If you have been in the auto repair business for a while or are just starting your own automotive repair shop, you should know that mechanics are its backbone. Without having a team of competent auto mechanics at your auto shop, there is only so much that you can achieve.
Truth be told, if you want to build a lasting auto repair shop, you need to hire mechanics who are excellent at what they do. This will help you provide quality services to your customers, who might even keep coming back! Seriously, a good auto mechanic is a reflection of your auto repair brand, culture, and values.
So make sure you settle for nothing less than the best. This guide is going to help you understand how you can hire the right auto mechanics for your repair shop to take it to the next level.
What Does An Auto Mechanic Do?
Auto mechanics are in charge of repairing and replacing automobiles’ parts. They repair the mechanical components of trucks and autos and identify the major issues that prohibit them from running properly.
An auto mechanic also maintains automobiles and ensures that their brakes, engines, transmissions, and belts function properly.
Some other responsibilities included in the auto mechanic job description include:
- Inspecting vehicles and diagnosing problems
- Repairing and rotating tires
- Fixing worn brake pads and wheel bearings
- Performing oil changes
Why Hire A Good Auto Mechanic?
Hiring professional auto mechanics will help you achieve three good results for your auto business: rapid, amazing service, excellent value for money, and a guarantee for the work done on the customer’s vehicle.
1. To improve your company’s reputation, provide customers with prompt and great service.
If you hire a competent auto technician, you can be confident that your new worker will repair hundreds of cars during his course of employment at your shop. Your new recruit should be able to provide quick and great service.
Vehicle diagnostics, problem resolution, and ensuring vehicles run smoothly are among the solutions that qualified auto technicians will provide to your customers. They can also execute repairs in a timely manner.
2. Offer exceptional value to promote repeat business.
The advantages supplied by professional car mechanics enable your auto repair shop to deliver reasonably priced services. Your new auto mechanic will assist your auto shop in providing good value for your customers’ money by lowering their fuel bills through efficient oil and filter changes.
A skilled auto mechanic will also ensure that customers do not have to purchase expensive tools and automotive parts to conduct repairs on their own.
3. Provide a quality guarantee to customers to boost client retention.
Professional auto technicians take pleasure in their work and accept complete responsibility for any repairs they perform. Customer satisfaction is always a top priority for competent vehicle mechanics, who provide their services to solve any problem that develops (even after an initial repair).
Your new hire will ensure that repairs are completed under warranty, giving your customers piece of mind that all repairs are fully covered.
Top Tips For Hiring Mechanics For Your Shop
The benefits that auto mechanics bring to your auto repair shop are amazing. But how do you hire the right auto mechanic for your business?
Worry not, these top tips are going to help you do just that in no time!
Decide which type of auto mechanic you want to hire
The first thing you need to do is decide if you need full-time or freelance auto mechanics.
The type of business you’re running will determine whether you should engage a full-time or freelance auto mechanic. Companies with a high number of vehicles that are likely to be damaged and require frequent maintenance, such as those who host monster trucks and racing displays, should recruit full-time mechanics.
Auto shops operating on a relatively smaller scale should have a few full-time employees only.
Other businesses, such as huge corporations and police enforcement agencies, that have company vehicles but do not expect them to be damaged, can hire freelance auto mechanics to repair their vehicles when they do require maintenance.
Understand the different types of auto mechanics available
In the car mechanic sector, there are a few occupations that play various roles in the repair process. Among these jobs are:
Service technicians: Service technicians do vehicle repairs, routine tune-ups and maintenance on automobiles and vehicles. Checking oil levels, inspecting electrical components, and correcting minor difficulties are among their services.
Diagnostic technicians: Diagnostic technicians frequently collaborate with service technicians. They want to diagnose problems with cars’ ignitions and engines so that the service technician can fix them.
Body repair technicians: Body repair technicians make minor cosmetic repairs on vehicles such as dents and scratches. They also repair broken headlights and bumpers. When a car has sustained significant damage, body repair technicians must assess if it is more cost-effective to repair or replace parts.
Vehicle refinishers: They attempt to repair the appearance of aging and damaged vehicles. They have prior expertise in respraying cars to conceal damage or make them appear newer.
Vehicle inspectors: Vehicle inspectors inspect autos to ensure they meet local safety and pollution laws.
To find the right and great auto mechanic candidates, you will need to understand which ones you need from the list above. Once you know which type of auto mechanic is required, you can proceed to hire.
Create a pool of candidates for your job opening
Consider experimenting with a few different recruiting tactics to discover the appropriate auto mechanic for your company:
Search online: If your company needs a freelance auto mechanic, many of them promote their services online. Find someone who has done the type of work you require and contact them. Put up help-wanted posters on your website and social media. Posting job posting notifications is a good technique to raise community knowledge about the open position and attract possible applications.
Recruit from within: Some of your staff may already have the skills and experience required to work on autos. Set up interviews with these people to determine whether they’re interested in the position. For example, if you are looking for an automotive technician, you can see if someone from inside your shop fits the profile.
Post your job opening online and on job boards: To identify and attract quality auto mechanic candidates and job seekers, try posting your auto mechanic position on famous job boards. Many job seekers are often active on job boards and will apply right away. You can also hire an employment agency to look for candidates and promote your job ad.
Write a thoughtful job description
Your auto mechanic job description should include enough information about the position to guarantee that only qualified technicians apply. Make it clear in your application what type of mechanic you need for fixing vehicles. It will help you save time by eliminating applications from unqualified technicians and job seekers from other fields.
What should your car mechanic job description include?
Job description and title: This includes a comprehensive understanding of the qualifications that an automotive technician should possess. For example, diagnostic shops and businesses that operate with electric vehicles would have quite different criteria than other mechanics needed for simple vehicle repairs.
Qualifications required: Make a list of the skills they’ll need to play this role. Go beyond a high school graduation and technological ability. Use an example of how the auto mechanic will communicate in a shop setting if you want them to have great communication skills.
Mention your shop’s reputation for providing excellent customer service experience. In your description, emphasize these characteristics. They will be applicable regardless of whether they are veteran shop technicians or freelance car mechanics.
Business name: This will assist candidates in identifying your company or auto repair shop easily. This also allows them to study your auto business and inquire about you within their network. Knowing that a shop’s culture matches their expectations can aid in lowering staff turnover.
Job Location: Knowing how far vehicle mechanics must commute can influence whether or not a tech wants to work at your store. It is also necessary to provide information on the nature of the job and the required commute. For example, are you looking for a mobile mechanic or a technician to work from your shop?
The workload on a daily/weekly basis: It is critical to specify how many cars a technician will work on in a day. Some technicians may even choose to work overtime to supplement their income, so working at a slow-paced shop is the last thing they’d want. Others, on the other hand, may want to work on fewer automobiles every day.
Wage and benefit rates: As inflation rises, money has become a more powerful motivator for all workers. Mention a salary that you are willing to pay. Avoid quoting high values for your store because they can give you a negative reputation if you can’t afford to pay techs that much.
Similarly, do not offer prices lower than those of other establishments in your region, as you will have difficulty attracting acceptable applicants.
Work hours: A decent work-life balance is important to the majority of individuals. Highlight how a typical day at your store looks in terms of the hours technicians must work. You need to calculate the right labor times for your auto repair shop to be able to pull this off.
Company contact information: You’re almost there—all that remains is to add your shop’s contact information. This includes any websites, phone numbers, and email addresses you may have. Remember that you want to make a good impression on possible employees, so respond to them quickly and treat them with respect while answering their queries.
It’s best to be open and honest with the application about everything described above—this is how you attract exceptional auto mechanic candidates and meet their expectations.
Interview potential candidates
Strong candidates for auto mechanic jobs will be comfortable answering questions such as:
- Their evaluation method
- How they prioritize everyday activities
- Customer service experience
Evaluate their answers and then choose the best ones.
Incentivize mechanics to work at your shop
You could check all the boxes to pitch your shop as a great place to work, but how do you keep new employees from leaving? Here is an example.
Provide on-the-job training
On-the-job training can be extremely beneficial to both your technicians and yourself. The benefits to new technicians are apparent; nothing beats hands-on experience, but the rewards to your shop can also be enormous. Let’s have a look at how.
Better service: Technicians will need to get their hands dirty, so make sure they can do it without damaging anything. When you provide hands-on training, technicians will gain real-world experience in a supervised environment, ensuring that they are prepared to take on more responsibility. Perform this procedure in a shop service bay.
Less supervision is necessary for the long run: The sooner your experts take care of fixing automobiles, the less supervision they will require in the long run. After you’ve taught them how to take care of a job, you can begin allowing them to take on more responsibilities. This can significantly improve staff morale while also giving you more time to focus on your business.
Making your shop more appealing to new technicians: Offering hands-on training will make your shop more appealing to new technicians. This is the ideal approach to attract new talent, many of whom are eager to gain expertise as soon as possible. According to Lorman, 87% of millennials agree that workplace learning and development are crucial.
