WHAT’S AT STAKE

Cover letters in the farming industry are not as common as they are in many other occupations. However, this presents you with an excellent opportunity to catch the attention of your potential employer and highlight your most impressive skills. The farmer will want to know you can be relied upon to produce the best crop or product possible, with minimal direction. Apply the format of the professional farm hand cover letter sample to your own background to provide details not forthcoming in your resume.

WHAT’S THE DANGER

THE NEED FOR A COVER LETTER

A perfect resume is only as strong as its first impression, which is why a farmer cover letter is so important to be seen and getting your resume the second look, it deserves. That single piece of paper is your best chance to convince an employer that you are the perfect person for the job. Well-written, polished, and professional, your farmer cover letter could be the key to securing your next farming job.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSLEF

HOW TO CREATE A FARMER RESUME

Carefully review the job description of the role you’re applying for to understand which of your experience and skills to showcase on your resume. Try to feature a resume that closely matches the requirements and preferences listed on the description to increase your chances of receiving the role. Here are steps to create an effective farmer resume that captures the hiring manager’s attention:

1. List your contact information. Include your first and last name at the top left-hand corner of your resume. This can immediately tell the hiring manager who’s applying for the role. List your city and state, phone number, and email address below your name to make it easier for employers to contact you regarding the next steps for the role. Consider featuring your name in a slightly larger font to make it stand out from the rest of the contact information on your resume.
2. Craft your summary. Under your name and contact information, create a professional summary. This is a one- to three-sentence statement that provides a brief overview of your experience, skills, and abilities that you’ve used in previous roles. Try to ensure all the information you include in your summary remains relevant to the role and poses you as a valuable candidate. Mention any impressive accomplishments you’ve earned in the past that may impress the hiring manager.
3. Include your work history. Your job experience section can list the jobs you’ve held as a farmer or in a relevant role. List the job title you held, the title of the organization you worked for, which could be the name of the farm that hired you, the dates you served in that position, and the job duties you completed. Try to include around three to five bullet points that list these responsibilities. To make your duties and accomplishments more measurable, specific, and accurate, consider using numbers, when possible, to demonstrate the value you provided for the organization.
4. Mention your relevant skills. As you review the job description, locate any keywords listed and use them in the skills section of your resume. Keywords are phrases or words hiring managers use to describe the strengths, abilities, and expertise they’d like the ideal candidate to have. Try to feature as many of these keywords as possible to help the hiring manager better understand how well your skills align with the requirements and responsibilities of the role. Common skills that can be impressive for farmers to possess include:

• Mechanical and repair knowledge
• Problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Time-management abilities
• Health and physical stamina
• Management and leadership skills
• Technical skills

5. Feature your education. Include a separate section that mentions any education you’ve earned. List the type of degree you earned, the school you attended, and the dates you attended this institution. Most farmers typically hold a high school diploma or equivalent. Some farmers may earn their associate or bachelor’s degree in agriculture, farming, or a relevant field. Those who earn these advanced degrees may pursue farming management roles and earn higher salaries, depending on the type and size of the farm that employs them.
6. Proofread and format your resume. Review your resume carefully to make sure it’s visually appealing and simple for the hiring manager to read. Maintain consistent font usage with styles between 10 and 12 points and a professional style like Arial, Times New Roman, or Helvetica. Adjust your margins to around 1 to 1.5 inches. Ensure all the information on your resume makes sense and remains relevant to the role. Read the resume closely to find any potential grammatical or spelling errors. Consider reading it out loud or ask a friend or colleague to read through it and listen to any feedback they may provide.

IMPORTANT WRITING TIPS

• Tailor your cover letter to each job you’re applying to, always! This cannot be stressed this one enough. Your cover letter is a personalized document that you’re using to convince the reader to look at your enclosed resume. Take some time to make sure you clearly state why you’re the best candidate for the job, based on the qualifications the job description is asking for.
• Don’t rehash your resume in your cover letter. Your cover letter is a complimentary document and a place for you to establish a voice and target because your skills and experiences are a good fit for the role you’re applying to.
• Make the reader’s job easy by including the job title and the reference number in the reference line. Include the date, your name and contact details in case your cover letter is separated from your resume during the application process.
• Keep the font style and size consistent with your resume. It is recommended to use an easy-to read, sans serif font, like Arial.
• Include where you heard about the job opening, whether you saw the position on AgCareers.com, heard about the position through a friend or found the job on the employer’s corporate career site. If you were referred by an existing employee, include their name, this will help to set you apart.
• Show don’t tell. Use concrete examples to demonstrate to the reader how you developed a relevant skill or exceeded expectations in your current role.
• Don’t overcomplicate the sentences within your cover letter by utilizing descriptive diction. In other words, use plain language.
• Avoid including meaningless, overused adjectives like aggressive, creative, and independent. Instead, use action verbs like wrote, managed, generated, performed, adapted, and collaborated with, to describe exactly what you accomplished.

FINAL WORD

A properly drafted cover letter is your most valuable document and correctly written could enable you to attain the dream job that always seemed beyond your grasp.