Are you thinking about applying for a lawn care technician job with Oasis Turf & Tree? If you are, then you might be wondering what experience and qualities are important to be considered. We spoke to Angie Bradley, our Chief Operating Officer, who handles our recruiting and hiring so that she could provide some insider information on what she looks for in an Oasis Turf & Tree lawn care technician.
What Experiences and Qualities are Important for a Lawn Care Technician?
When it comes to what she looks for in potential hires, Angie says that characteristics like a great work ethic, “people skills,” a desire to learn, and a willingness to be a team player all easily trump any necessary Green Industry experience.
In fact, she says that she usually includes the phrase, “Great character required,” within the job ads she places.
“We can teach new hires lawn care technician job duties like how to operate our equipment, identify problems in the lawn, or how to properly fertilize a lawn,” she says. “What I can’t teach them is a strong work ethic, integrity, or how to be a ‘people person’ if that’s not who you are.”
Let’s dive more deeply into those characteristics and how they come out in the interview process.
Oasis Lawn Care Technician Jobs Require People Skills (Customer Service)
As a lawn care technician, you’re going to be the one out there interacting with our customers. In many ways, each of our lawn care technicians are the “face” of our company. For this reason, Angie says that “people skills” are important. By no means do you have to be the most outgoing person in the world. But you must be able to interact well with clients.
Angie says that to some degree they can work on honing customer service skills but candidates need to at least be good communicators and work well with people. Because of that, she always asks about previous customer service experience.
During the interview process (which starts with a phone interview and then moves on to an in-person interview if that is passed), Angie says she’ll ask how they might have interacted with customers in previous jobs.
“Of course, knowing that not everyone has had a job where they’ve had customer service experience, I might ask them to tell me about a time when a meal came out incorrectly at dinner,” Angie says. “How did they react? We need people who can handle adverse situations. If a customer comes out frustrated or angry asking about a weed they found, I need to know that our lawn care technicians can handle that appropriately.”
Oasis Lawn Care Technicians Need to Have a Strong Work Ethic 
At Oasis Turf & Tree, we’re also looking for someone who has a desire to come to work. If you’re someone who is just looking for something to pay the bills until another job comes along, this is not going to be the right fit. We’re truly interested in building long-term careers for the people who join our team.
Because of that we’re looking for people who are driven and who have a strong work ethic. One question that Angie says that she asks to draw this out is, “Who is your role model?”
So often, I hear that it was a single parent who raised them or a grandparent who worked so hard for most of his or her life. This demonstrates how much someone values hard work.
Of course, the answer has to be genuine. Angie has become quite skilled at picking out the genuine answers from people who mean what they say—and that’s important, too. Here at Oasis Turf & Tree, we strongly value honesty and integrity, too.
Oasis Lawn Care Technicians Need to be Willing to be Team Players
While it’s true that lawn care technician jobs at Oasis Turf & Tree are autonomous—you have your own route, truck and customers—at the end of the day, you’re still part of a team. We believe that it takes a team to accomplish what we do and we want to find team players.
Angie says that she might ask questions about how a potential candidate has worked with team members in the past. Have they ever faced challenges working on a team?
Most of the time, Angie says that people who are unwilling to be a team player show their cards without even being asked. Is it all about “I” or “Me,” or is it about “We?”
All New Hires Can Anticipate Lawn Care Technician Training
Whether you’ve worked in the Green Industry before or not, all new lawn care technicians receive training. After all, we find that our training often far exceeds anything that other companies have offered. Too often, we find that people who have worked as lawn care technicians in the past have learned incorrect practices. We want to make sure that everyone learns best practices.
With such an incredibly strong focus on lawn care technician training, you truly can come into a role with Oasis even with no previous experience in the field. We have many team members who have come to us from other industries.
But it’s critical that new hires have a willingness to learn, Angie says. We’re looking for people who are willing to learn our ways, even if they’re different from what you may already know.
Making Your Wise Choice in Lawn Care Technician Jobs
If all of this sounds like something that might be right for you, then we’re always looking to hire great people. We believe that there are a lot of benefits to seeking a career with Oasis Turf & Tree. There are many reasons that our team members enjoy working here, including great pay, benefits, stable hours, a positive work culture, and opportunities for growth (to name just some).
But because of all that we offer, we also have high expectations.
At the end of the day, it has to be a two-way street. We know that our expectations are high and that not everyone fits the bill. Sometimes people make it through the phone interview process but after an in-person interview they realize as much as we do that it may not be the right fit.
We believe that we need to be as good a fit for you as you are for us.
The fact is, there are plenty of lawn care technician jobs out there that won’t expect as much out of you. Their lawn care technician job description may be simpler. They’ll be happy with anyone who is willing to do the work. But they might not also offer the same perks, benefits, and pay.
It’s important that you take all of this into consideration as you make your career move.
Connecting with Oasis Turf & Tree for Lawn Care Technician Jobs
As you can see, we take the entire hiring process quite seriously as we genuinely care about the team that works for us. We have an obligation to ensure that we are hiring new team members who are going to fit into our team culture. On that same token, we care deeply about our clients, too. We need to make sure that we are hiring people who will serve them well.
By ensuring that we’re the right fit for you (and you for us), we can work on building a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.
If you’re looking for a great place to work where you will be valued for your role on the team, then a career with Oasis might be the right choice for you. You can find out more about a career with Oasis on our website along with the job listings we have available.
