Auto shops should always be recruiting technicians

PHOENIX — It's a common situation, a shop is fully staffed with talented technicians and then, suddenly, one or two of them leaves.

Instead of being caught short-handed, shop owners should have a list of potential hires they've already vetted.

Whether a business is busy and in need of more techs, or work has slowed down a bit, shops should always be on the lookout for good technicians, Jay Goninen, co-founder and president of WrenchWay, said during a Fullbay Shop Owner Roundtable on June 25.

WrenchWay spotlights top shops to work for, educates shops on how to become better employers, and helps schools attract the next generation of technicians.

As has been widely reported, there is a shortage of experienced technicians to fill open job vacancies across the U.S.

The baby-boomer generation of technicians is retiring, so logically, that would imply the average age of technicians would be getting younger. But the average age has instead increased to about the 40s, he said. "What that tells us is that we don't have enough people coming in to the industry that are new."

"The one really big concern that I've got are those really good experienced technicians that aren't leaving my shop to go to your shop, but just leaving the industry altogether," Goninen said.

"I think when they have that technical background and that ability, that talent translates to a bunch of different opportunities. And so I think, being aware of that, that maybe we're not just competing against that shop down the road anymore. We're competing against a greater population of the other skilled trades that are desperately in need of good talent as well.

"We've seen more and more (techs) go be electricians and plumbers and contractors. So I think being able to think critically as well as being able to have that mechanical aptitude really translates into a lot of different industries.

"And I think a lot of those industries look at us and say, 'Hey, come work for us. We'll pay you better; we'll give you better benefits. We'll treat you better as a whole.' They might not tell the whole story when they're trying to get them to come over, but I definitely see those more experienced technicians kind of looking at opportunities outside of our industry. And that's definitely one that's concerning to me."

With the limited pool of trained technicians, shop owners need to constantly look for the next hire.

Shop owners are precise about managing inventory and making sure certain parts are in stock, but they don't always manage their staff as effectively, Goninen said.

"I think so often we get carried away by the daily fires that happen in our shops and it's hard. You have the customers, you have the employees and you're being pulled a million different directions and it really takes you away from working on the business-type of activity that you really need to be on. ... You need to constantly be looking to be able to find that really, really good talent."

Owners need to be proactively assessing staffing needs — determining who will be leaving or retiring soon and whether more technicians are needed to meet business demand.

"Put some action items down of what you're going to do over the course of this next month. Are you going to go talk to a school? Are you going to keep your ads out?" Goninen said.

He said it is important to "build a bench" of quality technicians and having people to call when a job position opens up.

One of the easier strategies to implement is creating a "careers" tab on the company's website.

"I get so many calls from people that are like 'I can't find techs, I can't find techs.' And I go out and look at their website and nowhere on their website do they have it posted that they are looking for people, which absolutely blows my mind and it drives me absolutely insane," he said.

One website offered a phone number for people to call if they are interested in a job, he said, noting, "Nobody's going to call you. These people are in really, really high demand. And you thinking that they're going to just call you out of the blue."

He also disagreed with requiring a formal resume submission.

"We're looking for that technician to put together all of their work history into a document, and in a lot of cases these technicians are being chased after by a lot of people.

"I think your goal should really be to start a conversation with that person to learn about what skills they have and everything about them. And maybe they'll get you a resume. But in a lot of cases they probably don't need it. They have people chasing after them if they're really, really good."

Unfortunately, there's no avoiding the potential of "ghosting," when someone fails to show up for an interview or even the first day of work.

But shop owners can help lower the chance of it happening by creating a comfort level for the applicant, Goninen said.

Ease an applicant's concerns by posting a video of the shop, showing where to park, what door to enter and the person who will conduct the interview, he suggested, "and then send that video the morning of their interview saying, 'Hey, looking forward to your interview today. Check this video out. This will help you kind of understand our process throughout the day.'

"And that will help create some level of familiarity. Is it going to stop ghosting altogether? Absolutely not, but anything you can do to kind of create that familiarity with your shop, I think, maybe decreases that chance that they're going to ghost you, which again is very, very frustrating."

Other strategies for a smoother hiring process include:

• • Responding to an application as soon as possible. "You can't get back to them after two or three days anymore. You have to get back to them as soon as humanly possible. So maybe, you're putting in a rule that by the end of each day, if there's applicants, you're going to call those people before you leave that day. Or, at max, you have a 24-hour response to them to get that interview set up and to talk to them," he said.

• • Don't judge the resume: "A lot of these technicians stink at making resumes. I stunk at making resumes because I hated doing them. ... So being able to get past that and make the call just to get to know them a little bit. Who knows? That might be a future tech down the road that needs to get some more experience before they come to work for you. But at some point, they might want to come back and work for you. So look at it through that lens as well."
• • Examine your online application process: He suggested managers fill out the application on the company website to see if there are any obstacles. "Maybe it's not as easy as you think it is. Or maybe it goes to an email that no longer works for anybody on your staff."

Once hired, the shop needs to help the tech become part of the team.

"What are we doing to roll out the red carpet in the onboarding process? And once they're here, do they need a mentor or maybe they want to be a mentor. ... That goes along with career development, which a lot of times we just kind of ignore," he said.

He noted a technician survey late last year revealed that training is very important to technicians.

"They want training and if you don't have the ability to get them in good training, I think your offering just isn't as good as what they could get at some of the competition."

Treating the staff well is critical for retaining techs and building a reputation as the best shop to work for, he said.

"If you treat them really, really good, you pay them well, you just treat them like human beings and you keep them busy. And then you give them the tools that they need to get them the training that they need. A lot of times they'll spread the word for you. ... That should be your goal as a shop to be such a good shop that you create those raving fans that are technicians, that they're going out and telling their friends and they're proud of it."

He encouraged owners and managers to offer some type of work-life balance so employees who are parents can take time off to attend a child's soccer game, take a family member to an appointment, etc.

"I think that's what drives people away is that they just think they're anchored to the shop at all times. Of course, we want them there. We want them productive, but if they're there and they're not happy, how productive are they actually going to be?"

"So doing what you can to accommodate their work schedule or their life schedule, it's just general life schedules, I think can be a huge benefit," he said.

Goninen said he has heard shop owners complain that they spend money to send technicians to training and then they leave for another job.

But he also referred to the Henry Ford quote: "The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay."

"I think we have to really kind of create that culture of growth, that growth mindset type of culture, because that's the type of person we want to attract, right? If we're bringing people in that really don't have a desire to go to training or get better, do we really want them? Do we want them as part of our team?"

He acknowledged training costs money.

"But at the end of the day, if that makes your team happier, I think happier people are generally more productive. They like to work around one another. I think it just helps the culture as a whole. So I think being able to shift in your head from 'it's an expense' to more of 'it's an investment' — and there's a chance that you could lose that investment if that person leaves, that training goes out the door —but we have to be somewhat comfortable with that."

Training costs should be part of the shop's annual budget, he said, adding, "Be realistic with yourself and set a number that you can be comfortable with, knowing that a lot of times it's not as cheap as you think it is, regardless of what route you go."

Sometimes when experienced techs aren't available to hire, shops will have to look for newly trained techs from local schools.

Goninen encouraged shops to build a pipeline, especially through tech schools.

"I think in business, we're always in the mindset of we want a quick ROI, we want to return on our investment really, really fast. And working with schools doesn't really give you that. It takes time to get that return on investment. ...

"We as an industry have put ourselves in this situation where we have such a shortage of people because we didn't pay attention to it, that now we're desperate. Now everybody wants to get back involved with schools again.

"So I think first and foremost, being able to come to terms with the fact that this isn't an immediate ROI thing. It takes time to build a relationship. And one of the biggest pet peeves, especially at the tech school level, is that a lot of employers show up at graduation time asking for their best graduate," he said, noting that these same employers never developed a relationship with the school in the first place.

"I think we're all kind of guilty of that, of just saying, 'Hey, you know, I've struggled with finding techs. I'm just going to call the tech school because it's around graduation time and they'll give me one.'

"Well, in a lot of cases, those techs have had jobs the entirety of their time in tech school."

He encouraged shops to develop a relationship with the tech schools so they are top-of-mind when students are looking for jobs.

"You don't have to be there every day but at least know who you're talking to, and have good general conversation. Maybe bring them some doughnuts from time to time, just to keep that conversation going.

"But understand what they need. Maybe some of those tech schools are really struggling to get students in their seats in their programs. If they're struggling to recruit into their program, what can you do at the high school level to kind of help them create a pipeline from your local high school to that tech school?...

"A lot of times these high schools are just ignored because shops don't see that immediate ROI. And so, you being present and you offering shop tours and you offering tools or maybe that junk engine that you're just gonna throw in scrap anyway. ...

"You can start a job shadow program. Get some of those high school students down to see what your shop is like. And once you find that student that you really, really like, maybe you can convert them into an apprentice," he said.

"... It's not an immediate ROI thing, but if you can do that consistently, then you have a consistent pipeline of talent coming out of people that you like and that you've kind of vetted."

Goninen encouraged shops to put effort into a job shadow program to foster a potential future hire.

"Put the same amount of effort into that that you would with hiring a full-time employee. Again, I think you're gonna find that right person that fits your culture, fits who you are. And really I think that makes you more comfortable sending them to training. That makes you more comfortable in trying to invest in their future because they fit who you are.

"And rather than just jumping at the first person that shows interest, do a little work. Do a little due diligence to figure out if that's a person that's going to fit who you are," he said.

He warned that the industry can't treat technicians like it did in the past, noting that about 42% of technicians leave the industry within the first two years after school.

"It's because we still have that mentality in a lot of ways that you need to learn the hard way. Well, they don't need to learn the hard way anymore because there are tons of opportunities out there and if you don't treat them right, they're going to go explore those and find one of those other opportunities," he said.

"These generational gaps aren't really any different than what we've had in the past. It's just what characteristics come with those different generations. I think what you're seeing in this Gen Z generation is more acceptance to the trades. I think the schools are talking to them differently about the trades.

"Now, I think there are still some negative perceptions of what our industry is all about and I think that's where us being involved in schools and talking to parents and educating them on who we are is really, really important."

It's important for the manager to sit down and discuss a career path for the new tech.

"I talked to a lot of young technicians and that's one of the big things I try to harp on is: 'Don't look for the money right off the bat.' The money will come but look at who's going to raise you the right way, who's going to put time into training you, to answering your questions. ...

"So being able to find that right shop that fits that young technician is what I try to instill in them, because I think that's a big reason we fight some of the attrition that we do is that we have unrealistic expectations coming out of tech school," Goninen said.

Shops also have to have patience with the new tech and not get frustrated if they don't produce as expected in a short time.

"It takes years to grow this expertise. This is not an overnight thing. So the more you can come to terms with that, the more you have a program where you're building them up so that when you do need them to produce at a high level, that it's not the first day on the job out of tech school, it's maybe three or four years afterwards. But you've put them through a really, really nice training program to get to that point. But a lot of times I think that's where our alignment is off."

The pay rate also has to be comparable to other entry-level jobs in the community, he noted.

"If they can go work at McDonald's and make $13 an hour or more, you're probably need to adjust (your pay scale) and you need to adapt."

If the shop can't afford to pay more, then the owner should consider raising labor rates so they can offer competitive wages and benefits.

If a tech comes to the shop asking to be paid higher than the shop's top producer, then it might be time to reevaluate the shop's pay scale, he said.

"That should raise the red flag to you that if somebody's coming in asking for that kind of money, maybe they're already being paid pretty close to that type of money. Maybe you're not paying your own team enough. ...

"I would much rather pay top dollar to get a top performer than to try and get a bargain. ...

"Every time I'm going to go for the top performer and even if that top performer is a top-performing general service tech, I want somebody that has good attitude, that has good mechanical ability, that has the ability to critically think and that I can train and feel confident putting that training into. And I'd much rather pay a little bit better so that they're not constantly looking for a job, than trying to get a bargain," he said.