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>First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Experience
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Education
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Examples
These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities. Work may involve reviewing contracts to ascertain service, machine, and workforce requirements; answering inquiries from potential customers regarding methods, material, and price ranges; and preparing estimates according to labor, material, and machine costs.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $33K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $40K
Median Salary: $51K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $64K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $80K
Demand
Core Tasks
Establish and enforce operating procedures and work standards that will ensure adequate performance and personnel safety.
Monitor project activities to ensure that instructions are followed, deadlines are met, and schedules are maintained.
Schedule work for crews, depending on work priorities, crew or equipment availability, or weather conditions.
Tour grounds, such as parks, botanical gardens, cemeteries, or golf courses, to inspect conditions of plants and soil.
Direct activities of workers who perform duties, such as landscaping, cultivating lawns, or pruning trees and shrubs.
Inspect completed work to ensure conformance to specifications, standards, and contract requirements.
Plant or maintain vegetation through activities such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, or pruning.
Negotiate with customers regarding fees for landscaping, lawn service, or groundskeeping work.
Direct or perform mixing or application of fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, or fungicides.
Train workers in tasks such as transplanting or pruning trees or shrubs, finishing cement, using equipment, or caring for turf.
Identify diseases or pests affecting landscaping and order appropriate treatments.
Prepare service estimates based on labor, material, and machine costs and maintain budgets for individual projects.
Inventory supplies of tools, equipment, or materials to ensure that sufficient supplies are available and items are in usable condition.
Maintain required records, such as personnel information or project records.
Perform personnel-related activities, such as hiring workers, evaluating staff performance, or taking disciplinary actions when performance problems occur.
Prepare or maintain required records, such as work activity or personnel reports.
Provide workers with assistance in performing duties as necessary to meet deadlines.
Confer with other supervisors to coordinate work activities with those of other departments or units.
Direct or assist workers engaged in the maintenance or repair of equipment, such as power tools or motorized equipment.
Investigate work-related complaints to verify problems and to determine responses.
Perform administrative duties, such as authorizing leaves or processing time sheets.
Review contracts or work assignments to determine service, machine, or workforce requirements for jobs.
Confer with managers or landscape architects to develop plans or schedules for landscaping maintenance or improvement.
Order the performance of corrective work when problems occur and recommend procedural changes to avoid such problems.
Answer inquiries from current or prospective customers regarding methods, materials, or price ranges.
Install or maintain landscaped areas, performing tasks such as removing snow, pouring cement curbs, or repairing sidewalks.
Recommend changes in working conditions or equipment used to increase crew efficiency.
Design or supervise the installation of sprinkler systems, calculating water pressure, or valve and pipe coverage needs.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Customer and Personal Service
80%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language
79%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Administration and Management
77%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Mathematics
75%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Public Safety and Security
74%
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Personnel and Human Resources
71%
Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Mechanical
69%
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Education and Training
66%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Chemistry
65%
Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Building and Construction
64%
Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Top 10 Skills
Monitoring
80%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Time Management
80%
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Active Listening
78%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Management of Personnel Resources
78%
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Coordination
75%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking
75%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Speaking
75%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Instructing
65%
Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making
65%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness
65%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Comprehension
80%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression
78%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity
75%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Near Vision
68%
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Speech Clarity
65%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition
65%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Visualization
65%
The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Written Comprehension
65%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
63%
The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Deductive Reasoning
63%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Top 10 Work Activities
Scheduling Work and Activities
89%
Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
88%
Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
87%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
87%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
87%
Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
Getting Information
86%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
84%
Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
84%
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
84%
Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
83%
Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
Detailed Work Activities
Establish work standards.
Inspect work to ensure standards are met.
Supervise maintenance workers.
Plan employee work schedules.
Plant greenery to improve landscape appearance.
Irrigate lawns, trees, or plants.
Trim trees or other vegetation.
Instruct staff in work policies or procedures.
Inventory materials or equipment.
Confer with coworkers to coordinate maintenance or cleaning activities.
Evaluate current or prospective maintenance employees.
Prepare chemicals for work application.
Determine resource needs.
Document work hours or activities.
Investigate work related complaints to determine corrective actions.
Inspect landscaping to determine treatment needs.
Remove snow.
Recommend organizational process or policy changes.
Provide information about landscaping services or costs.
Estimate maintenance service requirements or costs.
Inspect buildings or grounds to determine condition.
Work Context
Outdoors, Exposed to Weather
How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Frequency of Decision Making
How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
Responsibility for Outcomes and Results
How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
Coordinate or Lead Others
How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Education
Majors
Major
Interests
Enterprising
100%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Realistic
81%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional
72%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Social
39%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Investigative
29%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Artistic
19%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Top 10 Work Styles
Dependability
89%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Leadership
87%
Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Adaptability/Flexibility
85%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Cooperation
84%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Self Control
84%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Attention to Detail
83%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Integrity
82%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Independence
80%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Stress Tolerance
80%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Initiative
79%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Work Values
Independence
77%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Relationships
72%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Working Conditions
60%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Achievement
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Support
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Recognition
43%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
