This letter was sent to contributor Richard McCuistian in response to his comments in the October 2007 edition of Motor Age.
Dear Motor Age,
As of late I am no longer working out in the shop. My position has become the administrator of the business. I am service manager, parts manager and shop supervisor in some ways. My employer has built a new shop, which is a 10-bay facility. Our old shop was three bays. Since moving, our business has tripled and I no longer have time to work in the shop. The office has become a full time position.
As a result, this situation has left a position vacant in the shop. We would be willing to pay $30 an hour for an "A" tech that wouldn't have to be babysat. However, we have found that either we cannot find someone that is qualified in diagnostics, or they are unreliable or are carrying a lot of "other baggage" that's common in the automotive industry. Some guys look as though they have fallen face first into a fishing tackle box and then they wonder why someone will not hire them because of their appearance.
Although the man's heart may be good, customers already have a preconceived idea of this industry, and anything that is not professional (appearance, communication skills, ability, etc.) only furthers their bias. I would like to have someone that I know will be 1. on time; 2. work hard through out the day; 3. be content; 4. have good communication skills; 5. be clean cut; and 6. have the ability to work on any ticket that I dispatch (without me holding his hand).
If we could find such a tech, then we would be willing to pay the salary that I proposed. We cannot find anyone in our area like that. I am sure that they are out there, however, wherever they are, they are well taken care of and are probably not likely to leave anytime soon.
— Harold Brandeberry, Taylors, S.C.
