Almost every day I talk to someone who says something like “it is impossible to find good mechanics to hire.” When I hear this I always ask, “what are you currently doing to recruit mechanics?” The answer is usually something along the lines of:
“ We threw an ad on Indeed and hoped for the best, after 2 weeks of getting nothing but unqualified candidates we decided to sponsor the job post and are still getting nothing but unqualified candidates”
To me this just sounds crazy. Sponsoring a job means that it will show up at the top of the page and you should get more applications. This is great if the applications you are getting are good but typically the issue is not about the quantity of candidates but the quality. If your job ad is already getting a good volume of candidates and you choose to sponsor it all you are going to get is a higher quantity of the same pool of candidates. You are now spending money to get these unqualified candidates and in some cases you could be spending thousands of dollars just to fill your inbox with garbage.
Recruiting is like an iceberg, most of the candidates are hidden below the surface.Think of the candidates that apply to your job ad as the tip of the Iceberg, the part that you see poking out above the water. Sometimes you will get lucky with your job ads so I always recommend still posting and see what that comes up with but if you are serious about filling your role you need to go beyond the job board.
Less than 15% of the workforce is actively using job boards but over 50% say they would be open to a better job if it was presented to them. So if less than 15% are hanging around job boards then why are you spending 100% of your recruiting budget and time on job boards? To be successful recruiting you need to be looking where your candidates are, you can’t just expect them to come and find your ad.
This means getting active networking, gathering referrals, attending trade shows, job fairs, getting creative on social media, searching candidate databases, utilizing LinkedIn etc. Basically you need to choose to either become a headhunter or hire one. As most HR and Maintenance Managers already have their days full and have 0 time for this I recommend outsourcing.
I fully understand that using a recruiter is expensive but unlike sponsoring your job post you only pay when you get the right candidate hired and you also get a guarantee, no more paying just to flood your inbox. When considering expense, don’t forget to weigh the expense of a recruiter against having the position vacant. A shop that is down just 1 mechanic could be costing them up to $1,000 a day. With that in mind, if a recruiter can find you the right candidate quickly it doesn’t take long for them to be worth the cost.
If you have a mechanic opening that you need filled quick give Rockstar Mechanics a call at 1-833-762-5787 or visit www.rockstarmechanics.com to learn more about how we can help you fill the position.
We wrote the book on Hiring Mechanics, based on experience from 15 years of
recruiting technicians. Throughout this guide, I will walk you through what makes Rockstar successful. These tips prove valuable regardless of whatever kind of mechanic you are recruiting, we have used these strategies to hire Truck, Trailer, Heavy Equipment, Automotive, Motorcycle, Marine, Aviation, Small Engine and any other mechanic you can think of. Using the guide does not make recruiting easy but if gives you your best chance of success. Download your copy now.
