Marketing Yourself for H-2A Jobs: Tips and Tricks to Stand Out
It’s no secret that landing an H-2A job can change your life and your family’s future. But competition for seasonal H-2A jobs has never been tougher. Thousands of new candidates appear each season, so if you’re serious about landing an H-2A job, you’ll likely need to do something extra to stand out to potential employers.
Candidates must stand out to American employers with a combination of skills, experience, attitude, and work references, but creating a quality CV or resume is only half the battle. Today’s blog offers some tips and tricks to market yourself to H-2A employers and stand out over other candidates.
Importance of marketing yourself for H-2A jobs
Without a doubt, you are your own advocate, and you must market yourself to employers if you want to land an H-2A job. You simply can’t rely solely on recruiters to find opportunities for you. True, you must go through a recruiter to get a seasonal H-2A opportunity, but that’s only one aspect of the job search process.
*Remember: Proper recruitment practices are an essential part of H-2A compliance. Even if you find your own H-2A job opportunity, most H-2A agencies in America will still have you work through a recruiter for compliance purposes. Recruiters should NEVER ask you for money in exchange for their services.
However, it’s also important to remember that recruiters have thousands upon thousands of CVs and resumes on file, and they receive more every day. Before sending in your resume or contacting a recruiter, ask yourself: what will make your resume or profile stand out?
Recruiters won’t make your resume for you, attend interviews for you, build your online profile for you, or film your CV video. These activities are your responsibility. You’ll want to combine a stellar CV with a professional online presence (Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp) and take an active role in finding H-2A opportunities that fit your skills and experience.
Understanding what American employers are looking for in H-2A workers
The first step in marketing yourself for seasonal H-2A jobs is to have a thorough understanding of what American employers look for in their H-2A candidates. Standing out is all about honing in on filling an employer’s labor needs. Here are a few areas to consider:
Dependability: H-2A employers need to know they can depend on you if given an opportunity. Dependability might look like consistency in your past employment opportunities, so not job-hopping every six months, and demonstrating your loyalty to past employers.
Safety: Convey that you are safety-conscious by using common terminology and stressing your awareness of safety procedures. Employers appreciate this because accidents with equipment and personal injuries are extremely costly in America, not just for workers but also for employers.
Teamwork: Stress your teamwork ability and convey your team-oriented mindset. Farming, transportation, construction, professional services, and almost all types of jobs in America value teamwork.
Equipment and machinery: Be honest about your experience and skill levels as it relates to operating farm equipment, tools, trucks, and other machinery. Not having any experience or exposure to the types of equipment and machines used in American farming is better than lying about your skills or experience.
Communication: American farm employers value clear, concise, honest communication from their employees. This includes written and verbal communication skills. It’s critical to use your best English and understand that effective communication is an essential skill in American workplaces.
Resume and CV content
We can’t stress enough the importance of taking your time and thoughtfully creating a stellar resume/CV. Here are a few things you’ll want to include:
Skills: List relevant skills with various equipment, machines, vehicles, and tools. Keep in mind that some pieces of equipment and machinery are called something different in America, so do your research and be sure to use terms and language a potential American employer will understand.
Experience: List your previous employment history including dates of employment, job duties performed, and skills learned.
References: Include professional references from previous employers, and do your best to match the experience section with the references section, meaning your references should stem from the previous jobs listed.
You must be completely honest about your skills and experience. Likewise, try to couple your CV with a CV video and upload it to YouTube so you can easily distribute it to potential employers (there are privacy settings if you don’t want the video viewable by the public).
Check out our in-depth blog article on resume and CV tips for H-2A jobs in America
Clearly explain agricultural experience
You not only have to be honest about your experience and skills, but it’s equally important to clearly and accurately explain your agricultural skills and experience. Here are a few tips for clearly conveying your farming and ag experience:
Explain the type of farm you’ve worked on (crop, livestock, organic).
List the specific crops, animals, and tools you’ve worked with.
List the exact types of machinery you’ve operated, including makes and models if applicable.
Communicate the job responsibilities you had overall and on a daily basis (i.e., planting using a tractor implement or harvest using a combine harvester).
List the tasks you were assigned, such as planting, spraying, harvesting, and equipment maintenance (be specific).
Convey additional duties, including whether you supervised other workers or oversaw certain tasks, such as irrigating, planting, or spraying.
Importance of highlighting equipment and driving skills, honestly
American ag employers like hiring South Africans for skilled and semi-skilled positions because:
Most South Africans are bilingual, and many speak several languages, including fluent English.
South Africans are easy to train because of being bilingual with English and can effectively communicate with American farmers.
South Africa has a rich agricultural history of using similar technology and equipment that most closely aligns with the American ag industry.
All of these traits make South Africans very appealing for American farmers who need skilled equipment operators, truck drivers, equipment and machine mechanics, and general laborers.
Be honest about your experience and skills with equipment. If you have experience with equipment and machinery, be sure to list:
Types of machines and equipment operated (tractors, trucks, harvesters, hand tools).
Types of trucks you’ve operated (dump trucks, semi-trucks, pickup trucks, straight box trucks).
Your experience with trailers, attachments, implements, and hauling crops or livestock.
Harvest equipment used in the past and the types of crops harvested.
Irrigation equipment including set-ups or installs, maintenance activities, and types of irrigation methods (drip, pivots).
Additional experience with other types of relevant equipment or tools, including those used in other industries such as construction, mechanical, and landscaping.
Even if you have never directly operated farm equipment, chances are you have experience with ag-adjacent tools, equipment, and vehicles. Experience with tools such as drills, hammers, impact drills, shovels, pickup trucks, hand tools, and lawn or garden equipment is all relevant and should be included. Again, be honest, be open, and be willing to learn.
Building a strong H-2A candidate profile
The best thing you can do to stand out to potential H-2A ag employers is build a strong profile. Building a strong H-2A profile might look different depending on the H-2A agency you go through for jobs.
USA Truck Labor is the exclusive training and verification partner for USA Farm Labor, so this section is geared toward building a strong worker profile in USA Farm Labor’s proprietary database.
The USA Farm Labor database offers many tools to effectively build a great profile and stand out to potential employers. Take advantage of the following features:
Knowledge assessments: Test your knowledge on various farming and agricultural topics, including equipment and general knowledge.
Personality assessments: A series of questions aimed at constructing a personality profile for employers to consider.
(Work) Values compatibility: Assess how you prefer to be managed and how you work best to accurately match you with what an employer is looking for in their workers.
Video CVs: Upload your video CV complete with a short introduction, a quick overview of your skills and experience, and reasons why employers should consider you for employment.
Skills videos: Upload video footage of your skills in action, such as driving trucks, operating tractors and equipment, and other activities relevant to working in agriculture.
It’s critical to take the time needed to complete the various skill assessments, personality assessments, and film and upload your videos. Video footage can help set you apart. Video doesn’t lie, so if you can capture footage of you operating equipment or driving trucks, it’s a wise investment of your time, and we highly recommend that you take advantage of this feature.
The good news is all USA Truck Labor candidates are provided with complimentary drone footage of practical training techniques in action, including:
Backing, docking, and parking
Shifting techniques
Connecting and disconnecting trailers
Read more about how drone footage displays real farm truck skills
Demonstrate you’re ready for the American agricultural workforce
One of the most important aspects of marketing yourself to H-2A and other American employers is demonstrating that you are ready to work in America. Here are a few tips for showing employers you’re ready for the American workforce:
Learn the terminology: Take some time to research common U.S. terminology regarding equipment, safety, crops, and livestock if you’re unfamiliar.
Safety first mindset: Convey your awareness regarding safety and best safety practices, including how you approach safely operating trucks, equipment, and tools.
English and communication skills: Speak your best English during interviews and throughout your CV and skills videos to showcase your communication skills.
Boost your H-2A job profile with USA Truck Labor’s training program
Our training program is designed to help you land an H-2A or similar skilled visa position in America or abroad. The program focuses on practical aspects of operating trucks in a farm environment. Candidates who successfully pass training receive:
An icon in the USA Farm Labor database telling employers you are trained.
Ongoing professional references from our staff.
Complimentary drone footage of practical driving skills in action.
Don’t spend another season sitting on the sidelines watching from South Africa. Come for training to take your career to the next level.
