If it’s any consolation, body shops aren’t the only repair businesses struggling to find skilled technicians.

On the mechanical side, shops are facing the same challenge.

“I can still remember the days when it was just a matter of putting an ad in the paper and a host of interviews would be forthcoming,” laments Tom Palermo in an article for Shop Owner, a sister publication of BodyShop Business.

For collision and mechanical repair shops, the days of luring skilled techs with a classified ad might be gone. But Palermo asserts that “it’s not as bad as you think.” Recruiting, networking and being open to creative approaches can go a long way toward priming the pipeline of job candidates, Palermo says.

Although Palermo’s article is geared toward mechanical repair shops, it contains some salient points that could benefit collision repairers as well.

For more, read “Technician Shortage Fueled by Lack of Knowledge About Automotive Career Opportunities.”