Well recently car count at my shop has grown quite a bit. So I've needed to hire a new lube technician and a cashier. So I've got a great cashier now shes awesome does great work. But now here's the hard part. FINDING A REAL LUBE TECHNICIAN. I've literally been threw so many interviews and day tryouts I can't find anyone good. So one guy comes in yesterday fills out a application and I interview him on the spot. He seems confident,motivated and boasts about being a dam good mechanic(which is great we do almost everything) so I try him out the next day and the headaches begin......... first he cannot put on a wiper blade to save his life, second a 2011 subaru forester comes in and he DRAINS THE TRANS FLUID… boy did that make me look stupid. And cost me some money. I let him work alittle longer and he's as slow as a snail. He's gone before the day ends. I just don't get it how come I cannot find a good tech? The bulk of people applying are students from a automotive school that want high pay and have no experience in a shop environment, which is fine because you have to start somewhere. but you are chasing a dream if you think I'm going to pay you 20 an hour starting just because you passed a class. And dam what are these schools teaching these kids! Anyways sorry guys for the rant. I'm just irritated. Thanks for listening
hiring woes....
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Originally Posted By: river_rat
Combination of historically low work ethic and low pay jobs. I dunno. Can't live indoors on $10 an hour, but then a lot of kids won't work no matter what they get paid.
Good luck to ya. You'll find somebody.
+1
Combination of historically low work ethic and low pay jobs. I dunno. Can't live indoors on $10 an hour, but then a lot of kids won't work no matter what they get paid.
Good luck to ya. You'll find somebody.
+1
I hired someone from a respected automotive trade school that was first in his class that destroyed the first engine he put together... He kept screwing up and finally he quit before he was fired i then hired someone that is a high school dropout and this guy is doing better than some of my seasoned mechanics he was here 2 months and removes engines and installes them in great time and does a nice neat job.. I now hire on knowhow if you can do the job and do it perfect your hired i dont care if you cant spell your name as long as you can do the job... I have 4 certified techs here and the other 8 have learned from being here hired to help.. now they remove and rebuild engines in just about every make made..
As you hire more problematic employees, start making a checklist of their mistakes. Ask new applicants about these things and see what you can gleam.
I am a bit confused on how people can make mistakes on something as simple as an oil change.
I am a bit confused on how people can make mistakes on something as simple as an oil change.
Originally Posted By: river_rat
Combination of historically low work ethic and low pay jobs. I dunno. Can't live indoors on $10 an hour, but then a lot of kids won't work no matter what they get paid.
Good luck to ya. You'll find somebody.
Thanks. And your right on having a low work ethic part. I mean when I first started I was getting paid 7.50 an hour. I would mop,clean, scrub toilets(I still do to this day) without complaint because I knew I would get further by just working hard and learning. I think attitude is a big problem in the youth also, the" I'm to good for that" type of thinking does not go well in the work place.
Combination of historically low work ethic and low pay jobs. I dunno. Can't live indoors on $10 an hour, but then a lot of kids won't work no matter what they get paid.
Good luck to ya. You'll find somebody.
Thanks. And your right on having a low work ethic part. I mean when I first started I was getting paid 7.50 an hour. I would mop,clean, scrub toilets(I still do to this day) without complaint because I knew I would get further by just working hard and learning. I think attitude is a big problem in the youth also, the" I'm to good for that" type of thinking does not go well in the work place.
Originally Posted By: 04SE
Welcome to the work ethics of Generation X.
I take slight offense at that. I am a gen X'er and my work ethic is outstanding. I give 100%, work until the job is done, and do not accept sloppiness or mediocrity. I graduated from a top 10 business school and have worked my way up in the ranks at my company -- I am the youngest technical manager in the company by at least 5 years. I earn every penny of my salary and my bosses noticed that.
I have plenty of friends who are like me: hard workers who refuse to put their name on lousy work.
(BTW if this person was born after the early 1980s, they're not technically gen X)
Welcome to the work ethics of Generation X.
I take slight offense at that. I am a gen X'er and my work ethic is outstanding. I give 100%, work until the job is done, and do not accept sloppiness or mediocrity. I graduated from a top 10 business school and have worked my way up in the ranks at my company -- I am the youngest technical manager in the company by at least 5 years. I earn every penny of my salary and my bosses noticed that.
I have plenty of friends who are like me: hard workers who refuse to put their name on lousy work.
(BTW if this person was born after the early 1980s, they're not technically gen X)
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Originally Posted By: dparm
As you hire more problematic employees, start making a checklist of their mistakes. Ask new applicants about these things and see what you can gleam.
I am a bit confused on how people can make mistakes on something as simple as an oil change.
I do need to refresh my interviewing skills also. Any pointers? The checklist is a good idea.
@crazyoildude- everytime I look at a application, the schooling,certifications,grades don't impress me at all. Now I rather hire a guy that wants to work and learn.
As you hire more problematic employees, start making a checklist of their mistakes. Ask new applicants about these things and see what you can gleam.
I am a bit confused on how people can make mistakes on something as simple as an oil change.
I do need to refresh my interviewing skills also. Any pointers? The checklist is a good idea.
@crazyoildude- everytime I look at a application, the schooling,certifications,grades don't impress me at all. Now I rather hire a guy that wants to work and learn.
But I think you need to be realistic -- this is an oil change job and you're not going to get rocket scientists. Ask them to give examples of how they did X at a previous job (with X being something you feel is crucial for the person).
i.e. "Tell me about a time at a past job where you had to take charge of an unpleasant situation." or "Give me an example of how you had to resolve a customer service issue you knew was not your fault."
i.e. "Tell me about a time at a past job where you had to take charge of an unpleasant situation." or "Give me an example of how you had to resolve a customer service issue you knew was not your fault."
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Lets face it, some people just don't give a [censored] even if you paid $100 an hour. Maybe you should ask if a member of BITOG is looking for work that lives in your area ?
What I have seen in the past ten years is that young folks think their BIG ego and atittude equals real life work experience.
BTW, how much are you paying for a Lube Tech ?
What I have seen in the past ten years is that young folks think their BIG ego and atittude equals real life work experience.
BTW, how much are you paying for a Lube Tech ?
Originally Posted By: 04SE
Welcome to the work ethics of Generation X.
Huh? Gen X is not the young people being referred to. Regardless of the merit of that argument, as a Gen X'er I will tell you flat you are wrong.
I delivered newspapers starting when I was 7. Before I was 13 I was doing other odd jobs too (mostly babysitting because that was an easy year round thing in my day, and as one who has no kids, I've probably changed more diapers and washed more dirty butts growing up than many parents have).
By the time I was 16 I worked legally, year round, and at that age began working two jobs (a practice that was often repeated throughout my life). Betweeen that age and when I started university, you name it I probably did it: dishwashing, line cook, pizza delivery, landscaping, painting, floor tiling, etc.
At 19, shortly after moving to another province, I took a job with a new computer company with no salary offered at all, and where I did every job the owner did.
We agreed instead that I'd take 5% of the company's gross profit, and went from there, with the deal sealed by a handshake. I was replaced by his out of work nephew when we'd grown the business beyond the half million annual gross mark (at the end of our second year - and this was almost 20 years ago) with projected revenue for our 3rd year near the 1 million mark, by the nephew who agreed to do the same job I did for $7.50/hr. The nephew lasted less than 6 months, and by then the company had grown on to take additional employees. Within a decade that same company I helped found was sold when the owner cashed out.
As he had taken all of the risk in starting the business, and as my 5% cut was taking a bigger chunk of the revenue as we had to cut our margins to compete with new upstarts, I didn't begrudge him the choice he made and we parted with no hard feelings (he was my major reference for years following that).
Anyway that's a long enough rant to demolish your statement about the "work ethic" of Generation X, and words likely wasted on someone who probably doesn't even know what Gen X is.
-Spyder
Welcome to the work ethics of Generation X.
Huh? Gen X is not the young people being referred to. Regardless of the merit of that argument, as a Gen X'er I will tell you flat you are wrong.
I delivered newspapers starting when I was 7. Before I was 13 I was doing other odd jobs too (mostly babysitting because that was an easy year round thing in my day, and as one who has no kids, I've probably changed more diapers and washed more dirty butts growing up than many parents have).
By the time I was 16 I worked legally, year round, and at that age began working two jobs (a practice that was often repeated throughout my life). Betweeen that age and when I started university, you name it I probably did it: dishwashing, line cook, pizza delivery, landscaping, painting, floor tiling, etc.
At 19, shortly after moving to another province, I took a job with a new computer company with no salary offered at all, and where I did every job the owner did.
We agreed instead that I'd take 5% of the company's gross profit, and went from there, with the deal sealed by a handshake. I was replaced by his out of work nephew when we'd grown the business beyond the half million annual gross mark (at the end of our second year - and this was almost 20 years ago) with projected revenue for our 3rd year near the 1 million mark, by the nephew who agreed to do the same job I did for $7.50/hr. The nephew lasted less than 6 months, and by then the company had grown on to take additional employees. Within a decade that same company I helped found was sold when the owner cashed out.
As he had taken all of the risk in starting the business, and as my 5% cut was taking a bigger chunk of the revenue as we had to cut our margins to compete with new upstarts, I didn't begrudge him the choice he made and we parted with no hard feelings (he was my major reference for years following that).
Anyway that's a long enough rant to demolish your statement about the "work ethic" of Generation X, and words likely wasted on someone who probably doesn't even know what Gen X is.
-Spyder
As a mid-twentysomething who has busted his butt to get where he is now, I can say that there are the folks my age out there who will work very hard to get ahead playing by the rules. The trick is finding them.
Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: 04SE
Welcome to the work ethics of Generation X.
I take slight offense at that. I am a gen X'er and my work ethic is outstanding. I give 100%, work until the job is done, and do not accept sloppiness or mediocrity. I graduated from a top 10 business school and have worked my way up in the ranks at my company -- I am the youngest technical manager in the company by at least 5 years. I earn every penny of my salary and my bosses noticed that.
I have plenty of friends who are like me: hard workers who refuse to put their name on lousy work.
(BTW if this person was born after the early 1980s, they're not technically gen X)
I will second that, there are lots of good Gen X employees out there to match the bad ones. Some of the laziest employees I have worked with have also been the ones with the most seniority, there are useless ones in all demographics.
Originally Posted By: 04SE
Welcome to the work ethics of Generation X.
I take slight offense at that. I am a gen X'er and my work ethic is outstanding. I give 100%, work until the job is done, and do not accept sloppiness or mediocrity. I graduated from a top 10 business school and have worked my way up in the ranks at my company -- I am the youngest technical manager in the company by at least 5 years. I earn every penny of my salary and my bosses noticed that.
I have plenty of friends who are like me: hard workers who refuse to put their name on lousy work.
(BTW if this person was born after the early 1980s, they're not technically gen X)
I will second that, there are lots of good Gen X employees out there to match the bad ones. Some of the laziest employees I have worked with have also been the ones with the most seniority, there are useless ones in all demographics.
I find that interviews aren't as helpful as references. In addition, good work ethic, in my opinion, is intrinsic. Either you have it or you don't.
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
I hired someone from a respected automotive trade school that was first in his class that destroyed the first engine he put together... He kept screwing up and finally he quit before he was fired i then hired someone that is a high school dropout and this guy is doing better than some of my seasoned mechanics he was here 2 months and removes engines and installes them in great time and does a nice neat job.. I now hire on knowhow if you can do the job and do it perfect your hired i dont care if you cant spell your name as long as you can do the job... I have 4 certified techs here and the other 8 have learned from being here hired to help.. now they remove and rebuild engines in just about every make made..
Grades don't mean anything as long as they have the qualification. We have had students where I work who get 90%+ grades in their courses and cant do anything on their own. Grades indicate a students ability to regurgitate what was taught, good for some tasks, it is not an indication of how to solve problems they have never tackled before, or doing work like diagnosis.
I hired someone from a respected automotive trade school that was first in his class that destroyed the first engine he put together... He kept screwing up and finally he quit before he was fired i then hired someone that is a high school dropout and this guy is doing better than some of my seasoned mechanics he was here 2 months and removes engines and installes them in great time and does a nice neat job.. I now hire on knowhow if you can do the job and do it perfect your hired i dont care if you cant spell your name as long as you can do the job... I have 4 certified techs here and the other 8 have learned from being here hired to help.. now they remove and rebuild engines in just about every make made..
Grades don't mean anything as long as they have the qualification. We have had students where I work who get 90%+ grades in their courses and cant do anything on their own. Grades indicate a students ability to regurgitate what was taught, good for some tasks, it is not an indication of how to solve problems they have never tackled before, or doing work like diagnosis.
Originally Posted By: 90Notch
I find that interviews aren't as helpful as references. In addition, good work ethic, in my opinion, is intrinsic. Either you have it or you don't.
I have seen references given to people that I would never recommend.
I find that interviews aren't as helpful as references. In addition, good work ethic, in my opinion, is intrinsic. Either you have it or you don't.
I have seen references given to people that I would never recommend.
Originally Posted By: Duffman77
Originally Posted By: 90Notch
I find that interviews aren't as helpful as references. In addition, good work ethic, in my opinion, is intrinsic. Either you have it or you don't.
I have seen references given to people that I would never recommend.
Actually, yeah, that's true.
Originally Posted By: 90Notch
I find that interviews aren't as helpful as references. In addition, good work ethic, in my opinion, is intrinsic. Either you have it or you don't.
I have seen references given to people that I would never recommend.
Actually, yeah, that's true.
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I am from gen x kinda, I'm only 19, but I can guarantee I have more work ethic than any other person at where I work, started washing dishes in a kitchen at 6.50, 1.5years later I make 9 dollars an hr and I am a cook now, make the schedule and 2nd in charge in the kitchen, people over age 30 ask me what to do next now, and I am currently attending college for computer information tech.
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Originally Posted By: Duffman77
Originally Posted By: 90Notch
I find that interviews aren't as helpful as references. In addition, good work ethic, in my opinion, is intrinsic. Either you have it or you don't.
I have seen references given to people that I would never recommend.
I recall, from my time when I was an Ops Manager, firing an employee for gross misconduct, and who I could have also had charges laid for fraud, who when all was said and done, before exiting my office, asked if he could use me for a reference. I was struck speechless for a very long moment. I chose to simply reply: "if your goal is to get hired, I wouldn't recommend it."
Not content with that answer, he then pressed onward. I then flat out told him that when the question inevitably came up, regardless of what he chose to tell them, I would have to tell them that I fired him and why. He finally got the picture and left.
Postscript: on his ROE, on advise of HR (who I had to consult prior to any termination), where he was still probationary I simply indicated dismissal and cause as "failure to meet probationary standards." I subsequently got a call from EI, as apparently he applied for it, and I did disclose to the worker handling his file the exact nature of his termination. There was an amusing silence followed by a simple "oh." End of call.
-Spyder
Originally Posted By: 90Notch
I find that interviews aren't as helpful as references. In addition, good work ethic, in my opinion, is intrinsic. Either you have it or you don't.
I have seen references given to people that I would never recommend.
I recall, from my time when I was an Ops Manager, firing an employee for gross misconduct, and who I could have also had charges laid for fraud, who when all was said and done, before exiting my office, asked if he could use me for a reference. I was struck speechless for a very long moment. I chose to simply reply: "if your goal is to get hired, I wouldn't recommend it."
Not content with that answer, he then pressed onward. I then flat out told him that when the question inevitably came up, regardless of what he chose to tell them, I would have to tell them that I fired him and why. He finally got the picture and left.
Postscript: on his ROE, on advise of HR (who I had to consult prior to any termination), where he was still probationary I simply indicated dismissal and cause as "failure to meet probationary standards." I subsequently got a call from EI, as apparently he applied for it, and I did disclose to the worker handling his file the exact nature of his termination. There was an amusing silence followed by a simple "oh." End of call.
-Spyder
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