Landscaping & Green Industry

Recruiting

Recruiting and retaining talent in the landscaping and green industry is one of the greatest challenges facing business leaders. The lost opportunity cost of not being able to successfully recruit and retain enough of the right people can be devastating.

Retention

Employee turnover is very costly. Turnover and being short-staffed affects profitability, company culture, and the customer experience. Employers who are able to retain their talent have a distinct advantage over the competition.

Where to post jobs

Employers post jobs to advertise open positions. Job posts mostly target active candidates - those job seekers who are actively looking. Major job boards that are commonly used include Indeed and ZipRecruiter. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. LinkedIn can be a good place to post jobs for salaried positions.

One strength sites like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn share is their size. Interestingly enough, their strength in size can also be their weakness. It's easy for your job post to get lost if you're not spending enough money to keep it at the top of searches. And when they do produce, these sites have a tendency to deliver high volume but low quality applications. This is especially true with Indeed and ZipRecruiter. This isn't to say they shouldn't be used, just be aware when setting your expectations.

Niche job boards like GreenIndustryCareers.com are worth taking a look at. Niche job boards are targeted at a specific audience, the landscaping and green industry in this case. Niche job boards don't have nearly as many users as Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn, but instead offer a laser focused approach aimed specifically at your industry, and its job seekers. GreenIndustryCareers.com features jobs in landscaping, irrigation, horticulture, arboriculture, and even snow & ice management. Both free and paid job posting options are available.

What about passive candidates?

The best candidates aren't always searching job boards. That's why targeting passive candidates should be part of your comprehensive recruiting strategy. Passive candidates are those people who match your ideal candidate profile but aren't actively looking. BR1 includes active and passive candidate targeting in all of the searches we conduct for our clients.

Industry Associations

The landscaping and green industry has a number of fantastic associations that professionals and companies can belong to. The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) does a great job on a national level with advocacy, educational opportunities, and industry events. We strongly suggest checking out their annual trade show and conference, ELEVATE.

For irrigation professionals, we suggest getting involved in the Irrigation Association. They represent the irrigation industry, both in the landscaping and agriculture sectors, providing advocacy, education, and industry events. Check out their annual conference and tradeshow, The Irrigation Snow and Education Week.

Certification

The NALP offers certifications for landscaping professionals.

• Certified Landscape Technician (CLT)
• Landscape Industry Certified Manager (LICM)

A great way to get ahead in the irrigation industry is to get certified. The Irrigation Association offers a number of certifications.

• Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
• Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor (CLIA)
• Certified Golf Irrigation Auditor (CGIA)
• Certified Irrigation Contractor (CIC)
• Certified Irrigation Designer - Landscape (CID Landscape)
• Certified Agricultural Irrigation Specialist (CAIS)
• Certified Irrigation Designer - Agriculture (CID - Agriculture)

Articles for landscape & green industry job seekers

We have a library of articles specifically for job seekers and employees who work (or want to work) in the landscaping and green industry.

Job openings in the landscape & green industry

Here are two great places to look for job openings in the landscaping and green industry:

• BR1 featured careers
• GreenIndustryCareers.com