Our History

Today, Deere & Company is one of the world's most admired businesses. But in 1837, John Deere, blacksmith and inventor, had little more than a blacksmith shop, a discarded steel saw, and an idea that would help farmers, changing the face of agriculture for all time. Since its founding in 1837, John Deere has seen a great many changes in its business, its products and its services. Change always comes with opportunity. And Deere has always been ready and willing to embrace it.

Over 175 years later, John Deere is still dedicated to those who are linked to the land – farmers and ranchers, landowners and builders. Deere has never outgrown, nor forgotten, its founder’s original core values integrity, quality, commitment and innovation. Those values determine the way we work, the quality we offer, and the unsurpassed treatment you get as an employee of John Deere.

In the late 1980s Deere & Company negotiated a merger with Chamberlain Industries Pty Ltd, a leading manufacturer of agricultural tractors and implements in Western Australia. Chamberlain eventually became a fully owned subsidiary of Deere & Company as they continue to expand into new markets in Australia and New Zealand. In 1993 the demand for John Deere products shifted to the east coast, and so did the company. The company moved its national headquarters from Perth - Western Australia, to a 4 hectare site at Crestmead, south of Brisbane.

Our Core Values

It may be an understatement to say that we work every day to uphold our founder’s core values. Because integrity, quality, commitment and innovation are not ideals we work towards. We live them. We breathe them. These values are the true essence of how we work and are in every opportunity we offer our employees. In addition, John Deere understands the value of a diverse workforce. We are truly dedicated to an inclusive environment where diversity is understood and welcomed. It's a commitment we see shared with and within all stakeholders at John Deere: from employees to dealers to suppliers.

Our Leadership

The quality of a company is expressed through the quality of its leadership. For over 175 years, John Deere has benefitted by strong, decisive leaders at its helm, dedicated to the core principles of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation.

These qualities live on today. The men and women now guiding Deere & Company have the experience, the expertise, the values, and the will to keep John Deere what it has always been – a great company. A reliable, steady and a supportive company for its employees.

Why John Deere? Why Anywhere Else?

If you're the kind of person who strives to do great work, excels in creative environments, thrives in teams, and lives for problem solving – this is the place for you. At John Deere, your ideas, experiences, and values matter. And, you’re rewarded in ways that matter: through opportunities for career growth; through experiences in an inclusive, diverse culture; and through outstanding compensation and benefits programs.

John Deere Graduate Program 2019 intake

The John Deere Graduate Program runs for approximately eighteen months. The positions will be based at our head office in Crestmead (Brisbane, Australia). During this period Graduates will gain a thorough understanding of the company and its operations.

At least 2 positions per year are offered for graduates of either:

• Agricultural Business
• Agricultural Science
• Business (Any Discipline)
• Engineering

Throughout the program Graduate’s will be assigned to a diverse series of projects across the company – gaining knowledge of each area’s role and how they integrate locally and globally within the organisation. There may also be an opportunity to work in regional Australia and New Zealand with John Deere Territory or Customer Support Managers in direct contact with our dealers and customers as projects require.

The John Deere Graduate Program offers continual development to successful candidates with ongoing feedback and coaching. Exposure to a diverse professional team and a variety of experiences facilitated by ongoing training ensures our graduates expand upon their leadership and personal skills. Our company will provide and encourage growth opportunities with goal setting aligned to business objectives. At the completion of the training program, John Deere Graduates will have gained extensive knowledge and experience to further facilitate their career with the company.

Location: Brisbane.

Ongoing Employment and Development

The Graduate Program is designed to assist Graduates in the transition to a permanent position within John Deere. Further promotion is based on merit; taking into account your performance, tertiary qualifications and work experience, along with your main areas of interest, the level of motivation you demonstrate and your commitment to self-development.

Their Experiences

Max Cusack
Solutions Specialist
Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting (2016)

What attracted you to the John Deere Graduate Program?

“Having grown up farming and working in the ag industry my whole life, I wanted to continue pursuing a career that I was extremely passionate about. John Deere was the logical choice, working for a world leader where I could leverage my practical experience with my university education to make a difference to the industry every day.”

What is the best part about working at John Deere?

“The best part of working at John Deere is working with our machinery and our customers to ensure they get their crops off, and in, in a timely manner, whilst having the full support of an excellent office and staff behind me.”

What skills from your degree did you utilise in the Graduate Program?

“After studying a bachelor of commerce, majoring in accounting, I was able to utilise my business, analytical and financial skills to ensure I was delivering sustainable results to the business.”

What have been the highlights of your Graduate Program experience?

“My highlight was Header school where we taught our John Deere staff and Dealer personnel about changes to model year 2017 harvesting equipment, and dealer and territory visits where we could visit our customers and dealers to see how the different segments of the agricultural industry operated.”

What is your #1 tip for people in the Graduate recruitment process?

“Recruiters want to see you, so my number one tip is be yourself and be natural during the interview.”

Benjamin Blevin
Solutions Specialist
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (2016)

What attracted you to the John Deere Graduate Program?

“I was attracted to John Deere’s graduate program specifically because of their reputation, their global presence, and some of the experiences I had in the past working with equipment on farms in Zimbabwe and In Australia.”

What is the best part about working at John Deere?

‘I think the variety of work available at John Deere is extremely unique. Whether it’s working in the field with dealers and equipment, or working in the office.”

What skills from your degree did you utilise in the Graduate Program?

“Throughout the graduate program I found my mechanical engineering degree to be hugely beneficial. On a day to day basis I was faced with new problems and challenges, and I found that my problem solving and thinking skills that I learnt in my degree were hugely beneficial in helping me be successful in the graduate program. And on top of that, being able to communicate my ideas with my team was crucial in making sure the projects I was working on were a success.”

What have been the highlights of your Graduate Program experience?

“One of the major highlights of the year was heading over to the innovation generation conference in Perth with the other Graduates. The conference allowed us to listen to some influential speakers in the agriculture industry and have some really good chats with customers and growers from around the country. We were able to gain a better understanding of some of the day-to- day challenges that they face, and some of the new innovative technologies that are coming out in the industry.”

What is your #1 tip for people in the Graduate recruitment process?

“Being prepared for the interviews and practicing the questions is crucial, but more importantly I think having a good personal understanding of your desires and motivations for wanting to join the agriculture industry and more specifically John Deere is important in being successful in the recruitment process. On top of that, don’t be scared to communicate all of your qualities to the panel. By the end of the recruitment process you want to make sure that you’ve put everything on the table”

Stephanie Gersekowski
Product Manager – Service Parts
Bachelor of Commerce, Finance & International Business (2015)

What attracted you to the John Deere Graduate Program?

“I was attracted to the John Deere program for a couple of reasons, I grew up on a cattle and grain property on the Western Darling Downs so I’ve always been passionate about agriculture. So it was important that I would be able to apply that passion in my day-to- day role. I was also looking for a graduate experience that enabled me to work in a number of different business areas. This was so I could diversify and broaden my skillset. The John Deere program was the only program that offered these opportunities.”

What is the best part about working at John Deere?

“The best part about working at John Deere is the diversity I get to experience in my day-to- day role. John Deere supports everything from residential to agricultural machinery, meaning everything I do is always different; from gearing up to mowing season to implementing a support package to keep our customers going during harvest, it’s always different work that I get to do.”

What skills from your degree did you utilise in the Graduate Program?

“I was able to utilise a number of skills from my commerce degree during my time in the graduate program including time management, organisational skills and analytical skills. I was also able to use my knowledge of financial analysis to forecast, plan and budget for several tactical marketing campaigns.”

What have been the highlights of your Graduate Program experience?

“During my experience in the Graduate Program, I was able to participate in the Innovation Generation Conference in Canberra, co-lead a crop competition for office based staff, and plan and execute several tactical marketing campaigns. All of these highlights have given me a fantastic foundation for my career at John Deere.”

What is your #1 tip for people in the Graduate recruitment process?

“My number one tip for anyone currently in the graduate program recruitment process is to learn what the Star Method Response is and how to apply it in your interviews. This really is the best way to sell yourself to a potential employer.”

Hannah Pickles
Territory Account Manager
Bachelor of Rural Business (2009)

What attracted you to the John Deere Graduate Program?

“My background lends itself well to agriculture. I’ve grown up on a farm with Dairy, Beef and Broadacre cropping, and then I went on to pursue a degree in Rural Business and that really highlighted for me my love of both business and agriculture. So that really drew me to the John Deere Graduate Program because it offered me the opportunity to combine two things that I am quite passionate about, and to get to work on that on a day-to- day basis.”

What is the best part about working at John Deere?

“It’s hard to narrow it down to one best part about working at John Deere. For me there are 4 keys areas; the first one would be that I get to work every day in a job and in an industry that I absolutely love and I’m passionate about getting up and coming into work every day, and I’m quite grateful for that. The second would be the variety, whether I’m working from home, I’m doing administrative task through to meeting with a grower or customer, or working with a dealer on a marketing solution, all those sort of things so I really enjoy the variety that my role brings. The third piece for me is definitely the team that I work with. I’m really lucky to have an incredibly supportive team working around me that I consider not just colleagues but friends, and I think that that’s definitely a lucky position for me to be in. And the fourth one would be that now that I am a few years out of the graduate program, you certainly come to realise what your values are and working for an employer that puts their integrity above all else really does mean a lot to me, so for me that is some of the best parts of working John Deere.”

What skills from your degree did you utilise in the Graduate Program?

“Everyone’s degree takes a slightly different tact, and the graduate programs from Deere also take a slightly different channel because of the way that it’s structured. For me the key skills that I really used were my:

• Organisational skills, I think that’s something that I definitely excel at so that really helped with my program and to be able to structure my day and my projects.
• Networking, building meaningful relationships with my co-workers absolutely helped with my experience not just in the graduate program but also as my career has progressed.”

What have been the highlights of your Graduate Program experience?

“There were quite a few those, for me I was lucky enough to be afforded the opportunity where my first project required a lot of travel, and it wasn’t necessarily the travel itself that was the highlight but more the opportunity to look at different crops, different customers and different dealer businesses and the way that they do things. So I got exposed to quit a variety of customers early on and this was foundational in building my career.”

What is your #1 tip for people in the Graduate recruitment process?

“Find something that you are passionate about and pursue that; you’re hoping for a long career with an organisation so on the day-to- day you need to be really happy and excited about what you’re working in.”

We are Seeking

Graduates with the following skills and qualities:

• Genuine interest in the Agricultural industry
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• People/Knowledge Leadership Potential
• Alignment with the Company Vision of ‘Committed to those linked to the land’
• Alignment with the Company Values of ‘Integrity, Quality, Commitment and Innovation’
• Commitment to building relationships with others inside and/or outside of the organisation with a particular focus on listening to and engaging others
• Focusing efforts on achieving sustainable results for the organisation
• An understanding of our customers’ specific needs and wants and an ability to provide services that meet or exceed customer expectation
• A commitment to lifelong learning and development that drives continuous self-improvement

Degree/Disciplines

We recruit graduates from all disciplines, but we particularly welcome graduates of:

• Agricultural Business
• Agricultural Science
• Business (any discipline)
• Engineering

Applicants with a GPA of Five or higher will have the most opportunity of success during the selection process.

Eligibility

• At minimum, a three year university degree (Candidates will at least be in their final year of university studies)
• Candidates will need to be in possession of full-time working rights within Australia. (Please note that John Deere do not sponsor entry level candidates.)

Position locations

Brisbane, Australia

How to apply

Visit our website and go through our online application

When to apply

We recruit early in the year and our applications are open from February – April

Application Process

• Online Application
  • Make your first impression, ensure you include:
    • A cover letter
    • Your resume
    • A copy of your latest academic results
    • Proof of full-time working rights within Australia
  • Be sure to highlight ‘Why you!’
  • Let us get to know you, the person behind the transcript
• Round 1 Testing - Online Testing 
  • Cognitive Ability Test - Numerical and Verbal Skills
  • Values Inventory – Individual/Organisational values alignment
• Round 2 Testing - Video Interview & Gamified Testing
  • Gamified Testing - Mental & Cognitive Aptitude
  • Recorded Video Interview Screening
• Round 3 Testing – Online Testing
  • Emotional Intelligence – Leadership Behaviours
  • Behavioural Profile - Behaviour and Communication
• On-site Interviews
  • Interviews with members of our Executive Leadership Team
  • Meet the Graduates
  • Meet other Candidates

For all of our Online Testing, please make sure you have access to a laptop or desktop computer and a good internet connection!

Further information

Please visit our website

We look forward to receiving your application!