It’s easy to think about the job market like a merry-go-round. Candidates get on, candidates get off. Jobs open and jobs close. Someone who wasn’t looking yesterday may be ready to move today, while the position that looked promising last week may already be filled.

The merry-go-round keeps turning.

There are plenty of numbers to back that up. In July alone, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 7.3 million job openings alongside 5.1 million hires and 5.1 million separations, with another 3.1 million people voluntarily leaving their jobs. New opportunities present themselves every day.

But all that movement doesn’t necessarily make it easier for employers and candidates to find each other. If you’re in doubt, ask a candidate who has spent hours searching job boards or LinkedIn and applying for positions. “Defeating” is a word we hear often.

LinkedIn reports that the number of U.S. applicants per open role has doubled since the spring of 2022. Nearly two-thirds of job seekers say finding a job has become more challenging. At the same time, 66% of recruiters surveyed by the platform say qualified talent has become harder to source than the previous year.

Don’t Miss Your Turn

The challenge with the employment merry-go-round is recognizing when it’s your turn to make a move. Get on. Get off. Hang on!

One of the easiest traps to fall into during the hiring process is waiting for everything to be perfect.

Sometimes an employer finds a strong candidate and keeps interviewing because they wonder if someone just a little stronger might come along.

On the flip side, we have watched candidates receive a great offer and hesitate because they wonder if an even better opportunity might pop up next week.

Sometimes it does.

But many times, by the time you decide, the opportunity that was right in front of you is already gone.

That doesn’t mean employers should rush into hiring decisions or candidates should accept jobs without thinking them through. Quite the opposite. Both sides should ask the right questions, understand what matters most, and feel confident about the decision they’re making.

That’s where having the right partner in the process matters.

Our job is to help answer those questions, provide information and perspective, and bring together employers and candidates who have the potential to be a strong fit. We want both sides to feel confident when it’s time to take that next step, whether that means making an offer or accepting one.

And we have never seen that role as more important than it is today.

For more than three decades, we have helped employers and candidates navigate that process.

We have built lifelong friendships with the companies we serve and with candidates we have had the opportunity to work with throughout their careers, and ours. Some of those relationships go all the way back to the beginning of AGRI-SEARCH.

We only work in agriculture.

Agriculture isn’t one of several industries on our recruiting list. It’s the only one.

We understand the difference between filling a position and finding someone who understands the business, the people, and the realities of working in agriculture.

We know it because we live it.

The merry-go-round is going to keep turning. When your opportunity comes around, whether you’re looking for the right person to join your team or wondering if it’s time for your own next move, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

We have been helping agricultural employers and candidates find each other for more than 30 years.

When your turn comes around, we’re here to help you make the most of it.