How to hire a groundsman

How to hire a groundsman, step by step

Here's a step-by-step groundsman hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a groundsman job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new groundsman
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a groundsman do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the groundsman you need to hire. Certain groundsman roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a groundsman to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a groundsman that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of groundsmen.

   Type of Groundsman	Description	Hourly rate
   Groundsman	Grounds maintenance workers ensure that the grounds of houses, businesses, and parks are attractive, orderly, and healthy in order to provide a pleasant outdoor environment.	$12-20
   Keeper	A storekeeper is responsible for managing all a store's operations and overseeing the care and maintenance of stocks, including inventory management. Your duties will include receiving, unloading, and shelving supplies, inspecting deliveries for discrepancies and damage, and managing all documentation... Show more	$11-23
   Lawn Care Worker	A lawn care worker specializes in enhancing and maintaining the cleanliness of gardens and landscapes. Most of the responsibilities will require manual work and attention to detail, along with time management... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CDL
   • Hand Tools
   • Lawn Care
   • Blowers
   • Snow Removal
   • Mowing
   • Construction Sites
   • Bucket Truck
   • Dump Truck
   • Locomotives
   • Power Saws
   • Stump Grinder
   • Mowers
   • Rakes

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Used hand saws and hand pruners as well as motorized saws to manage tree cuttings on the ground.
   • Use of gas and electric equipment to include mowers, edger's, weed eaters, blowers, hedgers, and saws
   • Certify adult cpr and first aid.
   • Locate underground utility lines with the use of electronic locators and shovels.
   • Use chipper to dispose of brush, use bobcat to load wood into trailer.
   • Range from running a chainsaw to roping a limb, to running the bobcat machine.

   More groundsman duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your groundsman job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A groundsman can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, groundsmen' average salary in mississippi is 46% less than in north dakota.
   • Seniority. Entry-level groundsmen 40% less than senior-level groundsmen.
   • Certifications. A groundsman with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a groundsman's salary.

   Average groundsman salary

   $15.87hourly

   $33,013 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level groundsman salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average groundsman salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$42,723	$21
   2	Washington	$40,594	$20
   3	Oregon	$39,005	$19
   4	New Hampshire	$37,157	$18
   5	New Jersey	$36,940	$18
   6	Colorado	$36,058	$17
   7	California	$35,962	$17
   8	Michigan	$35,773	$17
   9	Pennsylvania	$32,245	$16
   10	Indiana	$31,967	$15
   11	Missouri	$31,454	$15
   12	Virginia	$30,269	$15
   13	Georgia	$23,387	$11
   14	Florida	$23,122	$11
   15	Mississippi	$22,989	$11

   Average groundsman salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Nashua Country Club	$39,938	$19.20
   2	R. J. Corman Railroad Group	$39,710	$19.09	21
   3	SavATree	$36,111	$17.36	215
   4	HINKLE CONTRACTING	$35,583	$17.11
   5	HCS Holdings Inc	$35,544	$17.09
   6	UniTek Global Services	$35,544	$17.09	3
   7	4M Building Solutions	$35,047	$16.85
   8	Oldcastle Infrastructure	$33,130	$15.93	12
   9	Firstservice Residential California, Inc.	$31,944	$15.36
   10	Weld RE-4 School District	$29,923	$14.39
   11	PeopleReady	$29,490	$14.18
   12	Delaware State University	$28,141	$13.53

4. Writing a groundsman job description

   A groundsman job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a groundsman job description:

   Groundsman job description example

   $19-$25/hr depending on experience

   Groundsperson: General Tree Care in Fridley/Blaine MN area

   SavATree is a growing comprehensive tree shrub, lawncare company that is looking for people to grow with us. We pride ourselves on creating an environment where each employee has the resources and opportunities to advance his or her career and become a go-to subject matter expert. The General Tree care team is the muscle of our operations. In this role, you will have the opportunity to have a career in the outdoors in your community.

   What a day is like:

   As a General Tree Care Groundsperson, you will be part of a crew that provides high quality tree care to our clients. You will be involved in all aspects of pruning, removals, cable bracing and other concepts related to tree care. You'll be able to safely operate all equipment and perform the assigned job tasks while also providing excellent service to our clients.

   Why you might love working here:

   • We have many training and development opportunities and will support your continuing education in the industry.
   • You'll work alongside some of the most highly trained and equipped teams in the industry, with an emphasis on quality and safety.
   • We offer competitive compensation and benefits, including health and dental, paid time off, 401(K) Savings Plan, Flexible Spending Plan, Equipment Account

   What kind of person are we looking for? Someone who:

   • Has a great attitude
   • Is willing to learn new tasks
   • Enjoys working outdoors
   • Is interested in working with tree care equipment such as, chainsaws, pruners, chippers, and stump grinders
   • Has experience in the industry, desirable, but not necessary.

   • Has a valid Driver's license, CDL is a plus

   SavATree is an equal opportunity employer and a Drug Free Workplace

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find groundsmen for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any groundsmen they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level groundsmen with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your groundsman job on Zippia to find and recruit groundsman candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting groundsmen requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new groundsman

   Once you've found the groundsman candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new groundsman. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a groundsman?