Recruiting technicians for Lithia Motors, Inc. is no small job. With 211 locations and growing, Lithia employs more than 3000 technicians.
I recently got the opportunity to sit down with Steve Hamre, National Technician Recruiting Manager for Lithia Motors, to learn more about how his team uses WrenchWay Top Shop pages to enhance their recruiting efforts and attract more technicians.
Q&A with Steve Hamre, National Technician Recruiting Manager at Lithia Motors
Sara Kerwin: In your own words, how would you describe WrenchWay Top Shop pages to someone who has never heard of them?
Steve Hamre: WrenchWay is Zillow for technicians. It is a great way for techs to start their investigation of a new employer on their own time and terms. We currently have 60 locations using WrenchWay. We offer it to all of our locations as something that requires very little investment for the ROI.
SK: Talk to me about the set-up process of your top shop pages.
SH: I’m thrilled with how easy it is because we’re such a big company, and we let our shops run autonomously. I’ve decided to spearhead the process, so I gather the information from stores that want to join and I build their page in 15-20 minutes.
SK: How does your team use the top shop pages to support your recruiting efforts?
SH: We use it in a couple of ways. First of all, we like that it’s always passively working. We add the top shop profile link to any job ads we run. We also incorporated a “Technician Careers” text button on all participating stores’ individual webpages. I also use it as a tool when visiting vocational schools. I’ll pull up the page right there and show it to students. We’re also working on creating a page on Lithia Career site that will include links to top shop pages for all participating stores.
Lithia Job Post on Indeed:
SK: Are there any results you can share that shops have seen as a result of top shop pages?
SH: We have had over 60 responses for more information, and some actually applying and sending their resumes. We’ve had two really great hires at our Mercedes Benz of Los Angeles location.
I’m very impressed with how it’s working already. It really levels the playing field on both sides for expectations. We look at each individual candidate separately and offers can be different, but it’s a clear and concise way to lay out wage ranges. The questions answered under the FAQs, the pictures, and the videos are certainly relevant to technicians.
SK: Anything else you’d like to add?
SH: I’m very excited with the school portion of WrenchWay, and how we can use that to better meet some of the needs of schools, continue our relationships with schools, and keep people interested in this vocation and informed about the career.
