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Im a 19 Year-old college student trying to get a job as an entry-level tech. I have experience maintaining/repairing my own little S10 Blazer, but no formal education or training for the industry. Most shops I walk into, they roll their eyes and shoo me away.
My problem is I don’t have any in-the-field experience and I want to know how I can present myself as a knowledgeable worker. I feel like a D-bag walking into most shops looking for a tech job cause they probably think I’m a cocky kid who has no idea what its like to work in a shop. Can any of you techs/shop owners give me some advice. If I walked into your place of business looking for an entry-level job like a lube tech what could I do to make you interested in hiring me?
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I think it depends on the shop. There are many different ways shops are run. I think it’s important to clarify that you are looking for a job as a lube tech as opposed to entry level tech. At most shops I have been in lube tech is where former grocery baggers and burger flippers etc. start off in the shop and they generally only do oil changes, tire rotates, multi points etc. Entry level tech would be the next step up after you have a bit of experience and are ready to start learning and getting hands on with minor diagnostic and repair work like tire patches, door handles and advanced maintenance like brakes and fluid services. It could be different everywhere but just be clear you are ready to learn and willing to start at the bottom. Most shops will not put much value into your experience working on your own vehicle and I must say it really isn’t going to help you much in a shop. The best thing to do when you get your shot is go in with the mindset that you don’t know jack and try to learn as much as you can while maintaining your quality standards. The two biggest things I see causing new techs to fail is being arrogant and thinking they know more than they know and biting off way more than they can chew and also the opposite of being too scared to get in the mix with new things and never gaining new skills. Try to fall somewhere in the middle and choose your growth strategy wisely. It can be done. I started off sweeping the floors and cleaning up and then moved up to lube tech and then up to tech, now I am ASE certified, make a decent living and enjoy my job most of the time. Good luck.
Also if you are not in college for auto mechanics and are just a college kid looking for a PT job in a shop for now and will be leaving the industry when you graduate college I would say I doubt any show would want to deal with that. You don’t know anything yet so they wont want to spend time teaching you and investing in you if you aren’t committed to the future of the job.
Firstly, all of AUwarrior’s points are spot on and should be read again to sink in a little more.
I will also tell you that I did pretty much what you want to do to get into the business 9 years ago, although probably with more experience as a pretty hardcore hobbyist. I had about 5 grand in tools, and had done bare shell rebuilds on my 92 Jetta I still have and a 86 golf. I had no real credentials whatsoever and it was a matter of talking my way into a Kia dealership. My experience was vast with those cars and the all things I’d done gave me a real experience edge, but learning professional auto repair was an entirely different thing and I knew that going in.
Basic interview etiquette applies more than normal because you’re in the position of trying to convince someone to give you your break. That just means look clean and groomed, speak well and with confidence, look him in the eye at least half the time, and be honest. With no credentials, that’s the only thing the guy will have to go on to decide if you are real or just a mouth. Anybody who has hired mechanics has already heard a lot of talk.
You will want to explain that you are there for a lube/entry level position, but you already know that you will grow beyond that. Bring up the experience you’ve had working on your own stuff, saying how that has already made you comfortable working on cars even though it doesn’t mean you know everything. You want to speak humbly about what level you are at now, but very confidently about your comfort with mechanical things and your desire to learn. They will only think you’re cocky if you act like it.
What any boss wants to hear from a starting guy like you is that you are not set in any of your ways of doing things and you are ready to be molded into a professional. That goes for any job really. That’s the best answer to the famous interview question, “What do you think is your strongest quality?”
“I’m not really set in my ways too much and I can learn to do my job however you, my other superiors, or the facility want it done.”
Of course if you tell somebody any of these things and they aren’t true, it may not ultimately go well. Every shop had different policies and procedures, and some have none at all and it’s chaos. Being able to adapt to those kinds of changes now and in the future makes you happier and more employable. You go in, look around, listen to everything your told, and don’t talk too much. Take the time to pay attention to how things are done wherever you get into, and emulate those practices. It will make you get along with co-workers much easier from the start. A simple example of that is that if all the techs in the shop put the tranny flush machine back in the same place with the knobs in the same positions every time they finish using it, and a new guy just has to keep doing it different, it will always rub everybody the wrong way.
One final broader point:
If you want to grow to the top level of auto repair, You will NEED to get the book smarts that you would hopefully be getting from going to school. You can get them on your own if you are really interested enough that you will read whole books and thirst for more information, answers, and understanding. Your personal repair experience, $500 in affordable books, and the willingness to read them until you understand them can replace that formal education as long as you can teach yourself and want to learn. And for god sakes, learn electrical! Here is your fist book to get. You can’t possibly handicap yourself more in the long run than by convincing yourself you’ll never get it.
Well I just got a job at a local shop banana: Everything you two said was spot on, especially about striving to learn more and realizing I dont know anything. I made a great impression on the boss so thank you very much. It seems like a great shop and everyone there is cool, and I cant wait till I start tomorrow!
getting your foot in the door in this industry is easy. just search around for lube tech positions and you may have to just walk in some places and ask for an application. Don’t lie either, if you only know how to change oil, then that’s what you say. Not to be the pessimist but think twice about pursuing a career in this industry. You better absolutely love cars and like new challenges. If you don’t love cars you’ll be stuck like me. :cheer:
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