At some point, every auto repair shop will need to advertise for new workers and make the most of their mechanic advertising budget. How can you take the first steps to make the hires that have the skills you need and are a great fit for your team?
You may be surprised to learn that making the right hires isn’t as hard as you think. Simply posting job opportunities at random won’t be effective, but with the right strategy, you can advertise for mechanics and get the right applicants.
Here is a quick 5-step guide to help you find the workers you need most right now.
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Candidate
Before you can dive into advertising your open positions, you need to be crystal clear on what your auto shop truly needs. Some businesses find that they really need a store manager or service advisor as opposed to a mechanic. Defining the role that your auto shop requires allows you to minimize the expense associated with any type of hiring.
Each role has a unique list of qualifications and skills that you need to consider before hiring. Be sure to list out all of the skills that you want a new hire to have so that you can write a clear job description.
Beyond their skills and qualifications, each hire should be a good fit with the culture of the business and have the right attitude to succeed.
While in this stage, it is crucial that you weigh your options. For example, experienced mechanics may cost the company more compared to someone who is fresh out of trade school. If your auto repair shop features robust training opportunities or mentorships, it may be in your best interest to hire someone new to the field who you can nurture and help to grow.
Step 2: Craft a Detailed Job Description
The easiest way to waste your time and a potential candidate’s time is to be unclear on what you expect from them. From the get-go, you should be upfront and honest about all of the expectations and duties that they will be responsible for. New hires need to know what you want them to do so that they can make a clear decision on whether your auto shop is truly a fit for them.
While you’re at it, make sure to edit and proofread the job description. Make it easy for others to read it by formatting it with short paragraphs, appropriate headlines, and even bullet points.
This is also the time to advertise that you offer competitive compensation, incentives, and other perks that may have prospective hires running to apply to your new position. However, the perks and responsibilities of the role should be honest. Misleading candidates will only lead to higher turnover rates which is bad for your bottom line.
Step 3: Post on Industry-Specific Job Boards
If you want to find mechanics, showing your job post to salespeople, teachers, and accountants won’t do you any good. Hone in on the automotive industry to increase your chances of advertising to the right candidates.
One way to connect with mechanics who are searching for jobs like yours is to advertise on industry-specific job boards like:
If you find that you are not getting as many leads as you want from industry-specific job boards, you can branch out to more general boards that can be filtered like Zip Recruiter, Indeed, and Monster.
The goal here is quality over quantity – you want to advertise to the people who are a great fit for the position rather than simply getting eyeballs on your job posting. Based on the platform, you may have the option to set “tags” so that people can more easily find your position with the keywords that apply to them (such as auto mechanic).
Step 4: Partner with Trade Schools and Technical Colleges
Maybe you decided early on that hiring someone who was fresh out of school was the best option for your business and your bottom line. If an entry-level mechanic fits your ideal candidate and you have regular positions open, then you may want to partner with a local trade school or tech school to funnel candidates to your business upon graduation.
In addition to forming relationships with school career centers and professors, you might look into making the most of your mechanic advertising budget by setting up at a job fair, offering an internship (paid or not), and even facilitating apprenticeships for recent grads.
Step 5: Don’t Forget Employee Retention
Of course, your mechanic advertising budget could be blown way out of proportion if you are constantly searching for new hires. Invest some attention toward retaining your current talent through employee engagement, continuing education, and striking a work-life balance.
Employee turnover has a hidden cost: you’ll have to continuously market for new hires and train them before they can start to fulfill their duties.
If you want your workers to stick around, then you need to make sure that your auto repair shop is staying competitive. This applies to pay, but it also means that you need to take care of them as individuals by offering ongoing career advancement. A supportive work culture and environment can go a long way toward making employees want to stay.
Give Your Technicians the Tools for Success
One of the best ways to minimize the cost of hiring and mechanic advertising is to make sure that your workers are satisfied with their roles. This starts with giving technicians the tools that they need to thrive in their current position. In turn, this enables them to continue the overall growth of the business and your team.
This is where BayIQ can help.
We make it easy to manage a loyalty rewards program, reach out to your customers via email and text message marketing, and schedule appointments right from your website. This frees up your technicians to do the work that they have been trained to do instead of spending valuable shop time on customer follow-up, satisfaction, and retention.
If you want to know how BayIQ can take your auto repair shop to the next level, request a demo today!
