Are you having trouble finding the technician your team needs? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything, yet you’re still unable to find someone? Well, don’t give up too soon. Take it from Kelsey Lancaster, owner of Performance Automotive Repair, in Bayfield, CO, whose outside of the box hiring tactics have helped her create her dream team.

Here are five tips to help you enhance your recruiting process that you may not have thought of before.

1 – Recruit Outside of Your Area

Place advertisements in towns within a certain radius of your shop to catch the eye of qualified candidates you may have otherwise not reached. Many people are willing to commute or relocate if your listing is enticing enough. If you are currently using job posting sites, edit your radius and push your listings to more individuals.

On top of that, you can even utilize another city’s advertising revenues, either by showing commercials on local news channels or publishing your listing in the town’s local paper. This way, the residents of these areas have their eyes on more than just their screens. One place you may not be considering is local prisons. Many prisons have work programs for inmates, who can come and join your shop’s team.

2 – Use Your Local Resources

Have you ever taken the time to sit down and research the different technician programs offered around your state? There might be more resources around you than you realize.

Include your very own team in the process! Tell your team if they bring in a candidate who ends up being hired, they’ll be offered a referral bonus. You can determine the amount of money depending on your budget. You can add in some requirements that have to be met to attain the bonus. For example, maybe the referral has to work for your company for at least 90 days or they have to work a certain amount of hours each week.

If there are technician schools or programs being offered at local colleges or high schools near you, reach out to them and let them know that you’re interested in hiring their students once they graduate. “We find employees through tech schools and intern programs,” Kelsey says, adding it isn’t just recent graduates they take in. “We consider ourselves a training shop. If someone has a desire to become a technician, we will take them on as an intern or apprentice to see if they have the drive and aptitude needed.”

3 – Pull From Previous Applicants

Go through old applications and review previous “almost” hires. There may have been times where you had a small pool of people who were qualified for the job but could only choose one. Reach out to those other applicants to see if they’re still interested in your position. You never know who you might find! Even if they are currently employed, they may have liked your shop’s culture and benefits enough to come work for you.

This process also opens up the door to a mutually beneficial relationship with the applicant. Suppose they moved or simply can’t leave their current job right now: when their current position ends or they decide they want to leave they now know they can reach out to you and see if you’re hiring. In addition, since they’re in the industry they could give you leads to other technicians in the area they know. In general, you open many doors for yourself and your shop when you expand your network, even if it is through technicians!

4 – Advertise Yourself in New Places

Does your area have a local popular podcast? Maybe a radio show or a television segment? Advertising your position in new and exciting areas will help you reach a wider pool of applicants.

At Performance Automotive Repair, they advertise right outside of their doors. “The number one thing we have done that’s brought in more applicants than anything else is a ‘Now Hiring’ feather flag,” Kelsey says. “We had ours custom made locally and incorporated our signature gear on the flag. When we have the flag posted, we will have someone inquire every few days.”

If you haven’t already, consider adding the fact that you’re actively hiring to your website and any social media accounts you have. This achieves two things at once. For one, you show potential hires that your business is active and continually growing. You also are recruiting directly.

If a person is looking at your website and social media, it shows that they are not only interested in a job but interested in your business specifically as well.

5 – Talk to Other Local Shops

See if other trusted shop owners in your area know of any skilled technicians looking for a job. There are many reasons someone may have left a position and not all of them reflect negatively on the candidate. For example, someone may have had to move away to take care of an ill family member or needed to help financially support a loved one for a while. Think of this as calling a reference before the interview, instead of after. You’re one step ahead of the game by already having a trusted individual vouch for the person you’re interested in hiring.

This doesn’t need to be limited just to other shops in your industry. If you have a good relationship with other business owners in your area you can reach out to them to see if they have any recommendations. There may be someone with a background in automotive you weren’t aware of. By broadening your horizons you may just find the perfect employee to fit into your shop’s culture.

By incorporating these hiring tactics you can land your listing in front the exact person your team needs. Whether that’s by expanding your search area, reaching out to your network or posting your listing in places you never would have thought to, you can more easily find your next great employee.