The 7 Most Overlooked Hiring Tactics

The 7 Most Overlooked Hiring Tactics

By 

Eric M. Twiggs

"Sometimes what you want is right in front of you. All you have to do is open your eyes and see it."Meg Cabot

Are you frustrated by your recent recruitment results?  “Heather”,the owner of a European Imports shop, felt the same way.  She posted “A” technician ads that consistently generated responses from the most talented, qualified, and experienced fork lift drivers in New Hampshire!

She decided to shift her focus from hiring someone skilled in diagnostics, to bringing in an entry level technician to groom.  “Henry”, a general service tech working at a local shop, responded to her ad and arrived at the location for the interview.  And that’s when things got interesting.

Henry received a text message and replied to it right in the middle of the interview!  “This is my friend Mark who works at Audi asking me how things are going.” he said.  To which Heather replied: “What does Mark do for Audi?” “Oh, he’s the top producing, master technician.” “Would it be OK if I called him as well?” she asked.

He gave her the phone number and texted Mark, letting him know to expect a call.  Heather was so inspired by Henry’s cooperation, she made a hiring decision.  She decided to hired Mark, the Audi Technician and pass on Henry!   Heather learned that asking your current interviewee about who they know(fishing) is an overlooked but effective hiring tactic!

In his book “Triggers: Creating Behaviors That Last” author Marshall Goldsmith makes the following point: “one of our most dysfunctional beliefs is our contempt for simplicity.”  

In other words, it’s our natural tendency to overlook the simple solutions in favor of more complex strategies.  The lead to your next great employee may be within your four walls right now! What simple tactics have you been overlooking in your search for an “A” player?   Keep reading and your eyes will be opened.

Career Opportunities Tab

Many of the shop owners I work with have a career opportunities tab on their site. Great! The problem is that most of these links are difficult to find because they are either hidden under other headings, or buried at the bottom of the page. 

 According to research conducted by Hubspot.com,  55% of website visitors will spend fifteen seconds or less on your site.  This means the majority of technicians who stumble across your website will overlook your career opportunities link. 

I recommend making your “careers” tab a major heading the same way you would have “home,” “about us”, and “contact us” listed.  Under this heading, have subheadings for each position in the shop listed to include benefits and position descriptions and a simple on-line application. 

Making this change will keep your openings from being overlooked and position you to always be hiring!

Referral Bonus Question

You’ve listened to our hiring webinar and have now decided to implement the referral bonus with your people. Excellent!  What you may have overlooked, is the fact that the “up to $1,000” bonus can also be a powerful tool when networking outside of your shop. 

According to a recent industry study, 80% of shop owners reported finding their last great hire through some type of network.  Consider the following referral bonus tactic to enhance your networking opportunities:

When conducting your tool raffle, ask the participating technician if he knows of anybody looking for a position. I love this question because it puts you in a win/win situation no matter how he responds.  You have the opportunity to recruit him or his friend without coming across as being pushy.  

If he’s looking he will let you know.  If he’s not, remind him that you will pay up to $1,000 to anyone who finds you a good technician.    

This same question can be asked of your tow truck driver, vendors, and candidates you reach out to on Linked In.  The bonus is paid out $250 per quarter with the understanding that the referred employee has to be employed for the referring party to collect the payout.     

So there you have it.  Going fishing, having a prominent career opportunities tab, and using the referral bonus question, are tactics you may have overlooked in the past.  You’re only text message away, from finding that “A”! 

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS. I’ve only given you three of the seven hiring tactics.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net  if you would like the complete list!