From hiring the right person to ensuring the right fit

The desperation finally ended! After grueling weeks of trying to find someone to fill your vacant position, you finally found a taker. So now you can take the monkey off your shoulder, onboard the new guy, and it's back to business-as-usual. You learned some tough lessons: how the consequences of a lack of teamwork, benefits, and leadership can cause a good employee to leave; how you should already have game plans in motion to make sure you don't have a repeat situation occur; and how to put your best foot forward for the new guy starting tomorrow. 

Limited Time Offer: ATI's Hiring Strategy ChecklistThis checklist helps you build a hiring plan by addressing the six key questions every shop owner should answer before they start hiring. To receive your copy of ATI's Hiring Strategy Checklist to use in your shop, go to www.ationlinetraining.com/2021-09 for a limited time.

The day is here for your one-man cure to walk in the door for the first time, and you feel great. You offered to have his toolbox towed in, but he respectfully declined and said he'll bring it on his own. You introduce the new technician to your current staff when he gets there, show him where equipment is, and then get down to business. You onboard him by walking through the most important SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) first, go through W4 forms, uniform-sizing, the works. Then, he asks when he can bring his toolbox in, and you excitedly answer, "right now!" Next, he goes out to his car, brings in the two halves of a roll around cart, assembles it, and asks, "So, how is the workflow around here?" You half hear his question because your eyes are fixed on his Harbor Freight cart as you think to yourself, "he must be bringing more later." 

 After covering your safety-related rules, including avoiding personal injury and property damage, you explain the use of safety glasses, torquing wheels, and any other nuances. Finally, he's ready to go! You give him the first repair order, explain the test drive route, and off to work he goes! He goes on his drive, comes back, racks the vehicle, and is on his way to helping you recoup the money you lost by being shorthanded. You go back to your responsibilities and plan to check in on him later when you have time or when he needs assistance.  

Later in the day, you remember that you haven't heard from him, so you need to check on his progress. He's gutted his roll-around cart with tools strewn everywhere and is staring into the wheel well with a perplexed look on his face. You ask in a positive way, "So, what's wrong with this car?" He points at a motor mount without identifying it by name and responds that the part seems to be leaking but doesn't know how to get it out if the repair is approved. Without allowing your facial expression to change in front of him, you think, "How is this possible?" You guide him through the repair process, citing how to use online repair guides, give him a live lesson at the car, and inform him you have an open-door policy to ask for further help.  You carry on with your business, but this scenario is throwing you for a loop. As the week goes on, more similar occurrences take place on even simpler repairs. You're thinking to yourself that instead of hiring someone the same or better than the technician that left, you now have someone that doesn't fit what you need. 

The whole situation brings on a feeling of self-reflection. You take off your imaginary "new-hire-will-save-the-day" goggles to see the scenario for what it is—this isn't what you need, and more importantly, how are you going to fix it? You think back to when you interviewed this "technician" and remember he was one of two people who applied. He was the ONLY one who picked up the phone when you called and agreed to an interview. He gave you his full professional background, and you were more amazed. You were happy to have someone qualified sitting in the chair across from you rather than wondering if he could do the job. You knew that each day the shop was short-staffed, it cost you money. And at the same time, it stressed your team, who was overwhelmed with the same car count you had before you lost someone. How could you have avoided this? 

Do It Right This Time 

Taking the time to source the right person for the job is the most important step in hiring. If you haven't built a bench of contacts and resources you can lean on when you lose an employee, you resort to hiring when desperate. But, unfortunately, that's not a good position to be in.  

You can avoid this situation through careful planning and preparation. First, before you begin the hiring process, understand what you're up against: be aware of what your competition is offering new hires when it comes to pay, benefits, or any other perks. Next, you must find a way to separate yourself from the competition—a construction of leverage. Then, once you believe you have a competitive compensation package, consider offering a hiring bonus to sweeten the deal. Finally, place an effective ad in all the right places, including online hiring sites, unemployment agencies, local colleges, vocational schools, your social media pages…the list goes on. 

While we're on the topic of being online, you better believe candidates are checking you out. They're looking at your shop's Google reviews, photos you posted (or didn't), Yelp presence, and maybe reviews of current or ex-employees on Glassdoor. Just as you'd like to hire clean-cut, productive employees, potential employees want clean-cut, teamwork-oriented places to work. It only takes minutes online for them to get an idea of how your shop operates and if it's a desirable place to work, so make sure your online presence reflects the image you want to attract. 

Filter Better 

When you're looking to fill a position, stick to what you need. If you lost an A Tech, don't consider hiring someone whose confirmed work history is as a lube tech—unless you're providing in-house training and are in it for the long haul. You know what repair qualities your last A Tech possessed and what they lacked. See if you can find someone who fills those gaps, which might require more than one interview, and maybe have a second-in-command participate as well. A second person with a different perspective will only improve the hiring experience. 

Once resumes and contacts start coming your way, create an effective way to filter unwanted candidates and pinpoint only those who will be the best fit. You may have to loosen your ideals a little and schedule more interviews to listen to what people have to say about themselves. An easy way to confirm what they are saying is to check out their social media pages. Facebook, LinkedIn, or a simple Google search are all free sources of information at your fingertips. Don't worry about their political views and things that won't affect what they're doing for you; your concern should be mechanical prowess.  

When filtering resumes, keep in mind that not everything is always what it seems. For example, the applicant whose resume shows they had a short run in the industry and experience in low-skill repairs may have been limited by their dealership's totem pole-staffing style. But, when sitting in front of you, you might discover that he's two years into vocational school training, worked part-time for years at his uncle's shop, and has a restoration project at home—which means he has a lot of promise. On the flip side, you might interview a technician with years of experience in the industry, multiple ASE certifications, and pictures of his top-of-the-line toolbox in his resume. Then, when you ask why he had a new employer every year, he cites "this guy did this, that manager did that," and you easily deduce this technician was the problem from shop to shop.  

Prioritize Culture and Trainability 

Remember—hire culture over skill. It may be hard to swallow when you're in a tight place, but while you can train the right person up, it's difficult to train or straighten out a person with a bad attitude. Scan the candidate's resume for gaps in employment and ask for explanations. Changes in the family dynamic, moving states, or any other unforeseen circumstance can explain the gap. Or maybe when we heard news reports of workforce shortages, this person decided to play Nintendo and receive stimulus checks while everyone else was short employees.   

Once you think you have the right person in mind, the next step is to discuss pay scales. Don't include pay structures in your want ads, and don't give detailed answers to questions over the phone. This clears the path for an effective interview and gives you a fighting chance to gain a valuable employee.  The homework you did earlier on what your competitors offer gives you loaded insight into the benefits and pay the prospective employee may already have. If a "meeting of the minds" occurs, congratulations! You found someone who fits the needs of the open position, has a personality that works well with your team, and you have enough information on how the tech's training needs to be successful.  

Keep Up the Good Work 

Don't stop the connection at onboarding. Constantly provide reassurance and be accessible to your new employee every day until they are comfortable. Look for disconnects in expectations and understanding from what was stated or promised during the interview process. You want to make sure their satisfaction level is at 100%. While you're at it, get feedback from the rest of the team, too. Be diligent in following up with any shortcomings they report impacting your new hire's experience. If uniforms aren't in for two weeks, follow up. If payroll, online, or any other software logins aren't working, follow up. It may be something as simple as their toolbox is placed too far out of the way. Show good leadership and consider moving other equipment to make their location more centralized. The more proactive you are in making these adjustments and tending to their needs, the greater the chances your new hire will be happy and stay long-term.  

Finally, once the team is whole again and the new technician is a productive contributor, remember that you should always be recruiting. Ongoing recruiting is critical and ensures there isn't a drought the next time you need someone.  

For more tips on hiring the best candidates, get ATI's Hiring Strategy Checklist at www.ationlinetraining.com/2021-09 for a limited time.