How many times have you been talking to a friend and complained about your job by saying you just aren’t motivated? This is the same question leaders ask themselves when working with employees: how can I motivate my employees? and how can I motivate future employees to choose our company?

AgCareers.com conducted a Candidate Motivation & Behavior Survey in the summer of 2014 to ask and answer these very questions. A survey snapshot was shared with attendees during the annual AgCareers.com HR & Food Roundtable that is taking place this week at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, MN.

The goal of the survey was to identify what motivates employee candidates in the ag industry to look for a new position and ultimately make the decision to change jobs. This is important for employers because the results can aid them in developing retention and recruitment programs.

The majority of respondents were currently employed with 35 percent actively looking for a new job. Respondents that were currently employed were asked a different series of questions than unemployed respondents. Sixty-nine percent of unemployed workers searched for job opportunities daily, whereas 17 percent of employed workers explored other opportunities on a daily basis.

An interesting aspect of the survey was what motivated a person to leave his or her job.

#1 Career growth/advancement opportunity
#2 Higher compensation
#3 Better benefits
#4 More flexibility
#5 Company stability
#6 Job duties/responsibilities
#7 Industry stability
#8 Company is an industry leader
#9 Different management/coworkers
#10 Company’s social responsibility initiatives (community involvement, charity, donations)

The top motivator most likely to persuade not interested or not searching candidates to leave their current position was higher compensation. For those thinking or actively looking, the top motivator was career growth/advancement opportunity.

The full report will be released this fall.

View the 2014 AgCareers.com HR & Food Roundtable photo album.