The best places to find the right job for you

• Word of mouth

  Ask around, the more people you tell you are looking for work, the more likely you will hear about something. Ask friends, family, neighbours, acquaintances and local people. Often locals hear what’s happening in their area and might know about a job.

  Approach a farm you’ve heard is a great place to work. You never know your luck and you’re showing the owner or manager you’re self-motivated. That person could know someone who is looking for an employee or they might think about contacting you for the next season.

• Farm Source jobs (formally Fencepost)

  Where employers list jobs on the Fonterra website and commonly used by famers. Check out Farm Source jobs.

• Trademe jobs

  Some farm roles are listed on Trade Me.

• Other

  If you’re looking for farm-related work, try:

  • Federated Farmers rural jobs
  • NZ Farming Facebook page
  • SEEK
  • Student Job Search
  • Indeed
  • Farm recruitment agencies

Job hunting

There are several different job types at various levels, from basic farm work to high level corporate farm management.

Think about what level positions you want to apply for. See career pathways for an overview of different roles from dairy assistant to operations manager in the career pathways section.

Before you start, consider your:

1. Skill set

Be clear about what level role you are looking for. What tasks can you perform well? What are you still learning? What tasks have you never done before?  What are your strengths? What do you need more practice at? What skills are you interested in gaining in your next role?

2. Career goals

Define your career goals. If you’re not working, no doubt your main goal is to find work but it’s a good idea to think about career goals. You are better off finding something that is a great long term job because you’ll be better off financially, mentally and career wise. What job would you like to be doing in two years’ time? What do you want to learn about in the next year?

3. Non negotiables
Figure out the main things you want in your job. What are your non negotiables? It might be you are only interested in certain locations, or you want at least one weekend in four with your family or want a farm that will financially support you to do formal training. Whatever things you decide are not negotiable for you, stick to them. Likewise, the things you are negotiable on, be open minded.

4. Be selective
If you don’t really want the job and put your CV in anyway, you’re not only wasting your own time, but someone else’s. Be selective and only apply for the jobs you really want or want to find out more about.