Dairy farming involves working with animals, looking after the environment, contributing to your local community and communities across the globe, and being a part of New Zealand's largest sector.

There are many opportunities available in dairy farming. It is a career and a lifestyle.

Visit GoDairy to find out about the work, the roles, the people and living in a rural community. And visit DairyNZ to find out more tips and tricks when you are looking for an on-farm role.

STEP 1

The job hunt

Farm Source Jobs has the most dairy farming vacancies advertised in New Zealand and is used by many farmers when they're looking for staff.

It's important to have your CV ready to go as you will need it when applying for a new role. We also encourage you to prepare a draft cover letter and tailor it for each role you apply for. DairyNZ has some practical information which can be found here or some hot tips below:

CV

Your CV is the first chance you’ll get to impress your prospective employer, so it’s important to make it count.

When building a CV there are some key things to think about:

Keep it short (2 - 3 pages)
Make sure it's positive, honest and accurate
It needs to be tailored to the job you are applying for
Check for spelling and grammar mistakes

While you should keep your CV short, it still must have all the required information for an employer to be able to make a decision. The Careers website has a great tool that can help you build a CV.

Cover Letter

Your cover letter (along with your CV) is one of the first opportunities to impress your prospective employer. Even though some employers don’t specifically ask for one, it is always a good idea to include it.

A well-written cover letter gives you a chance to sell yourself (and match your skills) to the employer in a narrative format to help explain why you are an ideal candidate.

You should think of the cover letter as a way to supplement the information in your CV, especially if there are details you want to include that your CV does not contain. E.g. if you are applying from a different location to where the job is based, you can present details about when you’ll be available and the rationale for relocation.

Explore templates

STEP 2

The interview

If you have been selected for a short list, you will most likely receive a phone call from the recruiter. At this step your employer will want to better understand who you are as a person and what can you bring to the role.

Interviews are your opportunity to showcase your strengths, experience and great attitude.

Phone interviews are generally 20 – 30 minutes long, and second or in-person interviews run a bit longer (about an hour).

The key to acing your interview is to prepare well:

The interview process

Find out what a farming interview consists of and how you should prepare.

Answering interview questions

Check out some commonly asked interview questions for farming.

Questions you can ask

Get ideas for good questions to ask at your interview to show interest and learn more.

What happens after the interview

STEP 3

Negotiating and accepting the offer

Receiving and accepting a job offer can be exciting! However it is important to take time to properly understand the job offer and if this is the right job for you. Consider the value and opportunity of the entire offer, including factors such as the learning and career opportunities the role may give you, the location, work hours, roster, team culture, and employer support. Check out DairyNZ for information on negotiating your employment conditions.

Pay

When discussing pay for on-farm roles it is important to consider several factors.

The 'total package value' is the sum of salary or wages plus any other benefits such as meat, firewoood and sometimes accommodation.

Check how the total package value being offered compares to market rates. GoDairy includes some broad salary guidelines - your skills and experience along with the expectations of the job will depend where in this range you should sit.

Also check you understand the effective hourly wage if you will be paid a salary. This is determined by dividing the salary by 52 (weeks) and then again by the average hours worked per week. DairyNZ has a useful tool to help you calculate a rough guide for your take home pay after tax.

Accepting an offer

Before accepting an offer, ensure you've checked over the agreement thoroughly. The Careers website has some helpful advice about what to look out for and where you can get free advice about employment agreements.

What to look out for

Staying safe

Receiving and accepting a job offer can be exciting! However, there are a few things you’ll need to consider before formally accepting the role:

Health and wellbeing

A good work/life balance and the ability to make strong personal connections in communities can help improve wellness and wellbeing - and attract and keep the people we need in our industry and rural communities.

Check out the our Health and Wellbeing Portal to find advice and resources to improve your wellbeing. These have been tailored especially for our farmers in New Zealand.

Mental health and wellbeing support

Cyber safety

While Farm Source Jobs is a great place to start your search, job seekers are being targeted with fraudulent activity online.

Scammers keep coming up with more creative ways to take advantage of people's good nature and/or sense of fear. We have seen a significant increase in scams like phishing emails and the spread of misinformation. View our top tips to help you and your family remain cyber safe.

Staying cyber safe

More Information

At Farm Source, we are working and communicating with our community to ensure they also act as our first line of defence against cybersecurity incidents.

If you do see something suspicious or need more support around staying cyber safe, we recommend the following resources:

Cert NZ has great resources and tips on how you and your family can stay cyber safe, as well as updates on the latest scams.
Follow NetSafe NZ on social media for the latest advice, great cyber resources and tips for business and families.
Get in touch with our Customer Support Team on 0800 65 65 68 in the first instance if you have any specific cyber security concerns related to Farm Source.

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