Business sense: Technician recruitment strategies

Motor, Dec 2002 by O'Connor, Bob

Business SENSE

Acquiring talented and dependable technicians has been a major challenge faced by shop owners for decades, due in part to the absence of well-developed and budgeted recruitment and retention plans. Today's savvy shop owners make such plans their No. 1 priority, because they know that without great technicians, they can't compete for today's repair business.

Today's auto repair industry requires business owners to employ technicians who are not only adept at diagnosing, repairing and servicing increasingly complex vehicles, but also at doing it at high productivity levels. To attain and maintain these productivity levels, technicians will require more training than ever before. This article will provide you with some methodology for the recruitment portion of a recruitment and retention plan.

Job Description & Skills Inventory

To begin with, an employer must develop a job description to provide technicians with the employer's expectations. An effective job description should contain the following six elements: job title, title of supervisor, titles of those to be supervised, duties and responsibilities, general qualifications and specific responsibilities. Slip any subjective terms such as "attitude" or "initiative" and use precise wording such as "able to read schematics" and "able to lift 60 pounds." Make sure the job description reflects the existing characteristics of the position as well as such characteristics that may be expected to exist in the near future. To view a sample job description, log on to our website at www.motor.com.

In addition to a job description, a useful tool is a Technician Skills Inventory, which is designed to be an analysis of hiring and training needs. To use this tool (a sample form is shown on page 55), list all current staff down the left-hand column and all skills necessary to perform jobs in the spaces across the top. Check for each currently employed technician those skills he or she possesses. The blocks not checked can help identify training needs for existing technicians or requirements of technicians to be hired.

A job description and Technician Skills Inventory form should clearly identify the skills and behavior you're seeking in a technician.

Employee Communications Handbook

Another useful tool that can help land technicians who'll fit into your company culture is an employee communications handbook. It's designed to convey company behavior guidelines and philosophies, explain employee benefits and provide general operational information. In many cases, an employee handbook can give you a competitive advantage when seriously considering a qualified applicant. Providing the applicant with a copy prior to hiring would relieve the interviewer of trying to convey all of this information verbally, and would allow the applicant to evaluate the opportunities with your company with someone he trusts. In addition, if there are any guidelines in the handbook about which the applicant has questions, these can be addressed prior to employment.

Without the use of these tools, a shop owner is merely guessing, and not committed to sourcing a technician who most closely matches his shops needed predetermined skills and behavior.

Company Recruitment Brochure

A company recruitment brochure should contain the following elements:

* Color photos of your shop from the street, the bays, equipment and any amenities that would be attractive to a new hire, such as a clean and comfortable employee lounge.

* Testimonials from existing technicians who have been with you for a long time.

* Bullet points of competitive benefits, such as 40 hours of technical training per year, Internet access for problem solving, employee benefits such as vacations, holidays and medical/dental coverage, wellness bonuses, etc.

* Business hours and days of operation.

* How, where and when to apply, ineluding the company website.

* The company's mission statement.

* Any other pertinent information that would encourage a prospect to apply.

Ideally, this brochure should be printed in full color on quality paper, in a trifold or quadfold format. Maintain an adequate supply for distribution to all vendors, at all conventions, trade shows and other industry events and meetings, at training and testing sessions and via -all company vehicles and employees.

Methods for Sourcing Job Candidates

Newspaper Advertising. Many shop owners have successfully found technicians through local newspapers. Following are some tips to using the local press to your advantage:

* Create an effective ad by using a headline such as AUTO TECH. This NOR usually get your listing close to the top of the column and states exactly what you're looking for. Make the headline in -all caps, bold and in larger type than the ad itself.

* Use the second line as a "grabber," to state a reason that would prompt a prospect to call. Grabbers could include "4 Day Workweek," "Outstanding Earnings Potential," etc.

* Put attractive wording in the main text, such as "outstanding benefits," "busy shop," "well-equipped," "hightech," "well-established" and other buzz words that would drive a prospect to make an inquiry. Also, use the words "apply in confidence" or "all inquiries confidential" so technicians won't feel like they're risking their current job by applying.