Advertising and Selecting Candidates

Create an advertisement for the position

Use the position description and person specification to shape your job advertisement. When writing it, think like a jobseeker, many candidates are already employed and need a clear reason to apply.

A strong job advertisement should:

1. Clearly explain the role and the farm

job title and employment type
farm description and location
key duties and responsibilities
required skills and experience
pay and other benefits

2. Attract attention and interest

use clear, appealing language
present the ad in a clean, attractive format

3. Encourage applications

advertise in the most suitable places and at the right time
clearly state how and who to contact
include a closing date

The advertisement should help candidates quickly understand the role, assess their suitability, and see it as an attractive opportunity. It must be accurate, non-misleading, and comply with equal employment opportunity laws, using the position description and person specification helps ensure this.

Consider preparing a brief background document to share with applicants. This can include details about the farm’s operation, production system, infrastructure and team, and be provided to interested candidates who make contact. Click here for a background document that you can adapt for your own use.

Click on the links below for some examples of advertisements to help you create your own:

Place the advertisement

Think about where your ideal candidate is most likely to look for work, not just where you would look. Advertising costs vary across platforms, so it’s worth setting a budget before you start.

Places to consider advertising include:

Dairy Australia’s Dairy Farm Jobs Board (contact our Dairy Australia People Experience Leads)
Major employment websites (e.g. Seek, Indeed, Jora, Gumtree, LinkedIn)
Regional and agriculture-focused job sites (e.g. Help Harvest, Jobs in WA Food & Ag)
Local social media pages and community groups
Noticeboards at local shops, suppliers and sporting clubs
Workforce Australia
Local newspapers and dairy industry publications
Recruitment agencies

You may also need to broaden your sourcing approach due to ongoing skill shortages. Consider reaching out to industry groups and associations, local clubs, and career coordinators at TAFEs or universities.

Going beyond your everyday contacts and networks may reach employees not aware aware or connected to the dairy industry who are interested in exploring employment opportunities.

Consider recruiting internally

Promoting from within can be a good option when a position becomes available.

Benefits include:

the employee already understands the farm and systems
quicker productivity and reduced training time
improved staff morale and retention
lower recruitment costs and no advertising expenses

Things to consider:

no new skills or ideas are introduced

If you are advertising a role, make sure suitable internal staff are aware and encouraged to apply. If an internal applicant is unsuccessful, manage the process carefully, treat them the same as other candidates, communicate openly, and provide clear feedback so they feel valued and supported.

Replacing a herd manager

Bob and Julie, who run a 900-cow farm, needed to replace their retiring Herd Manager. Grant, who had supervised assistant farm hands for two years, was keen to step up, so Bob offered him a three-month trial in the role with clear support, training and regular performance check-ins. With guidance, Grant developed his people-management skills across the whole farm, and Bob and Julie were pleased they had promoted from within.

Short-listing suitable applicants

Short-listing is about deciding which applicants should progress to interview and which can be ruled out.

Carefully review each application against the position description and person specification
Remove applicants who do not meet the essential requirements
If a candidate looks strong on paper, contact them promptly to arrange an interview
For senior roles or interstate applicants, consider an initial phone interview
Confirm interview details in writing (email or letter)

Be open-minded during the selection process. Avoid ruling out applicants who don’t fit your initial expectations, as they may still be strong candidates, an initial phone call can help you make a more informed decision about whether to interview them.

Download: Unsuccessful candidate letter or text for email to use as a starting point for writing your own.

What criteria can be used to shortlist applicants?

When shortlisting applicants, take a holistic view of each application, as it can provide valuable insight into how a person may fit within your farm business. While skills, qualifications and practical or cultural fit are often easier to assess, attitude is equally important and may require further conversation to properly understand.

How can you assess and screen for attitude in an application?

When shortlisting, consider indicators of a positive attitude as well as skills and experience:

job stability and early workforce participation
pattern of completion across the application
demonstrated achievements
community involvement or engagement
how quickly and thoughtfully the application was submitted

These factors help identify applicants likely to succeed and contribute positively to the farm. Achievement may be less relevant for roles that do not require further progression.

Communicate with applicants

If an applicant looks particularly suitable, consider contacting them promptly to maintain their interest.

phone shortlisted applicants to confirm interview time, date and location
send the position description and person specification before the interview so candidates clearly understand the role and can prepare questions