He nailed the interview. Then he couldn't change oil.

Most shop owners interview technicians the same way every other employer does.

Sit down. Ask questions. Shake hands. Hope for the best.

Then three weeks later they're wondering why the guy who "nailed the interview" can't balance a tire without fumbling around like he's never seen a wheel weight.

You've heard me call it "all hat, no cattle." (hat tip to my Texas friends!)

They talk a great game. They've practiced their answers. They might even sound like they wrote the ASE study guide.

But talking about fixing cars and actually fixing cars are two very different things.

That's why the best shops I know don't just interview. They invite candidates to work.

And the ones who do it well make it feel like the easiest, most natural thing in the world. No pressure. No weird tests. Just one simple line:

👉"If you ever want to see what a day feels like here, we'll pay you for your time."

That one sentence does three things at once. It shows respect. It removes risk. And it tells the technician everything they need to know about who you are as a shop owner.

The shops that run even a one-day working interview? They hire faster. They hire better. And they almost completely eliminate the "bad hire" that looked great on paper.

The ones who do a three-day working interview? Phenomenal results. Almost zero regrets.

You get to see if they show up on time. Come back from lunch on time. Whether they actually know their way around a bay — or just know their way around an interview.

Stop hoping your gut feeling is right.

Let the work speak for itself.

By-the-way...

This works for techs on your bench too.

Have you been keeping in touch with a tech for a year or two with no forward momentum?

Shoot them a quick text with that simple sentence and see what happens.

Here it is again so you don't forget:

👉"If you ever want to see what a day feels like here, we'll pay you for your time."

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