How to Hire and Train Repair Technicians

Finding good repair technicians is the hardest part of growing a repair shop. The talent pool is small, the best people are already employed, and a bad hire costs you months of lost productivity and customer trust. This guide covers where to find candidates, how to evaluate them, and how to build a training process that turns a decent technician into a great one.

Why Hiring Is Hard in the Repair Industry

Repair is a skilled trade, but it does not have a clear career pipeline the way plumbing or electrical work does. There is no standard certification. Most technicians learned by doing — fixing things in a garage, working at a manufacturer's service center, or picking it up as a side job.

• Small candidate pool. You are competing with manufacturers, field service companies, and independent shops for the same people.
• Skills vary wildly. Two "experienced" applicants can have completely different capabilities. One might rebuild motors in their sleep while the other can barely use a multimeter.
• Retention matters more than hiring. A technician who stays three years is worth more than three technicians who each stay one year.

Where to Find Candidates

Trade Schools and Community Colleges

Programs in small engine repair, electronics technology, or industrial maintenance produce graduates with foundational skills. Contact instructors directly — they know which students are serious.

Manufacturer Service Networks

DeWalt, Stihl, Husqvarna, and other manufacturers run authorized service center programs. Technicians leaving these networks are well-trained but may be burned out on warranty work.

Online Job Boards

Post on Indeed, Craigslist (still works for trades), and Facebook Jobs. Use specific titles — "Small Engine Repair Technician" pulls better candidates than "Repair Technician." Include pay range. Shops that hide compensation get fewer applicants.

Word of Mouth

Ask your existing team, suppliers, and contractor customers. Referral hires tend to last longer because someone vouched for them.

Competitors

Not poaching — but technicians leave shops for legitimate reasons. If someone applies from a competitor, ask why they are leaving. The answer tells you a lot.

What to Look For

Technical Skills (Testable)

Do not rely on resumes. Give every candidate a hands-on test:

• Diagnosis test. Hand them a broken tool with a known issue. Can they identify the problem in a reasonable time? Do they use a logical process or guess randomly?
• Repair test. Have them complete a straightforward repair — a brush replacement, a carburetor rebuild, a screen swap. Watch their technique, not just the result.
• Tool knowledge. Ask them to identify common parts and explain how specific mechanisms work. This separates people who fix things from people who replace assemblies without understanding them.

Soft Skills (Equally Important)

• Communication. Can they explain a repair to a non-technical customer? Technicians who cannot communicate create work for your front counter staff.
• Organization. Do they keep their workspace clean during the test? Disorganized technicians lose parts, miss steps, and slow down everyone around them.
• Attitude toward learning. New models, new tools, new techniques. A technician who stopped learning five years ago is already behind.

Compensation Structures

Hourly vs. Flat Rate

Most independent repair shops start with hourly pay plus a monthly bonus tied to completed repairs or revenue. This gives technicians a stable income while rewarding productivity.

Benefits That Matter

For a small shop, you may not offer health insurance on day one. But these low-cost perks help retention:

• Tool allowance. $500-1000/year toward personal tools.
• Training budget. Pay for manufacturer certifications or courses.
• Flexible schedule. Four 10-hour days instead of five 8s is popular in trades.
• Clear path to raises. A technician who knows they get a raise at 6 months and 12 months will wait it out instead of job-hopping.

Building a Training Process

Hiring is half the battle. The other half is getting a new technician productive without destroying your quality standards.

Week 1: Orientation

• Shop tour, safety protocols, tool locations
• Introduction to your repair management system (ticketing, status updates, customer communication)
• Shadow your best technician on 5-10 repairs
• No solo work yet

Weeks 2-3: Supervised Repairs

• Assign simple, low-risk repairs (routine maintenance, basic part replacements)
• Senior technician reviews every repair before it goes back to the customer
• Introduce your quality checklist — every repair should pass the same final inspection

Weeks 4-8: Increasing Independence

• Graduate to more complex repairs
• Reduce supervision from every job to spot checks
• Start tracking their repair times against your shop averages
• Weekly 15-minute check-in: what is going well, what is confusing

Ongoing

• Monthly team meetings to discuss tricky repairs and share knowledge
• Manufacturer training when available
• Rotate technicians across repair types to build versatility

Common Hiring Mistakes

Hiring for speed over quality. A fast technician who sends back sloppy work will cost you in warranty claims and lost customers. Prioritize people who do it right the first time.

Skipping the hands-on test. Interviews reveal personality. Only a bench test reveals skill. Never skip it.

No written expectations. If the technician does not know what "good" looks like in your shop — repair times, quality standards, communication expectations — they will default to whatever they did at their last job.

Waiting too long to let someone go. If a technician is not improving after 60 days of structured training, they probably will not. A clean, professional separation is better for everyone than months of frustration.

How Bench Supports Your Team

Managing multiple technicians gets complicated fast. Bench makes it easier:

• Technician assignment. Assign repairs to specific technicians and see each person's workload at a glance.
• Timer tracking. Track actual repair time per technician. Use the data for performance reviews, not micromanagement.
• Performance reports. See jobs completed, average repair time, and revenue per technician over any period.
• Role-based access. Technicians see their assigned repairs and can update statuses. They do not see pricing, customer financials, or admin settings.

Start With One Good Hire

You do not need to staff up all at once. Hire one technician, train them properly, let them prove themselves, then hire the next. A shop with two skilled, well-trained technicians will outperform a shop with four mediocre ones every time. Invest in the hiring process now and it pays dividends for years.