Tips for Recruiting Diesel Techs in the Truck Repair Industry
The technician shortage in the diesel repair industry is very real but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t any good techs still out there. They’re there, but you are now competing with every other shop to get them on your team. For the overworked, frustrated, and anguished shop owners who are looking for some fresh ideas on recruiting quality diesel techs, here are some tips to help you score your next hire.
Keep a ‘Help Wanted’ sign on your door, regardless of whether or not you’re hiring
We know how old school this sounds but never underestimate the power of exposure and word of mouth. By taking advantage of the free ad space in your shop, everyone who walks through your doors will know you’re hiring and can relay that to candidates looking for work.
The signage is also an invitation for people to approach your shop who are seeking work. In the digital age, there is a process that’s followed by job sites such as Indeed or Glassdoor – a candidate applies online, the business reviews their resume and possibly calls them in for an interview. But if this candidate is applying to your job opening, they are most likely applying for others as well. So now it becomes a race as to which shop can get them in for an interview first. Desperate times call for desperate measures and sometimes the best way to qualify a candidate is to simply chat with them for five minutes about the job in-person.
The reason we suggest having this sign posted regardless of whether or not you’re actually hiring is that plenty of owners and managers admit that if a quality diesel tech crossed their path, they would bring them on regardless of whether or not they were actually hiring. Post the sign and see who comes through your door!
Offer a Headhunting Bonus
People love to lend a hand — especially when that lending hand is incentivized by a dollar amount. Finder’s fees have a tendency to mobilize people in your network so shelling out a few Benjamins for the sake of finding a quality tech might not be a bad idea. Some shops opt for a monetary bonus of up to $1,000. The finder usually receives 50% of the amount when the employee is hired and the rest once they’ve been around for 30-90 days. Other shops opt for more creative options such as free DOT inspections or oil changes for ‘x’ amount of years. There is a price to pay for finding great workers, so if you’re in a stitch with staffing, this might be one to consider!
Create a Culture that People Want to be A Part of
Think about your shop’s reputation – what are people saying? This includes your customers as well as your employees. If your employees consider the shop environment to be in need of change and improvement, but your customer service is stellar, your hiring process could still suffer as a result. One of the most important components of creating a culture that people want to be a part of is making sure that employees are well-compensated. The cost of not having the right people at the right time is more expensive than keeping wages above market rates. What you gain is the upper hand with selectivity as well as a reduced turnover rate. Simply put, a great work environment keeps people around. Create a culture for your business that people want to be apart of so that when you find a quality tech, the shop across the street doesn’t win them over with happier workers in a more pleasant environment with higher pay rates.
