INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Farm Manager positions are at a -1% growth rate, which is negative. With that said, there are currently 888,300 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to decrease by -5,800 to 882,500 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Farm Manager jobs was $68,090 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $35,090, and the highest 10% more than $130,760.
Our conclusion? The Farm Manager job market is facing competition due to decreasing demand.
Top farm manager sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write a farm manager resume experience section
Farm manager resume experience: checklist
- Use either chronological or reverse-chronological format when listing your previous jobs;
- Mention only relevant positions that add value to your resume;
- Briefly state the challenges you’ve faced and how you’ve overcome them;
- Highlight the results from your efforts (for bonus points, add numbers, percentage rates, etc.);
- Forget about buzzwords! Use power verbs instead.
Use the examples below to build your own experience section!
- Recruit, hire, and manage a crew with various experience levels
- Trained nearly two dozen apprentices to learn the art and science of farming by helping manage our 49 acre operation
- Create and implement field schedules from soil to post harvest
- Research and develop new products sold across various markets
- Maintain farm equipment and inventory
- Record organic practices in order to complete annual Organic certification (MOSA)
- Successful completion of farm expansion project in excess of R4m that will increase production capacity by 40%.
- Form part of a efficient management group that shares similar values.
- Nearly reached budgeted production volume in a difficult year that lost 35% of production days.
- Played a key role in the marketing, sales and processing departments resulting in business turning a profit during one of the most challenging years relating to production.
- Gained valuable knowledge of the mussel industry in South Africa.
- Effected a work culture change in the farm workers.
- Manage and coordinate daily farm activities
- Coordinated with farm supervisor to ensure effective implementation of irrigation system work appropriately
- Managed team of 20 employees, overseeing the hiring, training and professional growth of employees
- Identify pest, weeds, and plants to determine the appropriate selection of pesticides and fertilizers
- Delivered an exceptional level of service to each customer by listening to concerns and answering question
PRO TIP
The person reading your Farm Manager resume will be busy, make sure you never waste their time with fluff.
Action verbs for your farm manager resume
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Farm manager resume: The skills section!
How to write a strong farm manager resume skills section?
- Make sure to include all types of skills - soft, hard, technical;
- Focus on skills that show your expertise in the field;
- Check the job description for keywords and make sure to add them to your resume – this will help you pass ATS;
- Leave room for discussion – elaborate on some of your strongest skills in other sections of your resume
Top skills for your farm manager resume
Digital Fluency
Microsoft Office
Program Manufacturing Devices
Machining
Fabricating
Communication
Attention to details
Caution
Organisation
Punctuality
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
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Farm manager resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your farm manager resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
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PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your Farm Manager resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
A career summary for your farm manager resume
Things to include in your farm manager resume summary:
- Your total years of experience in the industry;
- 2-3 of your most remarkable achievements so far;
- How your experience relates to the position you’re applying for;
- A very brief description of your strengths.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary should act as an elevator speech, briefly promoting how you will benefit the employer if hired. Pitch your strengths in the summary and expand on them in your Farm Manager experience section. Give examples like how your work benefited each employer.
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Farm manager resume: the education section
Things to include in your resume's education section:
- Your highest education degree – including course, year of graduation, institution;
- Awards received as part of your education;
- Extracurricular activities that have helped you gain relevant skills;
- Certifications that have helped you master new skills and increase your expertise;
- Entry-level applicants only: relevant courses and projects.
Top certifications for your farm manager resume
Farming Business Foundation
How to start farm business, How to make your farm productive, Financing farm operation, Sustainable farming methods etc.
The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager
The Complete Course for becoming a Successful Project Manager
Build Your Own Home Hydroponic Farm
A simple way to grow your own produce year-round in your home or greenhouse using hydroponics
Great Product Manager: Product Management by Microsoft's PM
Become a Great Product Manager! Land your dream job with Microsoft's Senior Product Manager. Free CV review included!
Become a Product Manager | Learn the Skills & Get the Job
The most complete course available on Product Management. 13+ hours of videos, activities, interviews, & more
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PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Farm Manager. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
Choosing the right format for your farm manager resume
In general, there are three basic formats for your resume:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Some things to consider when choosing the right format for your Farm Manager resume include the stage of your career, whether you have all the right skills required for the job or are looking for an industry change, and what field you’re looking to grow in.
The reverse-chronological resume format is the most common one. It lets you describe your most recent job and then move backward. This makes it great for people who have around or less than 10 years of experience and are looking to highlight only their work-related skills and qualities.
If you’re just starting your career journey and reverse-chronological resumes sound too demanding, go for the functional resume format. It’s ideal for showcasing your strengths, personal qualities, skills, education, and the courses you’ve taken, without putting too much pressure on experience and expertise.
Don’t worry if neither of these sounds suitable for you – the hybrid or combination resume format will surely match your needs. It’s similar to the reverse-chronological, but with a catchy twist. Combination or hybrid resumes are great for showcasing both your experience and work-related skills and your personal qualities. Add a “What my day looks like” section for enhancing the jaw-dropping experience!
Here are some more things worth remembering when it comes to formatting your Farm Manager resume:
- Choose standard 1-inch resume margins;
- Go for traditional resume fonts sized 10-12p;
- Match the length of your Farm Manager resume with your experience – choose a one-page template if you have less than 10 years of experience, and be careful with two-page templates – use them only when applying for executive positions;
- Save your resume in PDF to avoid formatting issues and potential unauthorized editing.
Tired of getting rejected? Check out this article on how to craft a resume that stands out!
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PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical Farm Manager resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
Other sections suitable for your farm manager resume
Depending on the position and the industry, you can spice your resume up by adding some more sections. They will help the recruiter get a glimpse of who you are as a person, besides all your job-related skills and qualities.
Here are some examples:
How to add creativity to your farm manager resume
Gone are the days when creative resumes were frowned upon by recruiters!
What’s more, the right amount of creativity will make recruiters remember you and want to learn more about who you are – both as an individual and as a professional.
There are two ways to build a creative resume - add creative sections or go for a more creative design approach in general. Go for whatever suits you, the position, and the industry most!
What makes a great farm manager resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
