Over half of job seekers believe they have the upper hand in the job market, and this number is even higher in the automotive and diesel industries. Shops and dealerships can’t afford to make mistakes when it comes to hiring. Whether you’re actively hiring or not, now is the time to evaluate your hiring process. By implementing a few simple strategies today, you can set yourself up for smoother and more successful hiring in the future.

5 Quick Ways to Improve Your Hiring Process to Hire More Technicians

1. Fix your job descriptions

Not getting quality applicants? You’re not alone. Nearly 62% of employers say they are getting too many applications from unqualified candidates. The best thing shops and dealerships can do to increase the quality of applicants is to revise their technician job descriptions.

Here are a few tips to get started:

  • Include a realistic salary range. This will help weed out any candidates whose needs exceed your capabilities—saving both you and the candidate time that could be wasted by going further into the interview process.
  • List “must-have” requirements. These are the non-negotiables a candidate has to have for the position. This won’t completely weed out unqualified applicants from applying, but it can only help.
  • Front-load important details. On average, candidates spend 49.7 seconds skimming applications before deciding if the position is a good fit for them. Make sure the important details you want candidates to know are at the beginning of the job description so they don’t miss them.

2. Simplify your application process

Studies have shown that 60% of candidates abandon online applications because it takes too long or the process is too complex. A great exercise for anyone trying to hire technicians is to walk through your own application process and document it. Oftentimes, this exercise will uncover some easy ways to simplify the application process for technicians.

Here are a few things to assess:

  • How many clicks does it take to get to the application on your website?
  • How long does the application take to complete?
  • Are there repetitive steps? (e.g., technicians need to upload a resume and fill out an online form with information that’s already on the resume.)
  • Are you asking for information that you could wait and gather during the interview or further in the hiring process?
  • Did you experience any technical difficulties?
  • Is the application easy to fill out on mobile?

3. Improve candidate communication

Good technician candidates won’t be on the market for long. There’s no time to waste, yet 65% of candidates report receiving inconsistent communication throughout the recruitment process.

A few ways shops can improve communication with candidates include:

  • Vary the type of outreach. Don’t limit communications to just email. Try calling and texting as well. It’s also a great idea to ask candidates how they’d prefer to be contacted.
  • Reach out often. Try to touch base with the candidate after each step of the hiring process, and always let the candidate know when you will be reaching out next.
  • Explain any delays. Setbacks happen in the hiring process, and that’s understandable. Just be sure to reach out to the candidate when there is a delay, explain why, and give a revised timeline.
  • Ask for feedback. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback about how to improve your hiring process. This doesn’t just go for candidates, existing employees went through the same process and can offer valuable insight as well.

4. Ask employees for referrals

Employee referrals are the most effective way to fill job openings, with referred candidates hired at a rate of 30%. (The average hiring rate is 7% when sourced through other methods.)

While many shops understand the value of employee referrals, they can increase how many they get with a few small tweaks:

  • Change how you ask. Instead of asking, “Know any techs looking for a new job?”, try asking, “Who is the best tech you know in the area?” Then, you ask for an introduction. Oftentimes, people don’t know if their friends are open to new opportunities, so asking in a slightly different way can open up the conversation more.
  • Offer incentives. Incentives can’t hurt! Try offering an incentive to employees for each successful hire they refer.

5. Treat your employees well

It should go without saying, but at the end of the day, the best recruiting strategy begins with employee retention. While it’s impossible to completely avoid the need to recruit, shops can certainly lower the need by treating their employees well. Plus, happy employees are more likely to refer candidates when the time comes that you do need to fill an open position.

Streamlining Your Hiring Process: Simple Steps for Better Results

Improving your hiring process does not need to be a major undertaking. Simple things like improving job descriptions, assessing your application process, improving candidate communication, and asking employees for referrals don’t take a lot of time and can greatly improve results.

Don’t forget the number one rule: Retention is your best recruiting strategy.

Ready for More? Check out these articles:

If you enjoy this article, please let us know by subscribing to our blog.