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Technicians are hard to find

Framingham Auto Service
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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
rjbradlow Newbie

rjbradlow

Posted
Posted (edited)

It's hard to find techs. The other problem I am running into is my customers trusting my other tech to work on their car.

 

Ditto!!

 

I've been looking for well over a year now.

The last jerk I hired was fresh out of prison and stole a bunch of tools... So much for second chances.

 

I've had plenty of wannabes with little to no experience come knocking, but as alfredauto said:

 

I've been trying to get a 2nd tech that is experienced and have had no luck. Tech school kids are good employees but require a ton of supervision to build them up where they can actually work independently.

 

and being a one man shop I have absolutely No time to babysit nor can I afford any mistakes or comebacks... I have a reputation that I've worked hard to build.

Edited by rjbradlow
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Gary A Community Regular

Gary A

Posted
Posted

Persistence is key. I just hired a second tech and things are going well. Use multiple methods, it's just another marketing effort. You have to have what a good tech is looking for as well. Craigslist seems to be the most amount of bang for the buck, you just have to weed through and interview many. Have a good interview process in place and keep practicing it. It gets easier with experience just like anything else.

 

Hope this helps, Good luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Kevo Apprentice

Kevo

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Posted

Its true this industry does not attract enough young talented people, but its also true that some of those it does attract, wind up opening there own businesses.

 

I've seen this a lot not only in the auto industry, but also in the machine shop and fabrication industries. Keep in mind median income here is roughly $40k, and home prices are $300k-$400k. In our area, if your a good, experienced machinist you can get a job making the median income, or open your own shop, take on all the risks and hopefully reap the rewards. Auto techs with smog licenses can make a bit more than median, but if you really want to try to make money you need to start your own business.

 

Think about it, most shop owners were techs at one point.

 

Just some food for thought,

Kevo

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
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      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”

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