How To Write Job Ads That Mechanics Actually Apply To

Recruiting Mechanics starts with writing a good job ad, right now there are over 75,000 Mechanic jobs posted on Indeed and I can guarantee there are not enough mechanics to go around. Your ad needs to stand out, follow the below tips for your best chances to Hire Mechanics.

If you do everything below and still can’t find good mechanics to hire, then it is time to add a little more horsepower to your search, call Rockstar Mechanics at 1-833-762-5787 or check out www.rockstarmechanics.com to see how we can help.

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Pick The Right Job Title

The Job Title on your Ad is the most important thing to get right. It is not important what you call your position internally, what you need to do is advertise what mechanics are searching for. When you post a job ad it comes up based on keyword and keywords used in your title are more powerful than those used in the body of an ad. 

For example I never post an ad with the Job Title Rockstar Mechanic, I am looking for Rockstars but that is not a real job title. There are a lot of companies that will try to get clever calling the role a Ninja Mechanic or Mechanic Jedi and while they are creative that will not help you find anyone because no mechanic hops on to indeed and types Jedi Mechanic into the search box.

When you title your job use the title that is most often used in your area. Take for example a Truck Mechanic job, if you use the title Truck Mechanic that may work well for you but only if that is what your local mechanics call themselves. I find that the preferred title varies by Country as well as State by State and Province by Province so while ‘Truck Mechanic’ may work great in some areas others may have more success with:

• Diesel Mechanic
• Truck Technician
• Truck & Coach Technician
• Commercial Vehicle Mechanic

Also if your mechanic job has a really sexy aspect to it you may want to bring that up right in the title. If you bury it in the body of the ad then only those that open the ad will see it, you want a title that catches the eye and makes people click on it, examples of things to advertise in a title

• Diesel Mechanic – Signing Bonus
• Truck Mechanic – Flexible Hours
• Truck Technician – Great Benefits Package
• Truck & Coach Technician – 4 Weeks Vacation!

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Length Of Ad Is Important

Indeed has recently done some research stating that Job Ads with 700 – 2,000 characters get the most applications. If your ad is too short the ad doesn’t look real or serious. Over 2,000 Characters just looks daunting and you will get a lot of ‘Too Long, Didn’t Read.’

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Use Bullets

Don’t jam together one huge paragraph, again it looks too intimidating. Throw in some bullets to break down the job. Things you might want to use a bulleted list for are:

• Job Duties
• Compensation Details
• Perks of the Job
• Experience/Certification Required

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Content – Body Of The Ad

The ad’s job is to sell the job. You need to highlight the selling features of the job. Every job has a selling feature, some are a little less obvious than others but they all have one. Make sure you sell that aspect, examples of selling features to bring up in your ad:

• Above Average Pay Rate
• Good Benefits
• Good Vacation Plan
• Growing Company with Career Growth Potential
• Longevity of a Company
• Family Owned Company (Can be seen as a plus or a negative depending on the applicant)
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Team Building Events
• Type of Equipment/Vehicles Working On
• Working Conditions i.e. Brand New Well Equipped Shop
• Tool Allowance or Other Perks
• Overtime 

Also list off the duties required of a position, before someone applies they want to know if this role is going to be all Preventative Maintenance and PDI’s or is there going to be in depth Engine and Transmission work required.

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Quick Tips

• Avoid long paragraphs about the history of the company, a Mechanic at this stage probably doesn’t care, they want to know about the job. Wow them with the company details at the Interview. A quick one sentence overview of the company should suffice
• Keep your requirements low, if something is a nice to have i.e. CDL, then list it as nice to have not a requirement, you do not want to narrow out too many applications. If you get too many applications it is easy to delete those that are unqualified but you can’t do anything if you don’t get enough applications.
• Make applications easy, I recommend using Indeed so that candidates can quickly apply with the press of a button. The longer your application process the more candidates you will lose in the process.
• Be Inclusive, I was brought up in HR and just can’t shake it sometimes, make sure your ad does not discriminate against anyone. Discrimination in an ad is almost never intentional but can still get you in trouble so avoid any words that might be discriminatory i.e don’t say “We have an opening for a couple of guys in our Maintenance shop” 

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I hope these tips help, Job Ads are always the starting point when it comes to recruiting mechanics but they are rarely the most effective. If your Job Ads are not producing the results you need then give Rockstar Mechanics a call 1-833-762-5787, with our vast network of candidates we can find you the best mechanics that are not actively looking but are open to new opportunities.