What Today's Ag Job Candidates Want
June 22, 2007
(Ames, IA- June 19, 2007)- From December 2006 to March 2007, AgCareers.com conducted a survey to gain perspective on employment in the agribusiness industry. The survey results allow employers to see the agribusiness industry through the eyes of potential candidates.
The online survey was completed by 1,387 respondents. Of these, 62% were from the United States, 26% were from Canada and 12% were international. Out of the U.S. respondents, 30% were from the Midwest, and 11% of the Canadian respondents were from central Canada.
The survey was composed of four brief questions: why the respondents chose agribusiness; what they looked for in a job; what skill set was most important; and what size of company they were most interested in. Thirty-eight percent of respondents decided to pursue a career in agriculture because it was something that interested them since childhood. Forty-eight percent of respondents consider the work itself as the most important factor when considering a career. Following the work itself, 18% considered room for advancement important.
Fifty-three percent of survey participants considered practical work experience as the most important skill set when pursuing their job of interest. Following that, 22% of the respondents considered being able to sell themselves as the most important skill. The final question showed that 42% of respondents had no preference whether they worked for a successful small, medium, or large company.
“The information uncovered in this survey will help employers see how job seekers think when considering a new career in agriculture,” says Eric Spell, President of AgCareers.com “This information may help employers identify areas of strength within their organizations. It will ultimately affect the recruiting methods used by companies based on job seeker’s thoughts, and will help identify areas that may need to be improved.”
About AgCareers.com
For close to ten years, AgCareers.com has been the leading recruitment website in the field of agriculture in the United States and Canada. AgCareers.com connects job seekers and employers through a targeted, online tool that is economical and produces results. AgCareers.com highlights more than 1 million page views each month, and features more than 1500 new job postings every month. AgCareers.com serves clients from offices in North Carolina, Iowa, California, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Farms.com is an active shareholder partner in AgCareers.com.
