Putting together a solid landscape worker resume

Updated Jun 22, 2020
Photo: PixabayPhoto: Pixabay

If you are wanting to enter the landscaping industry, putting together a great resume is the first step to securing a good position.

Even though the current labor shortage may have you thinking simply showing up at a landscaping company will land you a job, going down the conventional means of sending resumes to potential employers is the way to go. So, what do you need to do to put together a great landscape worker resume?

Spell out your strengths immediately, and what you are looking forguest-post-attribution-box

Nearly all resumes these days begin with a section which, although may be called a number of different things, always sets out to achieve the same objective: give a brief summary of who you are, what you can do (and have done) and what it is that you want. The idea here is that you have three or four sentences to sell yourself – and be under no illusions that that is exactly what you are doing here.

Although resumes are typically two pages in length, it is safe to assume that most employers don’t take the time to read through those two pages, or at least not at first. If a hiring manager receives 100 resumes, it will be this summary at the top of your resume that they will peruse through. If they like it, your resume will be read in more detail at a later stage, or you’ll be invited for an interview. If they don’t, then that’s the end of your chances right there – they didn’t even look through your list of experience, perhaps because you didn’t mention it where it counted.

“Make sure your summary gives your key career highlights, or experience. If you have worked as a landscaper for a big public employer, mention it here immediately,” says Sheila Clancy, a career blogger at DraftBeyond. “What are your qualities? List them. What job exactly are you looking for? Name it. This is where the connections are made.”

Give more details of your experience

Next up is a more detailed description of your experience, and vitally, the types of tasks that you performed in those roles. What type of equipment did you use, what were your responsibilities? What were your notable achievements while working there? This is your chance to elaborate on those key positions that you mentioned off the bat in the first summary section. Give the names, addresses and employment dates of all of these jobs too.

Landscape company employers are looking for relevant experience, strong work ethic and reliability. They are looking for an employee they can count on and hopefully will stay with the company for a good amount of time so use your experience section to convey that.

Other qualifications and achievements

People are sometimes guilty of thinking that they only thing that needs to go on the resume is the stuff directly connected to role they are applying for. Although it is a great idea to tailor your resume each time to the role, do include details of other experiences you have had, and other qualifications you possess. You never know when an overlap may occur, and at the very least, it paints a picture of a well-rounded individual who has held responsible positions in a number of different areas and has had notable successes in life.

References 

Although you shouldn’t necessary give the references you have immediately on the resume (usually people add something along the lines of ‘full references available upon request’) it is not a bad idea to share that you do indeed have some great references behind you from some of the jobs you have completed previously.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written by Harry Conley. Conley is a content editor at LuckyAssignments and GumEssays, where he is involved in the development of training and work flow activities to enhance the ability of writers, always seeking to unlock potential along the way.

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