Scroll through LinkedIn at the moment and you’ll see plenty of job adverts from companies in the agriculture and fresh produce sectors. This is great news as shows the job market is active. The roles are with good businesses, and they are decent roles but are painfully average adverts. And here’s the thing most people don’t like hearing: if your advert isn’t landing and you are not finding the people you want to join your team, it’s probably not the market’s fault… it’s the wording of your job advert.
At Redfox, we see this every single week across agriculture, fresh produce, food and agri-tech. So, in the spirit of being helpful (and honest), here are a few things not to do when writing a job advert and what works better instead.
Don’t Make It a Love Letter to Your Own Business
We’ve all seen them:
“We are a fast-growing, innovative, award-winning business with a strong family culture…”
That might all be true, but candidates aren’t applying because you like yourselves.
Good people want to know:
- What’s the job?
- Why does it exist?
- What will I be responsible for?
What works better:
Talk about the role, the challenge, the opportunity. Make it about their future, not your mission statement.
Don’t Rely on Buzzwords Instead of Substance
If your advert is packed with:
- “dynamic”
- “resilient”
- “self-starter”
- “must thrive in a fast-paced environment”
…you haven’t described anything.
Strong candidates don’t get excited by buzzwords. They get excited by clarity.
What works better:
Be specific. What does success look like in the first year? What problems need fixing? What decisions will they actually make?
Don’t Pretend the Job Is Easier Than It Is
Agriculture and food are not nine-to-five, low-pressure sectors and that’s exactly why good people like them.
Trying to sugar-coat a demanding role usually backfires:
- the wrong people apply
- the right people quietly move on
- everyone’s time gets wasted
What works better:
Be straight. Early starts, seasonal pressure, commercial accountability…just say it. The right candidates respect honesty.
Don’t Write for “Anyone Who Might Do”
If you’re not clear whether you need:
- a leader or a doer
- a fixer or a builder
- experience-heavy or potential-led
…your advert will attract people who sort of fit, but don’t really move the business forward.
What works better:
Decide who the role is genuinely for and write directly to them. Vague adverts always attract vague CVs.
Don’t Assume the Best People Are Actively Looking
This one matters. The strongest candidates in our sector are usually very very busy delivering and not scrolling job boards on a Tuesday afternoon. They don’t respond to generic adverts. They respond to the right conversation.
What works better:
Combine a well-written advert with proper search, market knowledge and relationships or work with people who already know where the talent sits…like us. We have a proven 22 year history of finding the right people for leading business.
Why This Really Matters
A weak job advert doesn’t just fail quietly. Worse case it damages your employer brand, slows your decision-making and business growth, frustrates the hell out of your teams and costs far more than people and companies realise. In specialist sectors like agriculture, fresh produce and food, clarity and credibility matter. You know that.
If You Want the Right People….Talk to the People Who Do This Every Day
At Redfox Executive Selection, we don’t just “post jobs”. We will help you properly define what you need and shape that all important message so it attracts the right calibre of candidates. And with our significant industry network both in the UK and internationally we will reach candidates you won’t just find on LinkedIn and avoid you costly hiring mistakes.
If you want to hire properly and not just fill a vacancy, come and talk to us. Let’s grow your business together.
www.redfoxexecutive.com
01284 715055
hello@redfoxexecutive.com
Good roles deserve good people.
And good people don’t respond to bad adverts.
