Employers have indicated that new hires are not prepared with the necessary employability skills to be successful. Employees also need to have a solid foundation of skills in order to move into leadership roles. Given that this study focused on a specific group, the paradigm of naturalistic inquiry sought to identify the employability skills employers in the agricultural industry needed in their new hires. Qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed a gap between skills the employers expected students to have and the skills the recent college graduates possessed. Results of this study indicated that communication skills, building and maintaining relationships, self-management, and applicable work experience were important themes that employers seek in new hires. Employers also shared that they define leaders as having the following skills: ability to motivate others, having character, being accountable and being visionary. These skills are interwoven and should be cultivated together rather than as separate competencies. Technical skills were not mentioned by the employers interviewed. Providing opportunities to enhance educational experiences where students can develop certain competences and understand how they are intertwined is vital for development. Students need work experiences to help them understand how they currently manage themselves, their communications and their relationships. It is recommended that universities with agriculture disciplines build and strengthen co-curricular programs to implement different training opportunities and workshops that focus on these employability skills with the overall goal of benefitting both undergraduate students and employers who are external stakeholders.