Recruiting and Hiring are Not the Same Thing!
On the surface, these two things appear to be the same. But when you dig a little deeper, you realize you are dealing with two distinctively different subjects. And, if you do not treat them as two different actions, it will limit your success.
Recruiting is really a sales and marketing concept. It requires good sales and marketing skills to successfully recruit. Look at any major corporation, or the military, or any other professional group. They’ve got recruiters out there beating the bushes and they are trained in sales and marketing.
Hiring is the action of bringing someone on board. Working out the compensation plan, getting the new recruit through the basic shop policies, the dos and don’ts, but you will never get to this point if you don’t do all the necessary recruitment actions.
Think of Potential Employees as the Consumer
It is no mystery to anyone who has been in this industry for more than a week that there is a shortage of qualified help. Top techs and service advisors are not lined up on the street looking for a job. This is not a new problem, but the writing is on the wall for anyone looking; the problem is getting worse. The vehicles are more sophisticated, and most of the local high schools have discontinued their automotive shop training programs. Young people are not being exposed to our industry as they once were. But, before you throw your hands up and scream, realize there are some very effective actions you can take.
What is an Employee Looking for in the Workplace?
It is important to understand what consumers look for in a place to do business. It is just as important to understand what people are looking for in a job. The new generation of workers has different needs and wants, and concerns in employment. A recent survey of millennials showed this generation is more concerned with safety and the shop’s environmental impact. They were also concerned with advancement opportunities. But the only way to know for sure what people think is to ask them! A standard tool of marketing is to conduct surveys.
Would You Work for You?
Once you have discovered what people are looking for in a job, look around your own shop, assume the viewpoint of the potential employees and ask yourself, “Would I work here?” If the answer is “no way!” you know you have some work to do to make your shop a more desirable place to work. Make a list and tackle just one thing a week.
Write a Good Ad
Using the information you get from surveys, write an ad that will attract applicants. It has to be inspiring, interesting and address the needs and wants of applicants. Develop a pitch that you could deliver in 30 seconds on why someone should work at your shop. Learn to sell your business!
Launch a Campaign
It is not enough anymore to just run an ad and expect to get the right applicants. You have got to have a campaign that includes not only a good ad that you can run on-line, but includes talking at job fairs at the local high schools, and visiting and talking to teachers at the vo-tech schools. You have to work the grapevine and let vendors, customers and anyone else you can think of know that you are looking for help. You should also hold training and social events at your shop and invite people. A great client of mine always recruited, even when he did not need someone. He understood that you lose employees, especially good ones when you can least afford to. He kept a file full of resumes and worked them.
Be Willing to Train
A friend of mine once told me he would take a willing, interested apprentice over a hard to get along with master tech any day of the week. He was right. The only thing you ever have in an employee is willingness, and an aptitude for the job, but you have to know how to, and be willing to train. With the right applicant and the right training program you can get an apprentice billing 20-30 hours a week for you in a short period of time.
There is no magic wand or silver bullet when it comes to recruiting and hiring. Understand marketing and how it relates to the subject of recruiting, then do-the-do, be persistent and you will achieve you goals!
This article was contributed by Management Success!
About Management Success!
Management Success! is an auto industry consulting firm that specializes in elevating the quality of life of shop owners all over the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Glendale, CA, Management Success! helps shop owners become effective managers in order to increase profits. The Management Success! team believes shop owners deserve to be well-compensated for their hard work. Management Success! fully arms shop owners with every executive ability needed to win. For more information, contact Management Success! at [email protected] or call (818) 500-9631.
www.managementsuccess.com
