When considering who to promote, smart shops know that it is not necessarily the best mechanic that gets hired. They want to promote the tech that is going to be the best at managing a team. That means the tech with the best organizational skills, time management, customer service and the ability to see the whole picture.
Many times being the fastest or most skilled technician will not get you promoted. Sometimes it will do the opposite as no company wants to lose their best tech and having you transition off the floor means losing their best tech.
If you want to get promoted this is what you need to keep in mind.
The Keys to getting promoted are:
- Be a model employee
- Have a customer focus
- Stop complaining
- Put yourself in a good situation
- Make sure ownership knows what you want
1. Be a Model Employee
A supervisor or manager is the template of what future mechanics should be. You are going to be the example so you need to not be a headache. Make sure that you are:
- One Time
- At Work
- Willing to teach apprentices
- Take on overtime when needed
- Active and attentive during training sessions
- Take Safety Seriously
- Don’t forget about your paper work, do it properly and immediately
- Keep your work station clean
- Represent the company well
These are all basic and anyone can do them regardless of your technical ability but these are the little things that make for a good employee. A manager never wants to feel like they are babysitting their staff so don’t act like a child, be a professional.
2. Have a Customer Focus
If you are working with a retail repair facility or dealership make sure you always take care of customers, without them the shop doesn’t exist. If you are a fleet shop, treat your operators/drivers like customers. You are there to serve and maintenance is an extension of the rest of the business.
3. Stop Whining
No one likes a complainer, you will stick out like a sore thumb and no one will feel sorry for you. Go to work, get the job done and don’t moan about it. To be promoted you need to be well liked, you don’t want the reputation of the prima donna tech who nothing was good enough for. Stop complaining to:
- Service Writers
- Parts People
- Supervisors
- Managers
- Customers
- Operators
Having a beer after work with the other techs is great but if you spend the whole time bitching about your employer that will not reflect well and could jeopardize your chances of moving up.
4. Put Yourself In A Good Position
Being promoted has a lot to do with where you are. If you are working with a small company with 2 employees and an owner your chances of being promoted are almost non-existent, there is not a big enough team for you to be looking after. Similarly, if you are with a company where your supervisor has been working there for 20 years and is only 45 and not likely going anywhere for another 20 years you also have a bad chance of getting promoted.
If you are in a bad situation it may be time to look into a new role. It is very common to make a lateral move to a company where you will be doing the same job for the same money but have more room for career growth. Give us a call at 1-833-947-3546 or check out our job board – www.rockstarmechanics.com/jobs to see opportunities available that might be a fit.
When interviewing with new companies make sure to ask about career growth, the chance of promotion, etc. It is not rude and you can save yourself a lot of wasted time and headaches. A company is only a perfect fit for you if it matches what your career goals are.
5. Make Sure Ownership Knows What You Want
Have a friendly conversation with ownership or Sr. Management to let them know you would like to be on a promotion track. Do this gently and without making demands. You are not at all asking for someone else’s job nor are you threatening to leave. You are offering to take on more responsibility and letting them know you would like to learn more about the business and if there was any training available you would be happy to take it.
At least this way they know you are looking to move up and will start looking at you that way. It is super common for many techs to get overlooked for a promotion simply because ownership thought the tech wanted to stay a tech. Make sure they know you are interested but are not demanding a change.
Take on incremental promotions as they are offered. You are not going to go from Tech To Service Manager, look for lead tech, foreman, supervisory roles and keep progressing from there.
Follow these 5 Things and y are on your way to a career in management. Be patient, if you are 22 with 1 year on the job don’t expect to be promoted right away, you need to spend some time in the trenches before getting the call up. Do your job the best way you can and be ready when the call comes.
If you are ever looking for a new role or need to Hire Technicians, we can help. Rockstar Mechanics is your dedicated recruiter focused specifically on opportunities for Truck, Heavy Equipment, Trailer and Automotive Mechanics. For more information on how we can help visit www.rockstarmechanics.com or give us a call at 1-833-937-3546
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