How to hire a planting machine operator

How to hire a planting machine operator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step planting machine operator hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a planting machine operator, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect planting machine operator also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of planting machine operators and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Planting Machine Operator	Description	Hourly rate
   Planting Machine Operator		$13-20
   Packager	Packagers are skilled employees who place completed products into containers and prepare them for shipment by weighing and labeling each package. As the final checkpoints between buyer and manufacturer, packagers must ensure that items are in proper working order as well as discard defective items according to company procedures... Show more	$10-21
   Packaging Technician	A packaging technician is responsible for planning the packaging design of various products, creating attractive outputs by utilizing software tools and applications, and ensuring that the deliverables adhere to the product's features. Packaging technicians generate new designs according to market trends and public demands... Show more	$13-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • GMP
   • Quality Checks
   • Quality Standards
   • Safety Procedures
   • Pallets
   • Quality Products
   • Safety Regulations
   • Loaders
   • CNC
   • Production Machinery
   • Production Equipment
   • Production Process
   • Extrusion
   • Plant Maintenance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work with injection molding manufacturing hospital product parts -operate machines in departments of extrusion and injection molding -Experience with digital calipers.
   • Used measuring devices such as micrometer, microscope, and optical comparators to ensure parts meet specification.

   More planting machine operator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your planting machine operator job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A planting machine operator salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, planting machine operators' average salary in wyoming is 48% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level planting machine operators earn 33% less than senior-level planting machine operators.
   • Certifications. A planting machine operator with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a planting machine operator's salary.

   Average planting machine operator salary

   $16.72hourly

   $34,785 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level planting machine operator salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average planting machine operator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$39,916	$19
   2	Pennsylvania	$39,158	$19
   3	Wisconsin	$38,306	$18
   4	Illinois	$37,054	$18
   5	Kansas	$36,305	$17
   6	New Jersey	$33,896	$16
   7	New York	$33,210	$16
   8	Indiana	$32,784	$16
   9	South Carolina	$31,993	$15
   10	Michigan	$31,230	$15
   11	Arkansas	$30,283	$15
   12	Georgia	$30,157	$15

   Average planting machine operator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sonoco	$40,593	$19.52	6
   2	Sunny Delight	$38,749	$18.63
   3	Shaw Industries	$38,734	$18.62	7
   4	CSX	$38,115	$18.32
   5	Hormel Foods	$36,943	$17.76	13
   6	Tyson Foods	$36,893	$17.74	8
   7	Conagra Brands	$36,780	$17.68	20
   8	Perdue Farms	$36,639	$17.61	17
   9	NSK Americas, Inc.	$36,325	$17.46	4
   10	Snyder	$36,142	$17.38
   11	TPI	$35,478	$17.06	10
   12	Smith Brothers Farms	$35,431	$17.03
   13	Zeus Industrial Products	$35,141	$16.89
   14	A&S Kinard	$35,081	$16.87	4
   15	Schwan's	$33,570	$16.14	44
   16	NESCO	$33,477	$16.09
   17	Adecco	$33,446	$16.08	185
   18	Workbox Staffing	$33,004	$15.87	19
   19	Randstad North America, Inc.	$32,938	$15.84	7

4. Writing a planting machine operator job description

   A planting machine operator 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. Below, you can find an example of a planting machine operator job description:

   Planting machine operator job description example

   This is a rotating schedule position. The hours are 6pm to 6:30am, 3 days on, 4 days off. Rotating every 3 weeks.
   Example below:
   Monday, Tuesday, WednesdayOff until next Monday
   Every three weeks, you will work the opposite schedule.
   Thursday, Friday, SaturdayOff until next Thursday.
   
   Entry level position responsible for miscellaneous tasks associated with but not limited to replenishing stock supplies to production lines, setting off cased product onto pallets and removing production waste throughout the plant.
   Safety: demonstrates behaviors in support of company safety procedures with focus on zero injuries.Quality: demonstrates behaviors in support of quality work processes to include Statistical Process Control-SPC, Document & track production variables, downtime, product samples and make adjustments to ensure proper packaging and casing of product to meet quality standards.Continuous Improvement: Actively support the ConAgra Performance System-CPS. Experience in a High Performance Work Systems; 5's, working in teams, problem solving, six sigma, TPM, training, continuous skills development-CSD, auditing, planned and/or autonomous maintenance-AM.Maintain supply of packaging materials at production lines.Operate hand jacks to restock production lines with packaging supplies.Manually set off cased product onto pallets.Pick up and remove waste from production line floors and containers. Push waste carts to dumpster area. Operate trash and cardboard compactors.Receive additional training as needed to perform duties and responsibilities.Perform duties with speed and precision to maintain schedules, quality, and work place safety
   
   Job Requirements:
   Ability to meet attendance requirements.Perform other duties that the Team Leader or Production Manager might require.Work overtime as required to achieve production and maintenance schedules, typically 4 hours before or after a shift.The ability to interact effectively and professionally with coworkers.Be able to perform all skills as outlined on the Skills Element Tree.
   Follow and comply with all Safe Quality Food (SQF) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP's).Participate in a minimum of 1 kaizen event a month.
   Be a pillar owner / support for one of the pillars.
   Conduct a minimum of one area audit per week.
   
   Our Benefits:
   
   We care about your total well-being and will support you with the following, subject to your location and role:
   Health: Medical, dental and vision insurance, company-paid life, accident and disability insurance Wealth: great pay, incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock purchase plan Growth: online courses, virtual and classroom development experiences Balance: paid-time off, parental leave, flexible work-schedules (subject to your location and role)
   
   Our Company:
   
   Conagra Brands is one of North America's leading branded food companies. We have a rich heritage of making great food, and a team that's passionate about innovation and growth. Conagra offers choices for every occasion through iconic brands, such as Birds Eye , Marie Callender's , Banquet , Healthy Choice , Slim Jim , Reddi-wip , and Vlasic , and emerging brands, including Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP , Duke's , Earth Balance , Gardein , and Frontera .
   We pride ourselves on having the most impactful, energized and inclusive culture in the food industry. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.
   
   Conagra Brands is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right planting machine operator for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with planting machine operators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit planting machine operators who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with planting machine operator candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 planting machine operator

   Once you've decided on a perfect planting machine operator candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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