What to Look for When Hiring an Automotive Technician

Automotive repair and body shops need reliable technicians to handle everything from diagnosing engine problems to changing oil and tires. Yet finding a reliable and experienced automotive technician often takes longer than expected, resulting in lost productivity for the hiring shop. Approach your search for an automotive technician with these tips in mind.

Automotive Technician Education and Training

Candidates who have completed training courses and educational programs at trade schools and community colleges arrive with much of the knowledge they’ll need on the job. Years of experience can also teach these skills directly, but the best candidates for automotive jobs will have some combination of education and hands-on experience.

Reliability and a Good Job Record

If any applicants for your automotive jobs have joined the industry within the last few years, check into their previous job history to get a feel for their reliability. Even if, for example, they only have retail or office experience in the past, talking to those previous supervisors can let you know if they showed up on time or missed work regularly. When you hire mechanic employees for full-time positions, you’ll need to know you can base your appointments around them thanks to a strong work ethic.

Fast Response to Changes

An ability to think on their feet and adapt quickly to challenges is essential for automotive jobs, from glass installer to general mechanic. Vehicles can always surprise even the most experienced technicians, so make sure to hire mechanics who prove their adaptability.

Include some kind of test of their ability to react to a change in the middle of a procedure or conversation with a client to see how they handle it. Fill your automotive jobs with responsive and adaptable employees for a productive shop that has higher customer satisfaction ratings.

Find Top Automotive Talent

Start Hiring

Clean DMV and Insurance History

Since most automotive jobs involve some kind of driving of customer vehicles, you’ll need to run a check on a candidate’s DMV records before you hire mechanic or body shop employees. You can run a report from the state DMV that covers the last few years  to see what’s on an applicant’s record. The insurance provider can refuse to add a driver with multiple recent violations.

Hiring a risky driver with accidents or speeding tickets on their recent record will result in higher costs for your new automotive technician. Some sales positions may not involve driving vehicles, but your insurance may still require coverage for all automotive technician jobs due to their access to the vehicles and keys.

Enthusiasm for the Automotive Workplace

Ask your candidates for the automotive technician jobs about their other experiences and interests with the automotive industry. Applicants who are also hobbyists and spend their spare time working on their own cars are more likely to show enthusiasm and passion for the work. Someone who feels like they can apply the experience from automotive technician jobs to their personal passion will put more of themselves into the work and likely stay longer as an employee. Don’t be afraid to highlight how improving their skills at work will also complement their hobbies or personal passions as a way of attracting the best new applicants.

Technology Experience

Finally, look for a mechanic resume that highlights plenty of experience with technology. It’s even better if that experience is specific to the latest automotive technology used for scanning error codes and resetting sensor failures. Tech-savvy mechanics are worth their weight in gold, and a new hire who is already familiar with computers and mobile devices, in general, will learn the shop-specific tools much faster than those who lack these skills.

With these tips, your new automotive technician hire should go smoothly and result in a great addition to the team. Don’t forget to use our services here at iHireAutomotiveProfessionals to connect with the most talented and experienced automotive workers.