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Lawn Care Hiring Guide: How to Hire the Best Employees

Published on May 19, 2023

Due to the shortage of qualified employees and economic hurdles, lawn care hiring can feel like a challenge.

However, the knowledge you’ll gain from this lawn care hiring guide, will show you how to overcome these common obstacles.

In this lawn care hiring guide, you’ll discover how to:

  • Find top local talent
  • Offer a competitive wage
  • Know when it’s time to hire
  • Top candidate traits to search for
  • Increase employee retention by keeping them happy

Want to know how to find, train, AND keep great employees?

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When It's Time to Hire

Not sure if it is time to focus on lawn care hiring?

Even in the best job markets, finding the right employees takes time. Which means, you should start looking now, regardless of where you’re at.

Although, before jumping into lawn care hiring, there are a few things to consider.

Timing matters more than you might think. Because when you hire new employees, it takes time to:

  • Search for the right candidates
  • Interview and onboard
  • Train new team members

When correctly done, all of those factors will help you find a quality team member who will:

  • Perform at your company’s standards
  • Understand what is expected of them
  • Help you grow your company in the long-term

How to Find and Hire the Top Local Talent

If it feels like there is a shortage of qualified candidates, it’s because it’s true!

On the surface, there is a deficit between people leaving the workforce and people entering the workforce. 

Add in some unique economic conditions, combined with a competitive marketplace, and it can be a challenge.

But all hope isn’t lost. If you know how to attract the right candidates, you can seamlessly build your team and grow your business.

Use the Best Marketing Strategies for Lawn Care Hiring

You know that marketing applies to winning new business, but it also applies to lawn care hiring too.

Just like standing out from the other lawn care companies in advertising, paid job postings help you attract the right talent.

You can easily do organic or paid placements on all the major job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and more.

Although, even though ads might help to attract more attention to your listings, the key is making sure your job descriptions compel the right candidates to apply.

Write Effective Job Descriptions

Writing the best job description makes all the difference and should include:

  • Job responsibilities
  • Important related skills
  • Necessary qualifications
  • Benefits (e.g. PTO, 401k, snacks, etc.)

While you don’t “have to” include the wage in the job description, providing a wage range can greatly aid in attracting top talent.

In addition, including the company culture/values as well as everyday expectations are other ways to find the right applicants.

Talk to Your Vendors

How well do you know your vendors?

Chances are they know people in your field that have experience.

A referral from a vendor can often be a really easy way to find local talent.

Use Friends, Family, and Social Media for Referrals

You’ve already got a network of family and friends who use social media. 

Which means, a quick social post that you are hiring can be a quick way to find local candidates.

If you want to try this method, try posting something like this:

  • “[lawn care business name] is hiring for [position]! If you know someone, tag them here or send us a DM. We take care of our employees, and we always pay on time.”

How to Hire Your First Lawn Care Employee

So your job postings and referral network have helped you find some great candidates. However, hiring a new employee requires an additional set of skills.

How to Interview

It is time to move forward and find the right candidates.

Phone interviews are a great way to help you screen for the right people.

The phone interview process can be fun, but it really starts with having a good list of questions

You should also ask about their work history and experience in the industry.

Remember, if you get a bad feeling on the phone it probably isn’t going to work out down the line.

However, if the conversation goes well, and you think they would be a good fit, it is time to bring them in for an in-person interview.

Though, keep in mind, some candidates may get a little nervous during interviews. Spend a few minutes building some rapport before jumping into the more challenging questions.

At the In-Person Interview

Now that you’ve screened your initial candidates on the phone it is time to interview them in-person. 

This is your chance to confirm what you heard on the phone and expand on some of the questions you’ve already asked.

Here are a few additional things to consider:

  • Did they show up on time?
  • Is their appearance professional and clean?
  • Do they have a respectful and professional attitude?
  • Are they experienced, or will they need a lot of training?
  • Do you feel like they would be an asset who aligns with your team and values?

Top Steps to Calculating a Competitive Wage

Compensation isn’t everything, but it’s still a huge factor for potential employees considering your company.

The problem is, businesses think they can't afford to pay their best employees what they’re worth. However, despite this common misconception, you can pay employees a great wage while still maintaining profits.

Check out these easy strategies to pay your crews a competitive wage:

  • Price services for maximum profit
  • Find the average wage for your area and pay competitively
  • Offer sign-on bonuses after 90 days to attract top local talent
  • Incentivize employees to stay with bonuses, pay raises, and other rewards for tenure

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Leading Ways to Keep Your Best Employees

Are your best employees leaving?

Here are a few simple ways to increase employee retention:

  • Offer unique, valuable perks
    • E.g. 401k, free snacks, PTO, health insurance, etc.
  • Give employees a stake in the company's growth
    • E.g. bonuses for reaching sales goals
  • Recognize talent
    • E.g. if you see another company’s employee doing good work, then give them your business card
  • Provide clear, achievable career paths for every position within the business
  • Make changes to your business based on employee feedback
    • E.g. anonymous surveys

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How to Hire an Office Assistant for Your Lawn Care Business

Feeling overwhelmed with all of the day-to-day tasks? Then, it is probably time to get an administrative assistant.

The best administrative assistants will help you to:

  • Solve and prevent everyday problems
  • Remain organized and keep ahead
  • Streamline your business with software
  • Follow up with clients and manage scheduling

How to Build a Company Culture Everyone Loves

Company culture is critical for businesses who want employees to take pride in their work. A great company culture can help determine:

  • Who gets hired 
  • Overall company vision
  • How the company interacts with its clients, partners, and employees

Here are some things to consider for lawn care hiring and culture building:

  • Start with a purpose, identify goals, and set standards
  • High-level team members should lead by example
  • Be kind and respect your employees
  • Be truthful, transparent, and always communicate

Take a look at how this applies to your lawn care business:

  • “Get it right the first time” attitude
  • Strong focus on teamwork and teambuilding 
  • Professional, skilled team members who are eager to work for you

When It's Time to Fire Your Worst Employee

Dealing with a problem employee can be the hardest part of owning a business.

Depending on the issue, you’ll usually follow these steps before letting an employee go:

  1. Verbal warning
  2. Write them up
  3. Put them on probation
  4. Terminate their employment

As always, it’s important to thoroughly document everything.

Also, it’s equally important to give the employee a chance to redeem themselves. During their probationary period, regularly meet with them to provide feedback and document their progress (or lack thereof).

Begin Hiring the Best Lawn Care Pros!

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Use This Lawn Care Hiring Guide to Snag Top Local Talent

Hiring the best lawn care employees is easier than you think. Although, the hard part is keeping them motivated.

For the lawn care and landscaping industry, this seems to get harder every year.

This guide is here to help you pinpoint and eliminate any lawn care hiring problems in your business.

Using these expert strategies, you can level-up your lawn care hiring game and start snagging the top local talent today!


Related: 5 Simple Fixes to Your Main Lawn Care Hiring Problems


Originally published March 8, 2019 7:00 AM, updated May 19, 2023 1:24 PM

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Lisa Marino

Lisa Marino is the Sr. Marketing Director for Service Autopilot. She uses her 17+ years in direct marketing, sales, and product development to push entrepreneurs beyond their limits. She's passionate about helping others grow their businesses through time-tested marketing techniques. When not writing, you can find her belting out a mean Stevie Nicks at a local karaoke night.
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