What shops are looking for in new auto techs

What shops are looking for in new auto techs

During a recent panel discussion as part of the PTEN and Motor Age Best Young Tech Award program, industry leaders discussed the important traits they look for when hiring new techs. Here are four takeaways from those discussions.

Panelists include:
Bogi Lateiner of Girl Gang Garage,
Jay Goninen of WrenchWay
Mike Pressendo of the TechForce Foundation
Anthony Williams of the Carquest Technical Institute.

They all provided some great advice for young techs as part of the PTEN and Motor Age Best Young Tech Award program. This article is the first in a series from the discussion.

1. Auto Techs with the right Attitude

Showing up for work on time. Listening to direction. Having a base set of skills and a desire to expand those skills. Have passion for the job, the company, and learning. Desire to work and learn from others.

Auto Techs that are Honest

“If you don’t know a heck of a lot, don’t tell me that you do. I would rather know you know nothing, but you are willing to get in there and get dirty and learn as you go,” — Bogi Lateiner

3. Strong Work ethic

An employee with a work ethic knows that there’s no such thing as downtime. There’s always something to do in a shop. Pick up a broom and clean your work space. Offer to pitch in and help another tech.

It shows respect for your work space, your workplace and your fellow techs. You’ll gain respect for yourself and the respect of fellow tech.

4. Learn from your mistakes

You’re going to make mistakes. It’s how you handle those mistakes that makes you a more valuable member of the team,

Admit you’ve make a mistake and understand the lesson. It’s not enough to say, “I broke this.” That’s not a learning experience. However, if you say, I broke this because I didn’t follow the torque procedure properly,” only then can you learn to avoid that kind of mistake in the future. If you blame others or your tools for your mistake, then you learned nothing and that makes you a liability for the shop.

4. Understanding and respecting the customer

You’ll see a lot of “operator error” failures in the shop. Techs often complaint about the “stupid customers.” However, if the owners really knew how to maintain their vehicles, you’d be out of a job.

If you have any customer contact, it’s not your job to ridicule them, but to educate them. Education builds a bond and respect. Ridicule built resentment

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