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Posted

I've had that happen a few times over the years. They probably did you a favor. It's always infuriating, but you're probably much better off without someone like that working for you.

  • Like 1
Posted

And don't have the guts to tell you. Had an interview last Saturday... He was 10 minutes late. I called him and sounded like I woke him up. Said he was waiting for his MAMA to get his kid so he could head this way ( 45 min drive). I asked you didn't call or try to email? He couldnt find the number he had called three days before. I told him don't bother, Ill call you. Hope he's not waiting for that call. 

On 1/30/2018 at 12:13 PM, xrac said:

My how times have changed.  Over the past 24 months I have experienced something that has never occurred before in my 19 years in the business.   On four different occasions I have interviewed potential employees, extended a job offer, offer was verbally accepted, a start day was established, we shook hands, and then the person never shows up and is never heard from again. Have any of you had a experience like that? I figure the place where they were at upped the offer and they decided that staying was easier and safer than leaving. 

 

Posted

I had another interview this week, fellow does not want to work under an incentive based pay plan. I am afraid to hire him because I feel I will just end up in the place I already am in, with guys that do just enough to get by and never shoot for bonus. I pay out my guarantee every single week. It is getting old.

Posted
3 minutes ago, xrac said:

He dont sound like a keeper. 

You know, it is funny the things they say. I do not need the flat rate carrot dangled in front of me to produce. Then why would you not want the extra money from all the flat rate time you could make?

Posted
17 hours ago, Hands On said:

I had another interview this week, fellow does not want to work under an incentive based pay plan. I am afraid to hire him because I feel I will just end up in the place I already am in, with guys that do just enough to get by and never shoot for bonus. I pay out my guarantee every single week. It is getting old.

Back when my shop was young I offered a guarantee of 30 hours. What I found was that a tech with a 30 hour guarantee will produce between 28 and 32 hours consistently. They will also blame the shop for their lack of productivity. Then they want to strut around like some sort of hero if they flag over 40 hours once every few months, feeling like that's clear evidence that the problem isn't with them. So I backed the guarantee down to 20 hours. Guess what happened? The techs (I had two at the time) became even less productive and more disgruntled.

Posted
2 minutes ago, xrac said:

What guarantee do you offer now.  

I guarantee that I'm going to do everything in my power to keep the bays full and the work flowing. I also offer the official Department of Labor guarantee, which is that if you don't flag enough hours to equal at least minimum wage for the hours you were present in my shop, I will pay you minimum wage. I also guarantee that if I ever pay you minimum wage, you're fired.

Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, AndersonAuto said:

I guarantee that I'm going to do everything in my power to keep the bays full and the work flowing. I also offer the official Department of Labor guarantee, which is that if you don't flag enough hours to equal at least minimum wage for the hours you were present in my shop, I will pay you minimum wage. I also guarantee that if I ever pay you minimum wage, you're fired.

I need to grow the balls to get this done in my shop

This is my current ad, posted in two local cities on craigslist. I have received ONE interested fellow, the one that wants the salary instead of incentive based pay. How do I get more candidates?

 

https://boulder.craigslist.org/trd/d/wanted-experienced-auto/6471665424.html

Edited by Hands On
Posted
19 hours ago, Hands On said:

How do I get more candidates?

I wish I had the magic answer to this question. I do have a few suggestions though. Top talent is going to be interviewing you as much as you are them, and they're going to start at your Web site. My Web site is in process of being updated, so don't go by my example.

First thing that jumps out at me is the family photo. Change it. Nothing wrong with a family photo, but not that family photo. You're dirty and unshaven, and you sat the family down on a curb outside the shop and snapped a pic with a cell phone. Pay someone to take a picture that you would frame and hang in your home. Also ditch the pic of the old jeep Comanche. Those things sucked when they were new. No one with the euro experience you're advertising for wants to see that. Then I would make an employment tab at the top. On it you should include a mini application, and show pics of the shop full of the kind of vehicles you say the prospective tech needs experience on, with pics of scanners and other high tech equipment being used on them. Look at stock photos of guys using scanners etc and try to emulate the look and feel. And make sure the shop is sparkling clean and jam packed with cars to work on. The goal is to portray a clean environment where a guy can knock out some serious hours. They certainly don't want to crawl around on the floor working on 80's vintage jeep pickups.

Posted
On 2/9/2018 at 6:23 AM, AndersonAuto said:

I wish I had the magic answer to this question. I do have a few suggestions though. Top talent is going to be interviewing you as much as you are them, and they're going to start at your Web site. My Web site is in process of being updated, so don't go by my example.

First thing that jumps out at me is the family photo. Change it. Nothing wrong with a family photo, but not that family photo. You're dirty and unshaven, and you sat the family down on a curb outside the shop and snapped a pic with a cell phone. Pay someone to take a picture that you would frame and hang in your home. Also ditch the pic of the old jeep Comanche. Those things sucked when they were new. No one with the euro experience you're advertising for wants to see that. Then I would make an employment tab at the top. On it you should include a mini application, and show pics of the shop full of the kind of vehicles you say the prospective tech needs experience on, with pics of scanners and other high tech equipment being used on them. Look at stock photos of guys using scanners etc and try to emulate the look and feel. And make sure the shop is sparkling clean and jam packed with cars to work on. The goal is to portray a clean environment where a guy can knock out some serious hours. They certainly don't want to crawl around on the floor working on 80's vintage jeep pickups.

I am working on this. The photo you saw of the family was done by a professional. It was to duplicate a photo for the band that was playing at our annual party next year.  We went to the exact location the band did their shoot and he used filters to get the same effects they had. The poster he designed turned out awesome, but seen out of context I see what your saying.

Posted
1 hour ago, Hands On said:

I am working on this. The photo you saw of the family was done by a professional. It was to duplicate a photo for the band that was playing at our annual party next year.  We went to the exact location the band did their shoot and he used filters to get the same effects they had. The poster he designed turned out awesome, but seen out of context I see what your saying.

That makes sense, but yes, out of context it looks like you just snapped a pic at random.

Posted
On 2/8/2018 at 9:19 AM, Hands On said:

I need to grow the balls to get this done in my shop

This is my current ad, posted in two local cities on craigslist. I have received ONE interested fellow, the one that wants the salary instead of incentive based pay. How do I get more candidates?

 

https://boulder.craigslist.org/trd/d/wanted-experienced-auto/6471665424.html

Dont take this the wrong way.

I read your help wanted ad and I would never consider working for you if I was looking for a job.

Why? Like most everyone out there that is looking for an employee, you list what you want and list very little as far as what your willing to give in return.

Reading your ad I get the sense that you are looking for a Superman. Very few Superman out there and most are self employed.

That is why no one is calling you. It is in the end all about give and take and like most people you want to take and give very little.

Like I said , dont be too hurt by my words, just learn from them and you will do better than most.

  

Posted (edited)

What were you thinking... willing to pay people to work.    I have the same problem. All I get is Truck drivers tired of driving who worked at a Walmart Tire center in High School and think they are technicians. 

BTW, I think your ad is very well written. It just goes to prove  Allot of folks dont want a job, they want a check. Dont let that moron bother you 

Edited by Robert Crawford
  • Like 1
Posted
11 minutes ago, Nataly Kartunova said:

Dont take this the wrong way.

I read your help wanted ad and I would never consider working for you if I was looking for a job.

Why? Like most everyone out there that is looking for an employee, you list what you want and list very little as far as what your willing to give in return.

Reading your ad I get the sense that you are looking for a Superman. Very few Superman out there and most are self employed.

That is why no one is calling you. It is in the end all about give and take and like most people you want to take and give very little.

Like I said , dont be too hurt by my words, just learn from them and you will do better than most.

  

I am looking for these hard answers. I would love advice on how to write an ad. As I am a tech myself I am starting to think I should focus on looking for someone who will work flat rate that can part swap on European vehicles and some minor diagnostic work. How do I attract this person.

  • Like 1
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

I was having the same problem as the rest of you. My coach told me about a company called Hire the winners .com. They are pricey but they found an A tech and and service writer for me in about a month and a half.

I will be looking for another tech in about a month and will definitely use them. They sent me about 15 resumes for techs in the first 2 weeks. 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         0 comments
      The Technician Shortage Is Our Fault, And It's Time We Own It
      Nearly every day, I hear shop owners complain: "There's a technician shortage. We can't find qualified people. There's no one out there." If that's true, then who's to blame?
      The industry? The schools? The government? I don't know how you feel, but who promised us an endless supply of qualified technicians?
      Another common complaint is that young people do not want to work in the trades. Well, if that were true, then why are other trades such as HVAC, electrical, and plumbing growing? What are they doing that the automotive industry is not? 
      Here's the reality we need to face: We do have a problem, but we shouldn't look for someone or any entity to rescue us. Not the government. Not the trade schools. Not the recruiting companies. No one owes us a workforce. If we want great people in our industry, it's up to us. At some point, we need to own up to the truth: Building a pipeline of qualified technicians is our responsibility.
      In this blog article, I will break down the key reasons we are in this situation today and what we, as an industry, can do to solve the technician shortage. Are you ready to look in the mirror?
      Have We Pushed Technicians Away?
      Let's take a look at flat-rate pay. True flat rate, which pays a technician only for the hours they produce, is a controversial pay plan that emphasizes high production levels and creates a competitive work environment that, if not properly controlled, can lead to increased mistakes and a decline in morale and team spirit. Additionally, the stress and physical demands placed on technicians as they age are not favorable to long-term employee retention. What do we do with technicians as they grow older into their fifties and begin to slow down? 
      I have heard all the arguments and pros and cons of flat-rate pay, and I am not going to judge any pay plan. Let the facts speak for themselves. True flat rate has changed in most areas around the country and has evolved into a pay plan that gives technicians some pay guarantee.
      Many shop owners have learned that team morale, along with the opportunity to earn income, is important to technicians and to the company's long-term success. But let me ask you: how many technicians have left or been pushed out over the years because of the old flat-rate pay system?
      Another issue is the workplace environment. I remember being grateful to be hired as a young technician at a local repair shop. While very thankful, the work environment was not ideal. The shop owner kept the bay doors open year-round (I am from New York) unless it rained or snowed. He felt that if the bay doors were closed, customers might think we were closed for business. We had no heat and no hot water. Many of the jobs were done outside, year-round,  in all types of weather. The starting pay was minimum wage, with no benefits, sick days, or vacation pay. 
      Now, again, I need to point out that I was truly grateful for the opportunity this shop owner gave me. I learned a lot working there, and the experience was pivotal in my career. But looking back, I wonder how many people were discouraged by these working conditions?
      While the physical demands of the repair workplace are daunting, perhaps even more critical is the culture. Too many of my generation shop owners preached the mindset of "my way or the highway." We were the business owners, after all. We started our companies, took all the risks, and provided jobs. Why shouldn't we be the ones to set the ground rules our way?   
      Many of us found over the years that the "my way or the highway" mentality was a sure way to isolate employees and make them more likely to look over the fence for greener grass. In other words, it led many technicians to seek employment elsewhere, where they felt they could be appreciated and recognized for their hard work. The issue, however, was that there wasn't much green grass around. Disappointment after disappointment, bouncing from repair to repair shop, eventually led to despair. So, I ask you: were workplace conditions a contributing factor in today's technician shortage?
      Another factor that we are all well aware of is the complexity of the modern automobile. When I started, the work was mostly physical, and you were required to master essentially three vehicle models: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Let's fast-forward to today. The evolution of automotive technology, along with the extensive training and tools required, has outpaced the typical technician's pay compensation, with no clear career path. Again, leading to frustration and insecurity about the future.
      Here is the bottom line: people don't leave their job; they leave their experience. We must do a better job. 
      The News Isn't all Bad; Your Next Steps to Fix the Technician Shortage
      To fix the technician shortage, it will take a combined effort from everyone in the automotive industry, particularly automotive shop owners. Shop owners are in the perfect position to make the greatest impact, not only on their businesses but also on the future automotive workforce.
      First, shop owners must become better leaders and understand that their ultimate success is directly dependent on the people they assemble around them. Any shop owner who mistakenly believes they can build an empire solely on their abilities is destined for serious disappointment. Business owners who think like this will eventually plateau. Without the collective contributions from a team of qualified people, your business will stall; it will not continue to grow.
      Create a workplace that attracts top talent: a clean, professional, well-equipped facility designed to support productivity, teamwork, and a career, not just a job. Build a great reputation in your community by getting involved locally. Become the auto repair shop that people take notice of as "the" place to work.
      Next, shop owners must become more financially knowledgeable. Knowing your numbers and what you need to achieve for a strong bottom-line profit is essential to paying technicians the money they need and deserve. Profit will also allow you to compete with other trade industries by providing a benefits package that has real take-home value and security.
      When it comes to culture, this is where the rubber hits the road. People crave recognition, praise, and a sense of purpose. Despite what you hear, people are not just money-motivated. Once people feel secure in their financial situation, retaining and motivating technicians can only be achieved by connecting with them on an emotional level. You cannot show enough appreciation. Give out praise for a job well done as if your business depended on it, because it does.
      As technicians age, we need to have a place for them. Expecting a 58-year-old to perform like a 35-year-old is unrealistic. We need to be more focused on career pathing. Provide training, skill development, and coaching to develop leaders and mentors within our older workforce. While their bodies may have slowed, the knowledge they have gained is priceless. 
      Our future is dependent on young people entering our industry. We need to give more young people opportunities. Every shop owner across the country should consider hiring an apprentice, then build an apprentice training plan and career path for them. If every shop did this, we could solve the technician shortage within five years. Get involved with the trade schools and high schools in your area. Look into the NAPA Apprenticeship Program. Don't sit on your hands with this one. Do it today.
      Lastly, don't get left behind. Commit to ongoing training for all your employees. Keep up to date with tools and equipment tailored to your business model. Don't try to be all things to all people and all vehicles. Identify your core profile customer and the vehicles they drive, and become an expert on those vehicles and the services you offer.
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