If you’re looking for the ideal apprentice for your dealership, then the apprenticeship recruitment must be a carefully considered process. Like employing any member of staff, you need to be clear about the job you’re offering as well as the apprentice you’re looking for. We have many years’ experience recruiting and training apprentices for the automotive industry and there are a number of steps you can take to ensure you get the right apprentice for the job.
Create a job description
Writing a detailed job description will give you clarity about the type of apprentice you’re looking for. A job description tells a candidate what they will be expected to do and learn in their new role, their prospects for further development once they’re qualified and certified, as well as an indication of the qualifications and personal qualities they’re expected to have in order to be successful. The more detail you give, the easier it will be for good candidates to prove they’re right for the job, and the less likely it is that you’ll receive applications from unsuitable candidates. Job descriptions also enable you to show your brand’s personality, which is another useful way of attracting the type of candidates who are more likely to fit in with your company culture.
What are your candidates looking for?
If you want to recruit the best candidates, then make it clear what you are offering them. Good candidates are likely to be snapped up and may even get more than one job offer, so they may need more of an incentive to accept your offer as opposed to another. It’s not necessarily about money, although obviously the higher the salary the better as far as candidates are concerned. But many apprenticeship candidates will be looking for other aspects of the job such as career progression, further training, benefits, a supportive environment, company culture, etc, so make these clear if you want to attract high quality applications.
Don’t judge on qualifications alone
On paper, a candidate may look like the perfect fit for the apprenticeship you’re offering. However, how many GCSEs or A-Levels a person has doesn’t tell you the whole story. The best apprentices are typically passionate about what they do and are more than eager to learn as much as possible. These are the candidates who are much more likely to go above and beyond in the job because of their enthusiasm. There’s little point employing someone who isn’t fully committed – they’re the ones most likely to become bored and look for a different career sooner rather than later, and that will have wasted your time and money. Much better to take a bit more time training someone who’s more likely to not only become a more productive and skilled employee, but also someone who repays the support you give them by being a loyal member of staff, who’ll do a great job and contribute meaningfully to the success of your dealership.
Be proactive in your recruitment process
In addition to advertising your apprenticeship or registering a vacancy with Skillnet, there are a number of steps you could take to help you attract good apprenticeship candidates. For example, you could visit your local schools to talk to pupils about careers in the automotive industry, organise open days for teachers, parents and students so they can visit your dealership and discuss what’s involved. You could also offer traineeships, which are eight week unpaid placements for 16-18 year olds who want to learn more about the industry at the same time as upgrading their language and maths skills. There is no obligation to employ them as an apprentice at the end of their traineeship, but having worked with them and proved their value, many dealerships do.
If you would like help recruiting the perfect apprentice, Skillnet is able to offer considerable support. We have a comprehensive recruitment process and assessment of candidates which means we can provide a range of high quality candidates. Contact us to find out more.