‘One stop hiring shop’ makes it easier for mechanics to join Metro

Interested in being a transit mechanic, with a pay range from $88,732.80 – $110,926.40 annually, depending on experience?  Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 and Metro’s next one-day hiring events for transit mechanics take place Wednesday, Feb. 21 and Thursday, Feb. 22.  Here’s information about the position and how to apply.

The candidates who came to King County Metro’s hiring fair in December were looking to turn their skills into a job with great benefits and room for advancement. These mechanics were taking part in a hiring fair for vehicle maintenance technicians. Many of the candidates secured a same-day conditional offer of employment. In the past, the hiring process was often slower and less friendly to applicants.

“We have reduced a process that could take up to 12 weeks to four weeks, which in a competitive market is vital,” said Larry Ward, Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor at Metro’s Ryerson Base. “When a candidate arrives, the system we now have in place takes what in the past was an eight-step process and puts it all in one location—testing, interviews and pre-employment.”

The candidates at the fair had applied online and were invited to come take part in the application process. They rotated through stations for skill and knowledge tests. Those who passed then sat down for an interview by a three-person panel. If the panel was satisfied with their knowledge, candidates received a verbal offer and began the pre-employment process, which includes a drug test. If no issues are raised during the pre-employment process, the candidate receives a formal employment offer and begins work in their new position.

Ward said that in the past, the gaps in the multi-step hiring method meant the possibility of losing candidates to other businesses seeking mechanics. “From the posting of the job, to receiving applications, the testing, that took time,” Ward said. “We could lose a candidate because as they were waiting to get the results of their test and be scheduled for the next step in the process, they could get an offer from another business.”

The new process means if a candidate has the skills Metro needs, they’re leaving the one-day job fair with an offer of employment.

This method also allows for more interpersonal interaction between Metro and candidates, which provides an opportunity to assist those who come up short. Candidates who score below the standard on the written and skills test are not allowed to advance but can retest in 6 months. Ward says this new system allows for more one-on-one time to discuss what they need to work on before they test again.

“We now see scores practically in real time,” said Vehicle Maintenance Chief Steve Blackwell. “We also can tell those candidates not going forward what they can work on before they leave. We keep it positive, and those who have come back say the feedback they receive is important to have.”

Streamlining the process took collaboration from several Metro teams: Base Operations, Fleet Engineering, Human Resources and Vehicle Maintenance. Ward said a total of 23 people from the teams that are involved in hiring were all on site in the same day to help with the recruitment process, instead of working throughout various locations and over multiple weeks.

Eleven candidates left the job fair with a conditional offer, and Metro is on the lookout to add more. “If we had 25 candidates, we would take them all!” said Ward.

Are you a looking at becoming a transit operator, or another position at Metro? We’re hiring at Metro Careers.