Tag: finding new work

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Episode 150: The Kids Are Alright

On this week’s Grease the Wheels we talk about the new guys that are attempting to put a dent in the 650,000 mechanic and technician job vacancies nationwide. We all have a million “new guy stories”, and let’s be clear we want to hear every single one of them! Obviously they are not set to replace us right now, but given time and space to develop some of these new guys are going to make very good technicians, if they don’t use their brains and GTFO of the industry! Realistically though in a macro view of the industry as a whole, we should be fostering the ones who have chosen this profession just so they can replace us when we want to retire! We don’t mind when they ask questions that will genuinely help them out seeking an intelligent answer, especially when the lights are on when you give them your response. We’re also not going to fault them for asking us for fasteners or extra parts that we might have lying around.

Odds are if you take a proactive approach with your younger technicians, they will be better in the long run. One rare occasions, they show promise right out of the box and these are the techs that you need to keep and develop if you want your shop to continue to be successful. Of course however there are the ones who just don’t get it, and sometimes no amount of tutoring is going to help them get it! So overall the kids are alright, but shops need to recognize the talent they are developing in house and aim to keep it!

Also Uncle Jimmy gives his dystopian opinion on cell phones all while sounding like the worlds most insane Zoom Call!

This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you’re a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!

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Episode 149: Won’t Get Fooled Again

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels we give you some of the right tools for, well, greasing the wheels! Right now people are looking for jobs in tons of different industries, but in our case the tables are tilted a bit more in our favor because of the technician shortage. No employer is going to advertise the things about their shop that sucks, so it is up to you to find it out. Sometimes you get to find it out the easy way by looking around at a shop full of broken equipment that is half falling down and the techs are pushing cars into the shop by hand.

Sometimes it is a bit harder to spot, but rest assured every shop has things that make it an awesome place to work too. Traditionally interviews are mostly the person doing the hiring asking the questions of the people being hired, however the crippling technician shortage has actually made it so that technicians can be a bit pickier about where they are going to work. The goal at the end of the day is to work somewhere where you can be fulfilled, deal with the least amount of headaches.

So listen to your Uncle Jimmy and don’t get fooled again. Ask the right questions, take a good look at the shop, and read the reviews of your potential future service department on google and you will be all right. Do not settle for less pay, and make sure that they have a schedule to regularly review raises. We also talk about using your sick time, because this is a very physical job, and sometimes you really need to just take an extra day to heal up.

Also Uncle Jimmy retells a story about a tech who greased the wheels in epic fashion for a very good reason! What are some of your employment red flags that you won’t get fooled again on?

This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you’re a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!