How to Hire Right: 8 Steps to Building Winning Auto Repair Team

In order to achieve your dream of owning the top auto repair shop in your area, you need a winning team on your side. Unfortunately, finding just the right people for every position is much more difficult than it seems. 

Beyond that, it’s time consuming and often demoralizing as you hold countless interviews that fail to get you the top talent. There is a way to streamline your hiring process, however. All you need to do is follow these eight steps from your trusted auto repair coach to learn how to hire right.

1. Write the Ad

To attract the top talent to your auto repair team, you need to write up a compelling ad. Start with a description of the job in question, and then list the qualities you’d like in your next team member. Think about their experience level, skillset, and certifications as you jot down your expectations.

2. Post the Job Listing

After perfecting your ad, you’ll want to post the job listing as a Facebook ad. Don’t just make a regular post and boost it. Instead, actually set up a paid ad as you would when creating targeted ads for driving car counts.

In addition, post your listing on one online job board, such as Indeed, Monster, or ZipRecruiter. Your ad will get cross posted on other online boards, so don’t worry about putting it on multiple platforms.  

3. Schedule Short Phone Interviews

Once you start getting calls about your ad, schedule each person for a brief phone interview. But don’t do the interview right then and there. Instead, tell them to give you a call back at a certain time, and then see how they do in following your instructions. If they are late to call back or ring you on the wrong day, then you might want to keep looking.

4. Narrow Down Your Candidates

After completing the phone interviews, you’ll want to schedule separate Zoom meetings with four to five of your top candidates. Before doing that, create a standardized list of open-ended questions for the position you’re hiring for, such as:

  • Tell me about a time when you taught somebody something new
  • What is your most recent professional achievement?
  • How would your former coworkers describe you?
  • Tell me about the last time you failed and how you reacted

Then, when it comes time for your Zoom meetings, set up the interview so that you can record it for later review. Let your interviewee know you’re recording, and then ask your questions one by one. Keep the conversation flowing by asking for more information on what’s being discussed.  

5. Pick Your Top Three

After completing your full round of interviews, pick your top three candidates from the group. Let them know that they are potentially moving forward in the hiring process and you’ll be in touch with the next steps. Contact the rest of the interviewees to thank them for their time and let them know you’re going in a different direction.

6. Finalize Your Pay Plan

Before you reach out to your ideal job candidate, finalize your pay plan. Base your compensation package on their current pay rate plus what your shop’s payroll can handle. You need to strive for a balance, so you can retain the top talent without leaving your shop without money for future growth.

7. Make the Job Offer

Once you have your pay plan ready to go, you can present the job offer to your number one pick. Let them know the job description, compensation package, and other important info about the position. Send this info as a document, so they can review it at their leisure before signing it and giving it back to you.

8. Create a Training Plan

As you get ready to welcome your new employee to the team, create a 90-day training plan for them to follow. Put it all in a handy checklist that lets them know they’re well on the way to learning all your shop’s processes.

As they complete each step, check off the line items and send your accolades their way. This will help them feel like a vital part of the team and reduce the chance of them leaving for another shop. After you have the first 90 days mapped out, look at the next 90, so you can keep everyone moving forward in reaching the shop goals.

Want Help with Hiring? AutoFix Auto Shop Coaching Can Help

If you’d like even more help with hiring from a skilled auto repair coach, get in touch with us at AutoFix Auto Shop Coaching. We’re available at 940-400-1008 anytime you’d like to chat. Or you can request a callback from auto repair coach, Chris Cotton, at a convenient time and date by using our scheduling form. We’re always here to help you assess your operations and make smart improvements that help you boost the success of your auto repair shop.

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