Your landscaping business is taking root. Congratulations, your hard work is paying off! You’re going to need to hire more employees–but it will take a special blend of talent to keep growing in the right direction!
A successful landscaping business takes a team that is dependable, responsible, creative, and tough. Here are my keys to getting the best people for the job.
To hire great employees for your landscaping business:
- Put a screener in your job description
- Let everyone know you’re hiring
- Cultivate a network of niche talent
In the next three sections, I am going to tell you in detail just how each of these steps will get you closer to your dream team, so let’s get started.
Weed out potential bad seeds with a screener in the job description
Landscaping is hard work, and, as you’ve probably already learned, a lot of people aren’t cut out for it.
Glossing over the unglamorous parts of the job just to fill the spot can backfire faster than a mower with a bad spark plug. It’s better to be upfront about the thorny issues of the trade in the job description, rather than going to the trouble of interviewing, filing paperwork, and training, only to have your new hire leave for their lunch break and never return!
A fine-tuned job description is your first and perhaps most important step in the hiring process. I’ll tell you how to level with potential applicants without scaring them off.
Questions aren’t just for interviews. Let the potential applicants determine their willingness to do the job by putting some questions in the job description for them to ask themselves before they apply. In my experience, this is a more effective technique than simply stating the working conditions alone. If their answers are ‘no’, this saves your time and theirs.
Let me give you some examples to use as your own or customize for your job description, and before each one, I’ll tell you why it’s an important condition to mention.
Landscaping positions require being able to do strenuous labor in heat and humidity. It doesn’t matter what outdoor position you’re hiring for–mowing, planting, irrigation, or something else– most of the work will take place in the warm to extremely hot seasons: spring, summer, and fall.
- Ask “Are you able to work hard outdoors in temperatures that may occasionally exceed XX degrees for X hour-days?”
Loading and unloading mowers, handling trimmers, clippers, edgers, and blowers, shoveling dirt and rock, and planting trees and shrubs take an above-average degree of physical strength and endurance.
- Ask “Are you able to use hand tools and handheld landscaping power tools throughout the workday, and are you able to lift XX pounds without assistance (or XX pounds with assistance)?”
You know that the soundtrack of landscaping work is composed of mowers, trimmers, edgers, chipper/shredders, and everyone’s favorite finale–the leaf blower solo–but not everyone considers that aspect of the job. Even with noise-canceling earmuffs, the constant din can be disorienting to those not accustomed to it.
- Ask “Are you able to tolerate long hours in a loud working environment?”
Safety gear such as eye and ear protection, high-visibility workwear, the correct gloves for the job, and so on, and safety protocols like team lifts and lockout/tagout procedures take extra steps, but they are non-negotiable in this industry. They protect your workers, your clientele, and the business you’ve worked so hard to build, so make sure you are looking at people who understand this and take it seriously.
- Ask “Are you willing to always follow all safety procedures, including wearing personal protective gear, when necessary?”
You won’t be on-site all the time for every job, and your workers need to be able to work efficiently either independently or with each other whether you’re present or not.
- Ask “Are you able to work both independently and with a team to get the job done promptly, even without direct supervision?”
These are just a few questions you want to include in your job description screener, but they’re among the most critical for landscaping applicants. Prompting potential applicants to ask themselves these objective questions will prune away quite a few who didn’t realize that landscaping work isn’t always a bed of roses, and that will save you from interviewing or even hiring many of those who would leave you high and dry on the job.
Let’s keep it real–you’re going to have applicants who don’t bother to read the job description, and you’re going to have some people who read it yet have no intention of following one or all the things covered in the questions.
When conducting the person-to-person interview, expand on these issues briefly and ask these questions again, just so everyone’s on the same page. An interviewee’s body language may give a clue as to how certain they are, so try to gauge their reactions and use your best judgment as to whether they’re truly comfortable with the conditions of the job.
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Let everyone know you’re hiring– the best future employee may be in your backyard!
Those who work for the local parks department, at golf courses, garden centers, tree nurseries, and even cemeteries already have a love for the great outdoors and at least some familiarity with the type of work you do. You may already interact with them regularly in your respective jobs and have a good sense of their character and worth ethic. Be sure to mention that you’re hiring– you never know–they may be looking to turn over a new leaf!
Your local nonprofit organizations such as those for veterans and recent immigrants are another great place to look for dedicated employees, according to Jenn Meyers, director of the National Association of Landscape Professionals. According to Meyers, these organizations are constantly seeking employers for their stream of clientele, many of whom have already received job training and undergone background checks.
Of course, social media and the internet in general are how a lot of people search for jobs. Post the job on your Facebook business page (encourage your employees, friends, and family to share the post). NextDoor is another free way to ensure the word reaches a lot of people in your neighborhood. Remember to post the job on a platform that offers free job listings such as ZipRecruiter, which is integrated with Google (that means a lot of people will see it).
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Cultivate a talent pool for those niche landscaping projects
Not everyone you hire will be an ‘everyday’ employee. You will sometimes get a project that requires a highly specialized skill or certification that you can’t yet justify creating a permanent position for.
If you need someone who knows a lot about plants but can’t hire a professional horticulturist yet, think about hiring a Master Gardener. To earn their qualification, a Master Gardener must spend many hours in training (and annual continuing education) to learn about all different aspects of gardening specific to your state so that they may later teach others in a volunteer capacity.
It’s a labor of love and comes from a true passion for gardening. While being a Master Gardener itself is not a professional title, someone who has earned this credential will be an extremely valuable asset to your landscaping business. Not only do they bring their knowledge and zeal to your projects, but they can also teach your team a lot.
If your landscaping business specializes in organic gardening or native plants, think about reaching out to your state Master Naturalists with your job posting for the same reasons.
Don’t forget your local garden clubs, either. Like the “Masters”, their members have a genuine love of plants that money can’t buy. Almost all cities have a garden club, but the bigger the city, the more varied and specialized the garden clubs are.
For example, in my metropolitan area, there are, of course, clubs for general types of gardening like conventional gardening and organic gardening, but there is also a club for herb gardeners and another for bulb gardens. There are clubs for those who are proponents of native plants, clubs for cactus aficionados, and still others!
When my city’s history museum decided to restore some of the very old homes adjacent to their building, they turned for guidance to the local garden club, which just so happened to have a few ‘historical plant enthusiasts’. Thanks to their hard work, the gardens around the homes were then planted with ‘historically accurate flora’, just as was available to homesteaders back then. You just never know what kind of knowledge a project is going to require, and it’s not uncommon to be approached by a client with an out-of-the-ordinary proposal!
Look into what’s available in your area and consider joining some of these clubs so you learn who the niche experts are. When you find one who knows their stuff, ask if they’d be interested in the occasional job as your go-to expert in that subject. Next time you have a client who needs a koi pond-pro or a client who wants to create a “pocket prairie” of native plants for their backyard birds or an aromatherapy herb garden on the roof of the hospital you can accept the project with confidence; you know the right talent for the gig!
As the old saying goes, “It’s who you know.”
Finally, there’s no perfect formula for hiring the best people. It’s a little bit of instinct and a lot of luck, but using these tips will put the odds in your favor!
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are a few winter work ideas for my landscaping business employees?
Landscaping projects will mostly dry up in the off-season, but there’s still outdoor work to be had: pond winterization, holiday light installation and removal, de-icing and snow removal, and even firewood delivery are some options.
How do I retain my current landscaping staff?
Treat them well– make sure they are taking adequate breaks for the conditions, keep all equipment in good repair so they can work optimally, pay them competitively, have an open-door policy (and truly listen), and always show respect and appreciation for their hard work.
To learn more on how you can start your own landscaping business, check out my startup documents here.
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Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Landscape Business Fan.
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a landscape business owner at a job site, driving down the road or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Landscaping Business Boss: I want to help landscape business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.