Getting Qualified Applicants

When searching for qualified technicians to hire, your job posting is often the first impression technicians get of your shop or dealership. This is why it is so critical to create job postings that attract the right people to apply.

This may have been easy when shop owners and managers could place an ad in their local newspaper and qualified techs would stroll right into the shop to apply. However, it’s gotten more challenging to get qualified applicants in the door and logging into your shop management software.

Writing a Job Post that Attracts Technicians

Easy enough, right? Well, let’s think about this from the perspective of a technician. In any given geographic area, when a  technician goes to a job board and searches for relevant job openings, they’re going to see pages of results. What’s worse, when they click into those job postings, they all look the same.

If shop owners and managers want qualified applicants to apply, they need to stand out from the hundreds of other employers hiring for the same position. That could include offering the most innovative shop management software.

6 things to keep in mind when writing an Automotive Technician job posting:

1. Use a clear and concise job title. The job title is not the place to get creative. Job titles should match what technicians are searching for when they go to a job board. For example, technicians are much more likely to search for “automotive technician” than they are “Bob’s Auto Shop mid-level experienced tech.” Keep it simple.
2. Sell your shop. The first 4-5 sentences should tell technicians a little bit about your shop and why they should want to work there. Ask yourself what keeps your employees working for you? Use that as a selling point when providing a brief description of your shop. This webinar offers some tips on how to position your shop as a great place to work.
3. List out all job responsibilities. Nothing should be left unsaid. There should be zero surprises that come up in the interview process when it comes to job responsibilities. Leaving those less-desirable job duties off the posting only leaves the impression that management may be hiding other things as well.
4. Get specific with required qualifications. Include a list of qualifications the ideal candidate should have. This could be years of experience, certifications, training, etc. Including a list of qualifications won’t completely eliminate unqualified applicants from applying. However, it will help reduce the number of those that come in.
5. Include salary. The majority of qualified technicians are already employed, but open to new opportunities. They are not going to take the time to apply to, let alone take the day off of work to interview for, a job that can’t at least match the salary they’re making currently.
6. Keep the application process short. The application process should take no longer than 10 minutes (Newton Research). Applications longer than 10 minutes lose out on up to 50% of qualified applicants.