to all shop owners.where did you find good help?

i'm once again looking for some good help here at the shop.i have been wondering where other shops find skilled employees.lately,i hav'nt had much luck finding employees that have a clue what to do,or even worse,the work ethic to try.

i'm not impressed with the trade schools.it seems that they are more about numbers that producing quality trained professionals.out of 6 that i have employed from wyo-tech,only one has been worth keeping,and he left to opened his own shop.

i know i'm not the easiest guy to work for,but man it shouldn't be this hard.

thank you for your info.

-danny

 

I have had my best employees from word getting around the local comunity. I have had some great part timers from the local trade schools, UTI and MMI. Some serious inquries from the HAMB too.

Best advice is to scattershot your advertizing. Just like anything else in this world you get better results from a larger sampling of the populace.

 

thanks for your help.

-danny

 

I have had the best luck finding help through the tool guys Snap On, Mac, Matco, Cornwall, etc.). They go to all the shops, talk to all the guys and can actually do a little prescreening for you. UTI and Wyotech grads have way too much attitude for me. Have had some luck from the local trade/vocational schools. Mostly by contacting the instructors. Again they did some prescreening for me. Other than that it is difficult. I get about 2-3 per month that walk in and want a job. No tools, no training, no experience----I have no interest!

 

I do a lot of recruiting in my current position (Insurance). I know car building and insurance are nothing alike, but I do have some advice for you. Word of mouth recruiting is the best, and personal observation. People who are looking for a job are usually not who you want. The good people already have a job. Go to some local cruise nights and or car shows and find a vehicle that looks good, find out who the owner is (this shows some passion for hotrodding) and see if there is a possibility of getting them to make a career change. It takes work and its not easy and not a quick fix, but in the long run you will find the right people.

 

thanks guys for all your help.

-danny

 

Word gets around. Talent is in demand, and talent goes where they're treated right. If you're mostly joking then sorry to imply you're a tough boss, but if you're mostly serious, might be time to rethink a few things on your end of the deal.

Good luck with your search

 

thats not true ,I'm out off work and can get at $8.50 to $10.00 per hour .At the last place I work at I did about $ 225.000. So I think I should be pay more ,to live the good life, just to be able to pay my bills..And I'm good at what I do..

 

What are you paying? My son works at Walmart, 22, makes $10/hour.

 

This is true,,,but most guys won't make a career change, unless there is a considerable pay and/or benefits increase.....
I'd love to go to work for a shop building cars, but the reality is a car shop can't pay what I'm making now,,,,not to mention the benefits and vacation leave.....

Good mechanics are hard to find........
Good luck Danny

 

i'm to the point of thinking there is no good help to be had!

 

good help is only as tuff to find as the wages your willing to pay. when i ran body shops a decent helper made 12-15 an hour body men 18-25 frame guy 20-30

 

I'm with ya brotha! I'm the only one I trust...most of the time.

 

I've had this discussion multiple times with your dad. Maybe it's not "younger/cheaper" as much as you need "older/experienced". Yeah, most older guys are set in their ways- but find a good one that doesn't need you babysitting and cleaning up his crappy work and you can afford to pay him nearly twice the slacker price and get better more reliable work.
I have a couple retired firemen chomping at the bit to work for me- they just want me to let them know how much they have to pay ME!
Good luck Danny- Jim

 

Dan, you haven't learned yet. Where did your good employees go? They were poached by competing shops! Join the game. Start keeping an eye on the competition.

 

This is good advice.....the older guy will be a big help/influence on the other guys in the shop as well.......

 

Is it that the help isnt there or is your hiring process flawed ? Whats your employee hiring interview like? What do you need in an employee? What questions should be asked during the interview? What are the warning signs of a wrong hire in the interview process?You need the answers to these and many other important questions before you start looking. Many employee difficulties can be traced directly to the hiring and interview process. Spend some time and think about this a little . It may sound like a lot of trouble to go thru because you just need a good employee and your busy but you really cant afford not to do this. If you send me your email I can forward several articles that can be especially helpful.
Best of luck

 

I'm good help..... looking for a shop owner who needs me.

JH

 

I've often considered working in a "shop" rather then doing my own thing eventually..not that im what your looking for or anything. I'm
currently doing graphic design work for a beer wholesaler...which doesnt pay very well...but i can work any hours i want(6-2:15now) and i have excelent benefits...
what ive found locally is that the shops have no benefits...and the hours are set in stone ....the pay is better then im making here...but till i pay health insurance and all...then factor in the extra 3 hours i'd lose each evening...plus alot of outside places id need to go to,close at 5 so you can't get to them during the week....it all just doesnt seem worth it to me to pursue working on cars....atleast here
just some things that cross my mind on this subject

plus i think people that have the passion for cars....want to work on their own cars in the evening...so they dont want to be burnt out from working on them all day at their job...so they get jobs doing other things...

good luck on your search...
Zach

 

I've been looking for help and have yet to the right one. I wish some of the older retired guys would show an interest. Or a younger guy with a little mechanical aptitude that wants to learn. Or even someone in the middle. We're trying to open in the next couple of weeks and I have yet to find the help I need. I had one person that said they wanted the job but couldn't start for a couple of weeks. I called them to find out when they could start and they had taken another gig.

 

jason,looking back now,the ones i have lost to other shops were the ones that i should have fired anyway.the shops that hired them are ALL OUT OF BUSSINESS NOW.

over the past 19 years i have had only three guys,that i could give them a job and know that i would not have to go after them and fix it.i am looking for some more like rodney,brandon,and david,those are hard shoes to fill.

-danny

p.s. it was good to see you and mike the other day at breakfast.

 

all of you have been a great help.i have taken everything to heart and see that there are some areas that need to change.

thanks to all for your help.

-danny

 

When we were looking for apprentices we would go straight to the auto shop teacher at the local high school. He knew which ones had it and which ones that didn,t. We would leave a contact card for the kid and hire him on a probation type period and if good aptitude then hire them straight out of high school full time.You are right in stating that good help is getting harder to find....

 

I use Trade Journals, Head Hunters and Newspapers that are associated with my Industry-it also helps that I pay top Dollar, but I expect Top Work-

 

Working in an industry that is also your hobby is tough. Most of the time, the wages and benifits can't compare to the mainstream jobs. Finding someone willing to trade financial security for an interesting job is really hard because those with the experience and knowledge you need are also those that have a family to support and need the money and benifits. You train someone, they get really good over a few years, they get older and then realize there isn't a future unless they are an owner or are working where there are benifits for themselves and their family. Passion can only go so far, and a small shop usually can't afford to pay what the corporates offer overall. we ran into that wall in the motorcycle business too, and never found an answer we could afford. Quality goes where it gets the best long-term situation, and that is usually expensive to match. You are competing with all the dealers and big shops for good people. Pay well, offer medical and vacation, create a good working environment, and you can get good people to stay. Doing that, unfortunatly, is tough for a small shop. Good luck

 

Mexico

 

If I was 10 years younger there aint another hot rod shop I would rather work and learn from then yalls shop. I find it hard to believe you aint got poeple standing in line to work for yall. I have talked to local shops and they just dont pay there employes. I mean $15.00 and hr for a tig welder, chassis builder ,etc. Most shops are charging $65.00 hr they need to take care of the poeple making them the money. Any good tig welder, mig welder, stick welder, can go out to any pipe fitting company and get full benefits as well as 23+ an hour plus perdim (traveling money) and awesome benefits. This car building is a business that will always take a special person to do or that just plain loves it. Because there is always a better paying welding position expecially down in Houston with all the factories and plants. Most of my help has come from part timers. I have a guy that is working with me now since I have become so busy that is a excellent mig and stick welder but I just can turn him loose on a car. He is slowly learning the difference between the two different jobs. I know this reallt does not answer your question but try the benefit type route. It cost more now days to get good help.

Rusty

 

Give me a call at 1-800-792-8784. I'm an automotive instructor at Texas State Technical College in Waco, Texas. Perhaps we can help you find a graduate with mechanical skills and or body & paint training. Call the toll free number and ask for extension 4855, then Dennis Meyers (Fatherford).

 

Yeah, I thought about that. SRC went poof shortly after they stole all your guys.

Ty has been having the same problems. He's had one guy that's decent and stuck around. All the other's haven't made it past the probation period.

It was good to see you too. Does the shop still go out for lunch on Fridays?

 

It was good to see you too. Does the shop still go out for lunch on Fridays?[/quote]

my belly will tell you that we eat out every day.


stop by and say hi when your in town.

-danny