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I know this is for “Techs Only” but I’m looking to get into the automotive field and was wondering how you guys did it? I know the job market is tough in a lot of places right now, but I’m willing to start off at the bottom doing oil changes… And most if not all shops want at least a year of experience in a shop and I know it can be tough to get past that barrier because it’s a Catch-22. When I’m on craigslist I’m always seeing ads for “Lube Techs wanted”, but I’ve sent out at least two dozen apps and have yet to get a response.
I’ve also taken a basic automotive class and received a certificate….
Can you guys give me any tips?
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I just got hired into my first tech job… and what sold it was, I handed the interviewer a folder of copies of all my credentials: ASE tests, college transcripts, state certifications, and DOT physical. After an hour and a half interview (including shop tour and meeting everyone) he hired me right on the spot. He even said he already interviewed another individual (who I assume had no formal education). He put me in the system and gave me all the paperwork for a drug test which I took immediately.
And… this is for a position I am not formally trained; this was for commercial/diesel truck servicing. Despite lacking formal diesel experience, my extensive resume got me hired immediately, even though it did not relate specifically to my field of study.
So for me, it was handing the boss man a stack of papers that showed him that he was not hiring the village idiot that got my foot in the door.
If i am needing a job asap, i just call around and ask for service managers/supervisors and talk to them. I tell them what i am looking for, about what i am, what i know, and what i am willing to do and we go from there. If they are looking they will ask for a resume, and to meet in person.
If i am needing a job asap, i just call around and ask for service managers/supervisors and talk to them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI9QhliWLbI
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI9QhliWLbI[/video]This probably won’t help you get your foot in the door but rather a foot in the butt.
I loved cars since i was ten. My dad was an enthusiast and a car race fan and always took me to a local dirt track on Friday evenings. Most of the fans loved two brothers that raced, i guess mostly cuz they were local guys too. They also won a lot of races between them.
I discovered that the two brothers,Denny and Don, opened a two bay gas station not far from where i lived. I would go there and watch them work on their race cars from outside the door. I thought was in heaven. I think i was around 17 or 18 at the time
One day while i was hanging around a car pulled up to the pumps for fuel. Denny told me to go and put gas in the car and collect the money and bring it to him. I was sure i was in heaven now with no doubt at all.
I quickly did what he asked. He said if i was gonna hang around they were gonna put me to work.
They paid me peanuts but it all started there.
everyone pretty much gets their foot in the door the same way…changing oil and whatnot. lube shops are always hiring because their turnover is so high. Why? Because the hours are bad, the pay is bad, the conditions are lousy, the jobs basically suck. BUT that is where you start. Keep applying, one of them will call you. Do that for a little bit, then move on to something with more substance. Like an independent shop in need of a lube tech, but one that maybe has a little more knowledge and some experience to help out with other more “mechanical” jobs. Do that for awhile, and if your growth gets stunted there, move on to the next place. You will likely make several moves before you become established, or accepted, as something more than a lube tech.
Dont forget the ASEs, they help the job search when you dont have a lot of experience.
Thanks guys for the replies, but don’t you have to have a minimum of two years shop experience first before you can get your ASE Certs?
I’ve taken and passed 2 ASE tests without having yet fulfilled my work experience. Cost me $120.
It still looks good on the resume.
yeah take the tests, you dont need 2 years to take a test, just to get the cert. you can still put the ase testing on your resume
Got my first official wrenching job at a buick dealership years ago by applying in person. not certs to speak of but hit it off with the service manager so he hired me on the spot for GS work. I have an outgoing personality ( though not a BS’r ) so that helped I am sure. after getting in I was able to partner up with the master tech there and got to do quite a lot more. worked in 4 other places in a five year period before leaving the industry. every place that I got hired at I applied in person. I think by applying in person you can ” sell yourself ” far better then an emailed app or resume .
hate to bust your bubble but today ASE is not worth a thing I drank the cool aid years ago and had a ASE master tech
Today ASE is nothing more than a money making for ASE it self I had techs come to my shop that had ASE certs and could NOT find their way out of a paper bag. Experience is the best teacher hands down and NO ASE test will ever help you
Today any employer that wants a ASE cert is nothing more than a rip off shop Now there I have said it and upset a few here but any one that has been in the business 40 years like me knows what I am talking about I tell every one I know STAY AWAY FORM A SHOP THAT HAS A ASE sign out front all it spells is RIP OFFI had somewhat of a self-styled mechanical background when I first hired on at a dealer. The service manager apparently thought he saw something so he put me to work as an apprentice. A few weeks later I asked for and got moved to flat rate.
As to certifications, I’m of the opinion they’re worthless scraps of paper designed to impress someone who is not a mechanic. Some places that paper will get you a bit more per hour or a ton of BS. It depends.
I fully agree with stingray66 about ASE. Some of the most incompetent and crookedest shops on Earth proudly display the ASE logo all over the place. One in particular here was an import shop that closed down after many succesful decades in business and I could write a short book on some of the bunk that I’ve seen come out of that place. AAA also said they were highly rated. Total BS diagnosis was routine and auto parts theft was the norm.
You also need to view anything you’re told by a service manager or independent shop owner with a heavy dose of skepticism.
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