How to Become a Groundskeeper in 2024

Are you interested in making a career change that has a lot of growth potential? Do you want a job that’s always in demand and utilizes some of your best skills? Are you the kind of person who takes pride in their work and likes seeing the results of what they do? Do you have an eye for detail to keep a community safe and looking fantastic?

Becoming A Professional Groundskeeper: Your Guide To Success

Are you considering a career change? Looking for an entry-level career with the potential to move up? Have you always wanted to spend more of your time outdoors? Do you want your job to be hands-on and keep you active? If so, then perhaps a career in apartment community groundskeeping is for you.

With over 900,000 groundskeeper positions in the U.S. understanding the ins and outs of groundskeeping is a must if you’re looking to work in the field. Let’s take a closer look at a Groundskeeper role, what you need to do to become one, and plenty more information to help you on your way to your groundskeeping career.

What Is a Groundskeeper and How Do I Become One?

A Groundskeeper is a jack of all trades that’s responsible for the outdoor areas of business and other facilities. Many apartment owners and managers with multiple properties hire Groundskeepers to maintain their properties.

Don’t think of a Groundskeeper as a janitor. Although it isn’t unusual for them to do custodial work, their work can involve painting, cleaning, minor repairs and tremendous interaction with the public. Together this encompasses a comprehensive care plan for a community.

Groundskeeper job duties cover a lot of outdoor work and expertise along with having the right mix of managerial and people skills. Your day might involve managing inventory, pest control, keeping the grounds clean through trash pick up, and managing employees.

Two main benefits come with starting a Groundskeeper career. For one thing, you don’t need a college degree to be a Groundskeeper. A GED or diploma is more than enough, and some college-level classes can put you over the top.

Another benefit is that people from different backgrounds can enter the field and excel. Some people may be used to working with their hands and enjoy gardening. Others could have excellent people skills and like being outdoors. Since the job involves so many different levels of expertise, there’s a lot you can do.

How to Exceed at a Groundskeeping Career

Are you ready to get started on your education? Keep reading to learn how you can become a professional groundskeeper.

Education and Training

Groundskeeping doesn’t have many advanced education requirements. You can become an entry-level groundskeeper if you have your high school diploma or a GED.

You may be able to increase your chances of being successful if you attend a community college and receive your associate’s degree. Getting your associates in Facilities Management will train you on common practices and will provide foundational knowledge for housekeeping and janitorial support for commercial buildings, facilities, and housing complexes.

Seek Out Entry-Level Jobs

Now that you have your education and training, you can start seeking out entry-level jobs. By doing this you’ll gather the experience of maintaining supplies and cleanliness of buildings, amenities, and ground.

In some cases, you’ll work with a supervisor. Someone who has been doing groundskeeping for a while and can show you the ropes.

Helpful Skills to Have As a Groundskeeper

There is more to being a groundskeeper than technical knowledge. To be successful there are several other skills that you should develop.

Communication

You’ll be working with a team of other groundskeepers to keep properties looking beautiful and clean. You must have communication skills to be given assignments, report your progress, and receive assignments.

Supplies don’t order themselves. You must be able to communicate needs to your team or supplier and be able to communicate ways to help the team be more efficient.

Problem-Solving Skills

There are often problems that need to be resolved quickly in any job. For groundskeepers, this may look like a leaky faucet that has left a water stain on the carpet or helping with a last-minute apartment clean before a new resident moves in. To resolve the problems, you’ll have to use your problem-solving skills and work efficiently with other professionals to come up with the best solution.

Management

More often than not you’ll be working with a team. There may be times when you’ll be playing the part of a manager. If this happens, you should know how to assess a situation and assign tasks to the team that will help you all manage your time wisely and get the job done.

Create Your Resume

By this point, you’ve gathered up quite a bit of knowledge, developed new skills, and gotten your feet wet with entry-level work. You’re now ready to polish your resume.

Depending on how much experience you now have under your belt, you might not be able to fit them all on one page. Read the job description for any job you’re considering applying to and adjust your resume to fit that particular job. Try to keep the resume to a single page highlighting the most important and applicable experiences.

Becoming a Groundskeeper

As you can see, learning how to become a groundskeeper is a lot of work. Getting started requires dedication, teamwork, an eye for detail, and great training.

We can help you get your foot in the door. Lewis Careers offers entry-level jobs that will continue to train and help develop your skills. Explore our open positions at the link below.

Apply to Become a Groundskeeper Today

David Draper

David Draper is the Director of Talent Acquisition for the Lewis Group of Companies. David is proud to be a part of a successful, stable, and winning team dedicated to its projects, its people and its community. Follow David on Twitter @LewisRecruits.