Turning barn job exp into useful job experience?

[OverItAlter]

Time to leave the barn job. I’m struggling a bit to turn barn experience into relevant job type experience. I clean stalls, handle horses, do feed/water, all pretty much unsupervised. I try to get stuff done in a timely manner and see to it horses are well cared for fat/happy/sound/etc.

I don’t really want to work at a different barn, but wouldn’t mind related type work. I will be applying for hourly positions for now and working on building some professional career experience but I’m just so burned out on being in the barn all day. I have cash register experience, and have done work with customers, so barn work isn’t only job experience, it’s just the most recent.

Any thoughts from people who employ other people would be really helpful. Even just a little encouragement would be nice? Need to get out into the big world.

[coloredhorse]

Back when I had a real job, I had hiring responsibility. Focus on time management, ability to work unsupervised, responsibility (left in charge of care of animals worth $$$), timeliness, etc. Feed, grooming and management requirements can change frequently, so you can also highlight your ability to adapt to changing employer and customer demands. You also may have had a significant customer service role, dealing with horse owners, as well as your employer.

It can be hard to look beyond the farm-specific nature of your duties–and honestly, this is true for all people in all jobs. But if you look at everything under more general labels, you will find that you have several highly desirable and easily transferable skill sets. It’s just a matter of spelling those out clearly, as not all hiring managers will be as willing as I was to read between the lines. :winkgrin: Engaging a pro to help you build a good general resume that you can then tweak for applying to specific positions might be well worth your while.

[findeight]

Use any of a number of online sites with examples of simple resumes to help you present yourself your potential employers. Also some good help with interview skills out there to avoid unhiring yourself at the interview.

Highlight your dependability, flexibility, patience and physical fitness, many jobs out there needing applicants capable of standing for long periods and able to lift a reasonable amount, like retail or very good paying spots with delivery services.

Obviously include your education and any other skills you have picked up like running a cash register or stock work.

Might want to visit your county employment office too. Be surprised at some of the positions they offer and it’s not just for welfare types, I used them a few times myself after relocating over the years.

Have a relative, mid 30s who got downsized out of a cable installation job of some years and the county office sent him to a lumberyard/hardware store( not a national big box store). He started part time in retail electric stock and customer assistance. Now works the contractor/builder/wholesale side of the lumber sales full time…only been there two years. He showed up and could use a tape measure and add, basically. Not the highest paying job out there but, since he works the contractor desk, it’s no weekends or nights with the store closed holidays.

Never underestimate what an employer might see in you or sell your skill set short even if you think their business can’t offer you anything or you don’t think the business in general interests you. My relative thought he hated retail but loves the lumber side of it.

[HungarianHippo]

^^^ Great advice. Focus on the skills that enabled you to do your tasks well.
Let me add something that I’ve discussed at various points in interviews: Training and handling horses is not unlike what a good manager must do. Must be fair, consistent, focus on early and minor corrections (rather than ignoring the building transgressions and then it’s a big explosion). We can’t react emotionally when faced with stress–the horse needs your calm leadership. We understand that you need to install building blocks, so that each new task may be a stretch but they’re doing it from a solid foundation. And that while it’s possible to scare your horse into submission and obedience, you’ll never get the brilliance that horses will offer when they trust you and that they’re safe under your leadership.
Those are not insignificant skills in the workplace.

[LawsofMurph]

[QUOTE=coloredhorse;8954658]
Back when I had a real job, I had hiring responsibility. Focus on time management, ability to work unsupervised, responsibility (left in charge of care of animals worth $$$), timeliness, etc. Feed, grooming and management requirements can change frequently, so you can also highlight your ability to adapt to changing employer and customer demands.[/QUOTE]

This right here is how I turned my horse summer camp job experience into a job at a law firm.
Focus on the foundations of each skill.

Cleaning stalls? Hard work ethic.
Bringing horses in? Able to manage multiple tasks at once.
Grooming? Able to spot problems right away.
Feeding? Able to follow given instructions.
Lessons happening later? Ability to follow a time schedule.

Everything has a foundation skill that all employers are looking for. You just have to focus on that instead of what you actually, physically, did.

[MissAriel]

I agree with what others have said - focus on the foundation skills such as working independently, meeting timelines, multi-tasking, customer relations, flexibility.

There are lots of on-line resources to review resumes. Take a look at them and use them as a way to start thinking about how to reframe your tasks as skills.

[Texarkana]

I second everything said above. :yes:

Additionally, seek out bridge people or contacts in places of employment who are also equestrians. Network around the barn and talk to folks who have jobs outside the horse world about potential openings in their companies.

When I made the jump from barn manager to lab manager in my mid 20s, what ultimately got me hired was the fact that one of the women on the hiring committee also had horses. Many of my jobs since then have been an indirect result of my horse experience.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=OverItAlter;8954612]

Any thoughts from people who employ other people would be really helpful. Even just a little encouragement would be nice? Need to get out into the big world.[/QUOTE]

A letter of recommendation would mean a lot.

Most interviewers have little trouble figuring out if you have the hard “skills” to do the job. They have no insight into whether you 1) care 2) are hard-working and consistent and 3) can work with people esp. in adverse situations. If your recommendation can cover those topics you’ll be in a great position.

Unless you were left alone in that barn with horses, I’m sure your relationships with other boarders/horse owners, the barn owner, etc could prove very well.

[Nootka]

caught colic early on? Attention to detail

[Monica67]

You will also want to highlight the ability to identify priorities and prioritize your work. For instance, building off of the early colic catch or injury, you were able to make sure those higher priority needs were addressed before continuing on with the other daily tasks.

[RHdobes563]

For a moderate transition, a vet’s office could easily see how valuable you would be to them. (Not sure if it would pay, or if you’d want to continue in the ‘animal world’, but…)

[DancingArabian]

[QUOTE=OverItAlter;8954612]
Time to leave the barn job. I’m struggling a bit to turn barn experience into relevant job type experience. I clean stalls, handle horses, do feed/water, all pretty much unsupervised. I try to get stuff done in a timely manner and see to it horses are well cared for fat/happy/sound/etc.

I don’t really want to work at a different barn, but wouldn’t mind related type work. I will be applying for hourly positions for now and working on building some professional career experience but I’m just so burned out on being in the barn all day. I have cash register experience, and have done work with customers, so barn work isn’t only job experience, it’s just the most recent.

Any thoughts from people who employ other people would be really helpful. Even just a little encouragement would be nice? Need to get out into the big world.[/QUOTE]

I managed a high end Dressage barn several years ago and when I went back to regular office work, here are things I said:

• high dollar asset management (because you have to be able to handle all those personalities, keep an eye out for lost shoes and injuries, and be able to keep a calm face on when they break through the fence and you have almost a million dollars of horse flesh taking themselves out for an unmanned trail ride, knowing what horses can be walked in pairs, knowing who can be fed in what order, etc)
• task management (there are a million things to stay on top of, plus the random things that pop up)
• high level customer service (because when someone is paying $1000 a month, they’re going to feel pretty freaking special, and when they’re spending several thousand a month because they have 2-3 horses plus training plus lessons, they are gonna be. And it means keeping a straight face when someone tells you Dobbin is sending her telepathic messages, and it also means staying calm on the phone when Dobbin’s mom tells you she’s coming in 20 minutes but she doesn’t know Dobbin and his buddies are already enjoying the trails solo)
• people management (handling barn drama)
• task delegation and supervisory skills (handling volunteers, working students, and other barn/farm staff)
• schedule management (deworming schedules, farrier, vet)
• inventory management (keeping track of the feed and other consumables)
• budget management (keeping track of the feed and other consumables at that sweet spot of ‘just enough’, shopping around for bargains when you can)
• facilities management (because there’s always a clogged wash stall, or broken this or that, or machine that’s making a noise, or whatever else)
• organization (staying on top of all those people and tasks and events that need to take place, keeping track of blankets and who needs muzzles and stuff)
• interdepartmental communication (working with the farrier and vet)

[runNjump86]

[QUOTE=DancingArabian;8956070]
I managed a high end Dressage barn several years ago and when I went back to regular office work, here are things I said:

• high dollar asset management (because you have to be able to handle all those personalities, keep an eye out for lost shoes and injuries, and be able to keep a calm face on when they break through the fence and you have almost a million dollars of horse flesh taking themselves out for an unmanned trail ride, knowing what horses can be walked in pairs, knowing who can be fed in what order, etc)
• task management (there are a million things to stay on top of, plus the random things that pop up)
• high level customer service (because when someone is paying $1000 a month, they’re going to feel pretty freaking special, and when they’re spending several thousand a month because they have 2-3 horses plus training plus lessons, they are gonna be. And it means keeping a straight face when someone tells you Dobbin is sending her telepathic messages, and it also means staying calm on the phone when Dobbin’s mom tells you she’s coming in 20 minutes but she doesn’t know Dobbin and his buddies are already enjoying the trails solo)
• people management (handling barn drama)
• task delegation and supervisory skills (handling volunteers, working students, and other barn/farm staff)
• schedule management (deworming schedules, farrier, vet)
• inventory management (keeping track of the feed and other consumables)
• budget management (keeping track of the feed and other consumables at that sweet spot of ‘just enough’, shopping around for bargains when you can)
• facilities management (because there’s always a clogged wash stall, or broken this or that, or machine that’s making a noise, or whatever else)
• organization (staying on top of all those people and tasks and events that need to take place, keeping track of blankets and who needs muzzles and stuff)
• interdepartmental communication (working with the farrier and vet)[/QUOTE]

This is fantastic. Super helpful, as I have a few barn jobs on my resume!

[oldfuzzyhorses]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;8954967]
I second everything said above. :yes:

Additionally, seek out bridge people or contacts in places of employment who are also equestrians. Network around the barn and talk to folks who have jobs outside the horse world about potential openings in their companies.

When I made the jump from barn manager to lab manager in my mid 20s, what ultimately got me hired was the fact that one of the women on the hiring committee also had horses. Many of my jobs since then have been an indirect result of my horse experience.[/QUOTE]

What Texarkana said. Never underestimate the importance of networking. I got a foot in the door for a professional position because of a barn contact. I’ve made two career changes by pursuing opportunities found through barn contacts. Most of the work I’ve gotten over the years, and a bunch of work I’ve passed up, has been because so-and-so heard that whose-it was hiring, or knew someone looking for help. Even if you have limited experience in the field, a good word and the chance to prove that you’re a hard worker and quick learner are a wide open door.

And I would add that whatever hobbies, pastimes or volunteering you have/do, don’t forget to include that. Team sports, band, theatre? Team player, ability to work effectively in group setting. Individual sports? Self-motivated, ability to work independently. If you’ve been with an organization, team, church, etc for many years, point that out - it’s a sign of commitment and steadiness. Highlight any computer skills you have, even if they are self-taught - especially if they are self-taught. Show initiative, and an ability to acquire new skills quickly to solve problems or challenges.

Good luck!

[IronwoodFarm]

The advice about focusing on the skills and not the setting is exactly what I gave my tenant who is leaving a barn manager job. First thing I had him do is remove references to barns and horses. Non-horse people don’t understand it and just think it is menial work. Second thing is to focus on his skills as Dancing Arabian noted. Once he changed his resume, he started getting more responses.

[Texarkana]

[QUOTE=IronwoodFarm;8957001]
Non-horse people don’t understand it and just think it is menial work.[/QUOTE]

So true, sadly. No matter your level of responsibility, non-horse people unfortunately read: “Played with horses all day” or “Unskilled manual laborer.”

Even when focusing on the skills, it can be difficult to overcome the misconception that barn jobs are not “real” jobs. It makes networking that much more valuable, especially if you can connect with someone who understands the challenging nature of horse management.

[Equisis]

Pretty much what everyone else has said- turn tasks into specific skills. It might be helpful to make a list of all of your barn tasks and duties, and assign each one a specific skill or attribute; select the best ones to include in your resume/cover letter. You can tailor this to each job you apply for- look for buzzwords in the listing. For example, when I applied for a management job after being a BM, I highlighted my experience managing other employees (barn help and working students), acting as a professional liaison (maintaining relationships between the farm and vets, farriers, sponsors, reps, etc), and detail-oriented task management (health programs, feed schedules, deliveries, etc). IronwoodFarm is unfortunately correct about the level of understanding you can expect potential employers to have, so break it down into terms they are looking for.