Last week, Mark Wilson, Co-Founder & CEO, WrenchWay presented a webinar where we discussed the most common mistakes we see shops making when trying to recruit technicians and what they can do to fix them to start attracting more applicants.
Watch the Full Webinar
Webinar Summary
Mistake #1: Not Paying Enough
- You don’t have to pay the most, but you need to stay competitive.
- All industries are hiring right now; not just shops. You now have to compete with other industries.
Mistake #2: Expecting Technicians to Apply Without Real Information
- The consideration phase of the job search process is crucial when it comes to technicians applying to a shop.
- You have to supply information about your shop technicians care about before they apply. Some examples include compensation, work environment, career development, hiring process, and videos of the team.
- Technicians want to have a good understanding of what it is like to work at your shop before they schedule an interview.
- The more information you put online, the more applicants you will get.
- Be transparent. Nobody should feel blindsided when coming into an interview at your shop.
Mistake #3: Moving Too Slowly
- Be responsive. Respond quickly when a technician applies to your shop.
- Don’t just rely on email — text or call!
- Keep engaging with applicants throughout the entire hiring process.
Mistake #4: Relying Too Much on Job Boards
- Most technicians aren’t actively looking for a new job, but are open to new opportunities.
- Job descriptions on job boards all look the same.
- Sixty-five percent of people look at a company’s website before applying.
Mistake #5: No Strategy for Passive Candidates
- Video is a great way to attract passive candidates (i.e., people who aren’t actively looking for a job, but are open to new opportunities).
- Video content gets 1200% more shares than text content.
- Job posts with videos get 800% more engagement.
- People spend 2.6 times longer on a page containing video.
- Ninety-seven percent of technicians prefer authentic, non-polished videos over marketing videos.
- Ideas for different types of video to create:
- Share how your month went and the growth in your shop.
- Recognize your employees.
- Talk about cool things you have going on in your shop.
- Show applicants what it’s like to work at your shop.
- It takes time and consistency to build your reputation.
Mistake #6: Not Including Your Team
- Technicians trust hearing from other technicians more than any other type of recruiting.
- Ways to include employees:
- Monthly or quarterly meetings
- Surveys & direct feedback
- Recognition
- Ask them to be in a video
- Ask them to share content on their personal social pages
- Company social posts reach 561% farther when shared by employees versus company pages.
Mistake #7: No System of Record
- Treat recruiting like every other part of your business.
- Set goals for recruiting.
- Document and measure your goals and results.
- Need to go further than your ATS does.
Final Thoughts
- The shortage is only getting worse.
- There is no magic bullet for recruiting.
- Be proactive, not reactive.
- It takes consistent effort.
- Document and measure.
- Embrace video.
- Always be recruiting.
Watch Recordings From TechMission 2021
WrenchWay is excited to host the second annual TechMission 2021 event on November 10 & 11, 2021.
TechMission brings together technicians, shop owners and managers, and schools to talk about why technicians are leaving the industry, what schools can do to better prepare technicians for industry, and what shops can do to keep technicians in the industry.
