Aftermarket Matters: Hiring people is easy — but hiring the right people requires diligence and thorough vetting
Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part series by Dave Schedin, of CompuTrek Automotive Coaching & Training, who has more than 40 years in the automotive field and has coached shops to higher profitability since 2006.
By Dave Schedin / Aftermarket Matters
It’s reported that most hiring decisions are made within the first four minutes of an interview.
When asking employers what hiring discovery led them to determine their differences between a top performer and a low performer, most of them replied, “nothing” – preferring to leave their hiring decision to “chance” which, unfortunately, leads to that position needing be filled again not long after. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that song and dance.
Filling a position takes a little bit of time and if you plan to succeed and learn what it takes to place a round peg into a round hole so to speak, you’ll discover the win/win.
The positional results formula reveals that in an automotive repair center, by not having a top performer in any one position, it actually costs the company $137,000 in gross profit dollars annually.
Hire slow, fire fast
Your company’s greatest asset is … people. Your people’s greatest assets are … their thinking, behavioral traits and occupational interests. How they discover and implement solutions and produce results connect them to their level of commitment. When you learn what your candidate’s intangible assets are BEFORE they become your company’s assets, you can save yourself a boatload of headache and expense.
Implementing a process that assesses the candidate prior to hiring will determine if they are a natural top performer for your position.
— Dave Schedin
Most automotive repair shops are without an HR department to carry the formal load of hiring or onboarding. However, both aspects are important and necessary. Hiring simply means you got someone to work for you, but the candidate may not be fully “onboard” with the job requirements just yet. “Onboarding” is the process of getting new hires adjusted to the social and performance aspects of their new jobs quickly and smoothly. During this process, your new hires learn the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to function effectively. Onboarding activities are an opportunity for employees to settle into their new role and understand how they affect the business — to really get a feel for what type of productivity and behaviors are expected from them. Onboarding is not orientation.
——————————————
Next: How multiple perspectives empower your recruitment results
——————————————
