Too often, as business owners, we fall into the trap of making emergency or reactive hires. It’s that feeling of urgency. Your star teammate just put in their notice, or you're struggling to keep up with demand, and suddenly, anyone with a pulse or the right certifications or the right experience seems like the answer. It’s easy to see them as a "can't live without them" savior candidate. But the reality is that rushing to hire based on qualifications alone can be incredibly costly. A bad hire doesn't just hurt productivity; it impacts team morale, disrupts customer experience, and ultimately can cost far more in turnover and lost opportunities.
The best organizations don't just look at what's on paper. They know that real success comes from building a strong team dynamic and fostering an amazing culture. Organizations that usually win are the organizations that focus on finding people who fit into their culture—those who embody the same values and want to be part of something bigger. When your hiring process emphasizes selectivity and cultural fit, you’re investing in the long-term success of your team and, ultimately, your business.
I recently read an article entitled "The Best Companies Purposely Make It Hard to Get Hired" by John DiJulius. The article gave great insight into how some of the most effective organizations prioritized cultural fit and patience in the recruiting process over simple talent evaluation. The insights mirrored and highlighted some of the same lessons I've learned over my years in the industry. I’d like to share some key insights from that article and some of the parallel lessons I’ve learned while gaining experience in hiring great team members.
The best companies make it hard to get hired. They understand that every new employee is either a step forward or a potential step backward for their culture. This is especially true in our industry, where each new hire must be equipped with technical skills and the ability to drive a great customer experience while contributing to team morale.
The Importance of Selectivity
In his article, DiJulius argues that existing employees deserve their environment and team to be protected, which means being highly selective about new hires. This is crucial for shop owners, leaders, and hiring managers to understand. Unlike many businesses that might rush to fill a vacancy, great organizations understand that the right candidate should “earn” their way onto the team. Make candidates work through multiple stages of an evaluation process like group interviews, one-on-one chats, and even an observation to ensure they're not just looking for the “best deal” but genuinely want to be a part of your journey.
Creating an “Un-Gameable Hiring Process”
Many candidates can breeze through typical interviews because they've practiced perfect answers to common questions like “Tell me about your best qualities?” or “What would your co-workers say about you?”. Instead, follow a process that’s harder to "game” by asking unexpected questions or take candidates down unrehearsed paths, where they have to think on their feet. Two of my favorite questions are: “Describe a time when you had to handle a tough customer. How did you handle the situation, and what was the outcome?” or “Tell me about a situation where you had a customer return after a visit with what they thought was a related issue. What was the situation and how did you approach it?” In an industry as hands-on as ours, what you see in an interview should align with what you expect to get in the shop.
Group Interviews to Evaluate Team Fit
DiJulius advocates starting with group interviews. This method not only saves time but reveals a lot about a candidate's engagement. This might seem counterintuitive or just plain odd, but imagine several applicants in a group setting. Are they genuinely interested when others speak? Are they nodding along, listening actively, or getting distracted? I’ve used this approach myself, and it is amazing to see what the group environment can reveal about a candidate. I’ve also experienced that a bit of competition in the interview process reveals a candidate's competitiveness and confidence. It’s human nature to want something that someone else also wants. A desire-to-win attitude is certainly a characteristic I appreciate in my business.
The Five Es: Engagement and Customer Focus
To identify candidates who will thrive in a customer-centric environment, DiJulius describes "the Five Es"—eye contact, ear-to-ear smiles, enthusiasm, engagement, and educated answers. Why is it important to observe this in a candidate? It likely translates to how a candidate will interact with both teammates and customers. Imagine a scenario where the candidate would interact with a potentially frustrated customer. Do their mannerisms and body language indicate they’d be enthusiastic, understanding, and committed to helping in the situation? Anyone involved in the interview process should keep a score on these "Five Es" displayed during interviews to gauge what their natural inclination for customer care or team interactions might be.
Observation Days: The Ultimate Test of Fit
DiJulius’s idea of an observation day offers a powerful way to ensure candidates are right for your culture. For an auto repair shop, this could mean inviting a potential hire to spend a day observing operations—checking how they interact with technicians, advisors, and even customers. Observation allows both the shop and the candidate to see if there's a natural connection.
My shop has always practiced what we call the “working interview.” Once we narrow a candidate pool to a couple of our top candidates, we bring them back individually to spend a couple of hours with the team in the environment. This is not necessarily to have them demonstrate skills or “do the job” but more to have them interact with the team. The team learns about and interacts with them while they gauge the team, the culture, and our process flow. I can say that this step alone has probably been the most valuable of our interview process in identifying the right fit. On more than one occasion, who we thought was our “top prospect” going into the working interview was eliminated by the team or passed by another candidate who passed the team’s “smell test.” Getting input from your existing team helps everyone feel responsible for the company’s environment.
Kissing Up vs. Kicking Down
DeJulius also talks about "kissing up versus kicking down"—observing whether a candidate is respectful to everyone they interact with, regardless of their perceived importance. In an auto repair environment, this could mean watching how a candidate treats everyone, from a junior technician to the receptionist. Respect must be a core value throughout your organization. We actually experienced this ourselves during the “working interview” portion of the interview process. We had what I thought was an AMAZING sales manager candidate who had come through the interview portion of the process with flying colors. I almost jumped the working interview as I felt an urgency to lock the candidate down before they were hired from underneath us. I didn’t, and thank goodness. The team reported to a person that my star prospect was rude and arrogant. Apparently, he felt confident enough to share how he would “run the department” once he was in charge. We didn’t hire the guy; he landed with a competitor and did some serious damage in the short time he was with them. My team and the process saved us from what would surely have been a disastrous hire. It was my lesson on the value of the process and the value of my team being front and center in the decision process.
The cost of a bad hire is far greater than most of us realize—lost time, lost morale, and the impact on customer experience all add up. The truth is that the best organizations don’t leave hiring to chance. They understand that every team member is either a building block of success or a potential crack in the foundation. By taking the time to evaluate not just skills but values, engagement, and cultural fit, you can transform your business into one that not only delivers quality work but thrives as a cohesive, motivated unit.
It's time to reframe how we think about talent evaluation. Let’s focus less on filling a position quickly and more on finding the right people to enrich our culture, elevate our service, and help us grow stronger together. Commit to making your hiring process intentional and demanding—because the rewards for both your team and your customers will be well worth the effort.
