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Making the most of your skills and experience is key to gaining an interview and standing out from the other interviewees. It’s not just about having the right qualifications and work history – the real skill is knowing how to present them in a way that leaves a lasting and positive impression even before you enter the interview room.
A farm worker CV sample that’s known to work can help you organise your qualifications and experience with clarity and authority. Our example shows you how. Before diving into the following sections, we suggest drawing inspiration from our other CV examples. You’ll find plenty of expert guidance covering everything from personal statements to employment background.
Ready to learn more? Keep reading as we explore:
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Sample farm worker CV
Owen Glen
35 Clipton Close
Birmingham B2 9TG
07912345678
owen.glen@example-example.co.uk
Professional summary
Resourceful team player with proactive and critical-thinking approach to completing farm work. Identifies ways to improve or speed up regular farm processes. Quick learner with strong knowledge of farm vehicle and building maintenance.
Work history
February 2022 – Current
Rare Breeds Farm Trust – Birmingham
Farm Worker
- Managed health checks record-keeping, monitoring condition progress in line with vet requirements.
- Enforced fencing and field boundaries to protect farm assets.
- Proactively managed inspection processes, enabling high-standard hygiene in line with best practices.
- Handled day-to-day barn maintenance, including repairs and restorations.
March 2019 – February 2021
Riggdale Farm – Scottish Borders
Farm Worker
- Carefully tended livestock through cleaning, health checking and feeding for best-possible animal welfare.
- Upheld continued smooth running of farm operations, completing priorities efficiently.
- Managed health checks record-keeping, monitoring condition progress in line with vet requirements.
- Regularly monitored livestock health and wellbeing, keeping animals free from pain, injury and disease.
Skills
- Animal husbandry
- Manual labour
- Livestock handling and welfare
- Warehouse maintenance
- Tireless work ethic
- Exceptional communicator
Education
2016
Birmingham School Birmingham
12 GCSEs at grades A – C
Choosing the right format for your farm worker CV
Applying to your dream job is exciting, but it’s important not to rush the process. Before putting pen to paper, you must choose between popular CV formats. These professional layouts give your application a competitive edge by using clear headings, sections, and bullet points to enhance readability. Hiring managers are bound to appreciate the extra effort you put into the presentation!
There are two formats in the UK that come out on top – the reverse-chronological CV and the skills-based CV. The former runs through your career background, starting from your current or most recent role. You can discuss part-time positions, apprenticeships, and temporary contracts alongside full-time jobs. The latter prioritises transferable skills, such as “communication”, “problem-solving”, and “teamwork”.
So, which is best for a farm worker CV? It depends. If possible, we suggest using the reverse-chronological format because employers usually prefer candidates with practical experience. However, this isn’t always essential. You’ll find plenty of casual and seasonal farm worker positions that only require a positive attitude and willingness to learn. In these cases, there’s nothing wrong with sending a more generic skills-based CV.
Alongside choosing the correct layout, here are some other pointers:
- Your CV should only be one to two pages long maximum
- Create multiple CVs for specific jobs – livestock farming requires different skills and experience than crop farming
- Type in a professional font like Times New Roman or Arial
- Avoid colours, images, or anything else that clutters the page
- Send your CV as a Word or PDF document unless asked otherwise
How to write a CV for a farm worker
If you’re wondering how to write a CV that stands out from the crowd, you’re in luck. The following sections explain the ins and outs of CV writing, paired with answers to some of the most common farm worker CV questions. We recommend taking your time to absorb the information – there’s no need to rush. Let’s run through:
- Adding contact details to your farm worker CV
- Start your farm worker CV with a personal statement
- How to present your work history on a farm worker CV
- Skills worth having on your farm worker CV
- How to add education to your farm worker CV
Adding contact details to your farm worker CV
If you’ve sent hundreds of CVs without much luck, you might have forgotten to add your most up-to-date contact details. Although it sounds obvious, it’s an easy mistake to make. Remember to highlight them at the top of the page, preferably in a slightly larger or bolder font. Key information includes:
- Name – first name and surname
- Location – including postcode
- Phone number – the best one to reach you on
- Email address – keep it work appropriate
Example of contact section for a farmer worker CV
Jack McDonald
The Barns,
Ruralhope,
Hertfordshire, CL29 HSN,
01234 55553444
jackmcdonald@example.com
Start your farm worker CV with a personal statement
The secret to making an excellent first impression is a persuasive personal statement that spotlights your experience, achievements, and top talents. While it sounds straightforward, there’s a catch – you only have three to four sentences to spark the reader’s interest. Luckily, we have an expert formula that cuts through the waffle and gets straight to the point.
The first sentence introduces who you are, including your years of experience and career focus. The second sentence gives the hiring manager a better idea of what you can achieve via a dazzling statistic. For instance, you might have “revolutionised arable farming processes, boosting efficiency by 79%” or “managed a dairy of 250 cows”. The more factual you can be, the more believable you’ll sound. Lastly, the third and fourth sentences underscore your most valuable skills and specialisms.
Above all else, don’t exceed four sentences, which works out somewhere between 50 – 100 words. We know you have a lot to say, but there’s plenty of time to flesh out your expertise in the following sections. Here are some other tips to inform the writing process:
- Write in the third person to give your CV a polished edge
- Use positive adjectives like “friendly”, “organised”, and “strong”
- Keep the tone professional – avoid jokes, idioms, and informalities
- Tailor all the information to the job advertisement
- Be authentic – think about what makes you truly unique
Example of personal statement for a farm worker CV
An experienced and suitably qualified stockman with knowledge of hill beef cattle in Scotland and northern England. Have worked with Belted Galloway and Highland as well as other breeds, including English Longhorn and Charolais. Currently work with rare breed cattle. Offer a range of useful skills, including calving (on hill and inside). Other relevant experience working on small mixed farms includes milk parlour work, lambing, haylage and silage making.
OR
Passionate and physically capable farm worker with over three years of experience and some arable experience. Confident in tractor and trailer work. Computer literate and skilled in farm management and administration. A committed and enthusiastic worker committed to farming as a life-long career. Now looking to work for a larger estate or trust with opportunities for skill and career progression.
How to present your work history on a farm worker CV
Hiring managers love the career history section because it offers a fascinating insight into your work ethic, attitude, and aspirations. Not only can they unravel your key strengths and weaknesses, but they can see how long you typically stay with an organisation and whether you’ve received any promotions or awards. We recommend spending several hours covering all the major details that make you the right person for the job.
Start from your current or most recent role and include three to six responsibilities underneath each, noting more for relevant positions. You can discuss part-time, seasonal, or temporary contacts alongside full-time employment. Information should cover:
- Job title
- Employment start and end dates
- Company name
- Company location
- Short list of responsibilities
- Workplace achievements
Most importantly, substantiate as many duties as possible with facts and figures. Like the personal statement, this will boost your believability and reassure the employer that you have what it takes to succeed. Let’s say you “organised open days for the public” – can you explain the outcome? You might have “sold 55 season tickets” or “collected £2,000 in funding”. Adding these details will set you apart from equally qualified applicants!
You don’t want to bore the reader, so it’s a good idea to cover different responsibilities and areas of expertise. For example, if you’ve mentioned “repairing machinery” underneath one job, talk about “herding cattle” in another. Every role should offer brand-new information to reveal the scope of your capabilities.
Finally, keep the tone lively and engaging. Companies receive hundreds – if not thousands – of applications, and you want yours to stand out. Scatter your writing with plenty of positive adjectives that speak to your personality, such as “hardworking”, “disciplined”, and “organised”. Plus, use powerful action verbs instead of “responsible for” – some of our favourites for a farm worker CV include “yielded”, “operated”, and “generated”.
Example of work experience for a farm worker CV
Farm Worker | Small is Beautiful Rare Breeds Farm Trust, Cumbria | January 2020 – present
- Assisting in day-to-day management and handling of small herds of rare-breed cattle.
- Helping stock manager in record keeping and other aspects of herd management.
- Organising open days for the public to boost visibility and profits.
- Repairing and maintaining farm machinery.
- Cutting costs by liaising with feed and equipment suppliers.
Farm Worker | Riggdale Farm, Scottish Borders | June 2015 – January 2019
- Assisted in managing a medium-sized mixed herd on a successful farm in the Scottish Borders.
- Aided in calving and lambing on hill.
- Oversaw an international AI programme from high-quality beef bloodlines.
Skills worth having on your farm worker CV
Want to secure an invite to the interview stage? Blow the hiring manager away with a showstopping CV skills section. This collection of unique attributes quickly reassures the employer that you possess enough practical and transferable knowledge to hit the ground running. We suggest noting 12 skills in total, split equally between hard skills and soft skills.
Hard skills are specialist and often learnt on the job or via formal education, such as “operating dairy machinery”, “milking cattle”, and “harvesting crops”. In contrast, soft skills are personality-based and more generic – think “dependable”, “responsible”, and “decisive”.
It doesn’t matter how experienced you are if you’re difficult to get along with. Similarly, an affable nature doesn’t compensate for a lack of technical know-how. You need both to present a well-rounded view of your capabilities. Plus, employers always gravitate towards multi-talented candidates. Stuck for inspiration? Read through the following lists for ideas:
Essential skills for a farm worker
- First Aid
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Driving licence
- Physical fitness
- Confident around machinery
Desirable aptitudes to set you apart
- Rare cattle management
- Computer literate
- Ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- Cattle handling
- Knowledge of arable farming
How to add education to your farm worker CV
A comprehensive education section gives you a competitive edge over equally experienced candidates, proving you already have a thorough understanding of the best farming practices. You can discuss school, college, and university courses, extracurricular training, and adult learning certificates.
What does it take to become a farm worker? It depends. Seasonal and temporary labourers are often less skilled, meaning you don’t necessarily need any qualifications. Nevertheless, employers prefer GCSEs in English, Maths, and IT alongside a can-do attitude. Without formal education, we suggest looking into farming apprenticeships – they’re a valuable way to enhance your skills in a less traditional environment.
If you’re applying for a full-time position, you could take a course at an agricultural college. These programmes teach you everything you need to know, including theoretical and practical skills in crop production, animal husbandry, and farm machinery. Popular options include a “Level 1 Certificate in Practical Farm Animal Care Skill”, “T Level in Agriculture, Land Management, and Production”, and “Level 3 Diploma in Agriculture”.
When outlining your education, cover the following:
- Name of school, college, university, or other awarding body
- Study start and end dates
- Subject title
- Qualification level – e.g. T level or Level 1 Certificate
- Qualification result
Example of education for a farmer worker CV
Dairy Farm, Kyedale, Scottish Borders | October 2019
First Aid Course
Rural Skills College, Kyedale, Scottish Borders | September 2017 – September 2019
Rare Cattle Management Basics
Cattle Handling Basic Skills Rural Skills
Uplands School, Kyedale, Scottish Borders | August 2012 – August 2017
12 GCSEs at grades A – C
Farm worker CV dos and don’ts
Do
DO attach a cover letter
A thoughtful cover letter warms the employer up before they read your application. It’s a fantastic opportunity to explain who you are, summarise your most sought-after talents, and express interest. You can also squeeze in essential details that might not fit into your CV, like why you have gaps in your employment history and what you hope to achieve in this new position.
DO underline your specialisms
Farming is a giant umbrella term encompassing many practices. As such, it’s crucial to mention your areas of expertise in your cover letter and personal statement. For example, you might specialise in a specific type of crop production or work closely with a rare breed of cattle. Highlighting your unique skills will help recruiters get your CV to the best people.
Don’t
DON’T copy other people’s CVs
While it might be tempting to lift text from other people’s applications, employers can spot inauthenticity from a mile off. If you’ve never created a farm worker CV before, implement our expert tips instead of copying what you see online. On top of this, re-read the job advertisement as you work – use the requirements to guide the writing process.
DON’T send your application without spell-checking
There are countless free spell-checkers online, so use them to correct any spelling or grammar mistakes. Additionally, ask a trusted loved one to give you feedback – another pair of eyes can wheedle out the smallest errors.
Your farm worker CV questions answered
What are the job responsibilities of a farm worker?
Every day looks different when you work on a farm, but there’s always a long list of things to do. Daily responsibilities vary depending on the specialism, but key crossovers include:
- Feeding and looking after animals
- Ploughing fields, sowing seeds, and harvesting crops
- Ensuring farm equipment is working smoothly
- General maintenance, such as repairing fences and clearing drains
- Ordering and monitoring farm supplies
What skills does a farm worker need?
Working on a farm requires a specific set of aptitudes and practical knowledge. Luckily, you can learn most of the tools on the job, via an apprenticeship, or through a college course. Employers look for the following skills:
- Confidence in repairing and operating machinery
- Basic computer literacy
- Experience with animals, including the ability to spot illness
- Able to perform essential carpentry and maintenance tasks
- Strength, balance, and coordination
What important qualities does a farm worker need?
Farm work is mentally and physically taxing. Consequently, you must be a particular type of person to withstand the constant pressure. While rewarding, expect to be put through your paces! Qualities of a successful farm worker include:
- Able to quickly adapt to changing situations
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Problem-solving abilities
- Happy to work independently
- Regularly uses initiative
What values do farmers need?
Of course, farm workers must be caring and compassionate individuals who value animal welfare and the environment. Managing the land is a considerable responsibility, and the best farmers always try to work alongside nature rather than against it. Many fantastic initiatives now allow them to do this, including “The Sustainable Farming Scheme”.
Cultivate your farm worker CV with our online tools
Now that you’ve seen how simple it is to create a farm worker CV that has an immediate impact, it’s time to discover more effective ways to boost your career. We have countless clever online tools to streamline the writing process, including expert CV examples and CV templates. Explore our resources today to secure your dream job!
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