellent physical stamina and strength is a necessity in this line of work, which should be expressed in your farmworker job description. Mechanical prowess and the ability to troubleshoot will also come in handy.
Finally, your job description should state that applicants need exceptional listening skills because they need to be aware of everything going on around the farm at all times. You can get additional insight by perusing through the farmworker job description template below.
Farmworker Job Summary
Do you enjoy getting down and dirty and working with your hands? If you answered yes, then a career as a farmworker might be right up your alley because this is one profession where no two days will be alike. You may be expected to harvest vegetables one day and repair fences the next. Anyone who considers him or herself to be a jack of all trades and loves learning new skills should absolutely apply. If there is a skill you are unfamiliar with, you do not have to worry because you will work directly with the head farmer and receive comprehensive on-site training.
Job Responsibilities
- Operate several different types of machinery, including tractors, irrigation equipment and harvesters, to carry out responsibilities of role
- Repair equipment when it breaks down and perform routine maintenance to identify problems before they escalate
- Harvest vegetables by hand and check every item to ensure it meets farm’s standards while tossing away items that do not pass that threshold
- Herd cattle and once a week take them to nearby pasture for grazing; maintain vigilant eye to make sure none of the animals wander off
- Apply chemical solutions to plants to ward off insects and other pests
- Maintain communications with clients to keep them in the loop when a shipment is going to be delivered
- Clean housing areas of animals once a week or more frequently if a certain area becomes uninhabitable
- Assist in birth deliveries with farm animals, which may require administering the proper medication to help the animal push the newborn along
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Excellent physical stamina
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds
- Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal
- Ability to meet strict deadlines
Preferred:
- High school diploma or GED
- Knowledge of how to use cargo trucks, harvesters and haymaking machinery is good to have, but on-site training is offered
Farmworker Job Responsibilities
One of the most important sections in your farmworker job description is the outline of responsibilities. After all, it is these details that candidates use to learn about the position. While the content of the section is most important, you cannot afford to neglect the formatting as well. No matter how strong your content is, you need to be sure to organize it clearly so it carries more weight.
When writing the farmworker job responsibilities section, format it as a bulleted list. Because the section should be the longest in the job description, you should include between six and eight bullet points. Additionally, using a strong action verb for the first word of each item is a recommended strategy to ensure it communicates the expectations effectively.
Use these example entries for strong verb choices before you begin writing your farmworker job description:
- Operate and maintain machinery and equipment to ensure they continue to function properly
- Care for livestock, providing food and other needs and branding them to identify ownership
- Inspect crops to confirm quality and evaluate the need for alterations in watering schedules
- Control pests and manage growth by spraying fertilizer, nutrients or pesticides
- Irrigate farm soil and establish extensive water system
Farmworker Job Specifications
Along with the summary of responsibilities, the job qualifications and skills section is vital to your farmworker job description. It outlines the requirements for the position. While it should be brief, this does not mean you can write it haphazardly. Remember that whether or not candidates apply comes down to whether they consider themselves qualified. If the requirements in this section are too strict, even the best prospects may not submit their resumes. On the other hand, a possibly worse outcome would be too many unqualified individuals sending in their applications. The farmworker job specifications include the information that remedies both of these situations.
The best way to format the section is to use two categories. One should list mandatory requirements, and the other should describe preferences. This strategy provides the best of both worlds by encouraging talented candidates and discouraging readers who do not meet your expectations.
These example entries include both kinds of qualifications to help you write your farmworker job description:
- Must have completed a relevant farm work certification program
- Previous working experience in an agriculture or farm environment required; four years or more preferred
- Excellent physical condition, dexterity, endurance and grip strength
- Mechanical familiarity required
- Good perception skills and a strong attention to detail
