Hiring Diesel Technicians is incredibly difficult, especially for those of us that do not have a background as a Mechanic. Human Resources Reps and Recruiters can often get intimated when hiring for technical positions. It can be tricky to determine if the qualifications are going to match and what is important to look for. Making it even harder is that Diesel Mechanics are not often known for their excellent resume writing. Most techs consider the resume to be not particularly important and thus they do not spend a lot of time on it. There are precious few details included and a lot of what you want to know is missing.
Each position is unique and every company is looking for something different form their technicians but below is an overview of some of the things to look for when Recruiting for Diesel Technicians.
These are the things not unique to hiring Diesel Mechanics, they apply to hiring anyone but often get overlooked. Don’t skip the basics when hiring a Truck Technician.
Job History – You want a candidate that has shown good longevity at each job they have been at. Someone who changes jobs every 6 months is not going to last. Training, Orientation, and Onboarding can be costly and time-consuming. Not something you want to have to do often. Hire someone who has proven they can last at a job.
Attitude – This can be very difficult to get a good read on, but dig deep. Do references and ask probing questions in the interview. You don’t necessarily need to hire the most optimistic person in the world but you don’t want to bring in someone who is super negative and brings that vibe with them to the shop.
Background – Make a Criminal Record Check part of your process. You may also want to consider Drug Screening and a Driving Record Check.
You can also check out our other blogs for more information on viewing candidates.
Candidates may not have all of these, in fact it is rare that someone will have everything but these are things to look for. The more a candidate has the more likely they will be a good long-term hire.
Many states including Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia require State Inspections to be completed. To be able to do this in house you need a tech with an Inspection License. If they do not have this it is not a deal breaker as they should be able to easily obtain one. Make sure they would qualify. If they already have the inspection license that should be seen as an asset.
Hopefully, the above helps when deciding which Diesel Technician to hire. If you are having a hard time finding Diesel Mechanics our Mechanic Division at Rockstar Recruiting can help. Give us a call at 1-833-937-3546 or e-mail at info@rockstarrecruitinggroup.com