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How to Hire Employees for Your Auto Repair Shop

May 28, 2019

Auto repair shops are one among the many businesses in the country facing a challenge when it comes to hiring employees. Hiring should be a continuous process with potential candidates always in the pipeline. With the right staff on board, you’re guaranteed to cut down on any losses caused by error. Having the right staff can ensure safety and customer retention.

Mechanic Shop Financing

Optimize your Business

The first step is to make sure your business is a place that people want to work. Most auto repair technicians are on the lookout for good (or better) places to work.  You should make sure your auto repair shop has an up-to date website. This makes your business accessible to any potential candidate who may be trying to reach out to you. You should evaluate:

Culture

Make sure that your technicians feel valued and important to the business. If it weren’t for your staff, you likely would not be able to produce the volume you do. Remember that no one wants to be treated poorly even if it is a “joke”. Remain professional and create an environment that fosters growth. This way your employee turnover stays low.

Working Environment

Make sure your auto repair shop is well lit, stocked with coffee and consider providing snacks for your employees and customers. You should combat an uncomfortable working environment by installing a cooling and heating system. Many successful auto repair shops also make sure that safety equipment is comfortable for techs to wear.

Equipment, Tools and Safety

Auto technicians are typically expected pay for their hand tools. However, providing quality equipment and facilities will make your business a more desirable place to work. Even little things like biodegradable, disposable gloves for your technicians can increase happiness at work. When your employees stay happy, they stay productive and loyal. Ensure proper safety procedures are in place for the use of equipment. You should also post emergency phone numbers, posters and regulatory information throughout the shop. 

Pay and Rewards

Some auto repair shop owners hire for work ethic and train any nuance skills after on-boarding. Other auto repair shop owners hire for experience and niche abilities. Whatever approach you take, ensuring that your technicians can be proud of their pay should be a priority of yours. As a business owner, you must weigh out the cost of having employees to produce the amount and quality of work your business provides. Have yearly or bi-annually reviews with your employees to discuss the expectation of work to meet their financial need.

Finding Employees

Finding the right employees is like finding customers. Consider advertising your open positions where talent is. Talent can be found surfing the net, on recruiting apps, social media or at a technical school. It isn’t easy to manage daily operations of your auto repair shop. If you are running thin on time, a staffing agency investment can free up your time to focus on the business during the search phase.

Employee Referrals

Recruit the help of your existing employees! They can be your best tool in the employee hunt. One way to do this is to create an employee referral form and offer an incentive for employee referrals. These incentives can be little things, like gift cards or vouchers or even paid time off.

Social Media

Create business profiles on social platforms. Some of the most popular are, Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. Be sure to connect these profiles back to your website. Always make sure all contact details including email ID, phone number and address of these profiles are current or else your efforts will be in vain. Successful shop owners have a profile photo of the listing on social media. While on these platforms, join auto industry pages and groups. This way, you can be sure to reach the right individual. It is important to participate on social platforms regularly to keep your auto repair shop relevant in the eyes of your potential employees.

Local Trade Schools

Connecting with local trade schools is a win-win for both the business owners and the students at local trade schools. The whole purpose for most students attending school is to better their employment opportunity. For you, participating with local trade schools ensures the employee knows what you need them to know. Over time, your relationship with the school will grow and you can attend job fairs and even be a guest in a class, so you can be a better recruiter. Again, if time is short, you may want to consider hiring a recruiter for your business to attend these events on your behalf. The only drawback here is that you don’t really get a sense of if the student will fit into the culture you have created at your shop.

Auto Industry Boards

Auto industry boards are a focused approach to searching for candidates. On these platforms, you can search specifically for skill requirements and designation. Mechanics Hub, Auto jobs, and Findawrench are a few boards you can try.

Host Workshops

Hosting regular workshops at your auto repair shop can refresh or expand your existing employee’s skills as well as open your doors to potential employees. You can host a certification workshop through a safety and regulatory organization. Another workshop is to train employees and local techs on a new piece of equipment you use in your shop. Typically, companies offer training and sharing your new equipment with local techs can peak their interest in working for you.

Interviewing

Interviews are a great way to judge the ability of your employees, but they shouldn’t be the only process you complete before hiring.

  1. Check for any red flags: No certifications, no referrals, and making basic mistakes are all red flags of a bad mechanic.
  2. Background Check: This is a great way to cross-reference any information the candidate gave about their history.
  3. Create objective screening criteria: Knowing what you need, you may be able to create your own criteria for screening candidates. Document these, review them, and update them over time.

Hiring new people is a great way to expand your business. If you know that if you hire someone, you can make a profit and increase your volume of work but don’t have the capital now, look into auto repair financing options for your business.

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