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When, why, & how to use a "Blind Ad"

Your shop should run like a good football strategy. Run the ball on the ground for the safest yardage gains and stay away from the “Hail Marys” if possible.

“Always Be Recruiting” is that safe, run the ball on the ground strategy that always brings in fresh resumes so we don’t have to panic hire. Can we panic hire/Hail Mary if we have to? Sure, but catching a good fit for your business in the Hail Mary mode will bring us the perfect candidate about as often as we would see Glenn Beck and Nancy Pelosi kissing.

So more employers are implementing the “Always Be Recruiting” process. And a lot of you who have been contemplating it have asked me how to constantly recruit without making the rest of your employees getting upset with you like Cleveland with LeBron James.

There are multiple ways to do it but we will discuss the “Blind Ad” method here.

One of my favorite, long-time clients was discussing setting up his “Always Be Recruiting” plans for his business. When I mentioned he needed blind ads, being the funny character he is, he asked if I was going to translate his ad text to Braille for him.

But actually he knew exactly what draws the worker bees like the Miami Heat draws in Super Stars. So he posted the following:

Opportunity and position information: $ign-On/Relocation for experienced Techs with drivability/electrical skills. Great opportunities for all other Techs as well and we are especially interested if YOU have great work ethics, and drive to be the best.

Why else consider us? How about:
  • 5 day work week
  • NO Saturdays or Sundays; our Techs make great pay without cutting into family or personal time
  • Modern shop
  • Well-maintained equipment
  • Plenty of room and lifts for our Techs
  • Well-lighted work areas
  • All the latest software and computer terminals in our shop
  • Professional Service Advisors who respect our Techs
  • Our customers trust our shop so we always have plenty of good business for our Techs year-round
  • $ign-On/Relocation for the right Techs, contact us for details!


*Even if YOU have never worked in an independent shop, we invite you to talk to us to find out more about our shop, our work and our area!

*Techs, NO warranty work here. Get paid fairly on EVERY job!

*Submit YOUR resume with confidence that all contacts with us are completely confidential. Do it TODAY by using [email protected]!


If you closely study his ad, you will notice that the text brings out all the important items job seekers would be looking for. However it does not give away who has the ad going.

Now for a note of caution that is VERY important here! I can’t tell you how many ads I see across the US in newspapers and the Internet where the employer intended the ad to be confidential or blind but the ads have something that is a dead giveaway of who is running the ad.

Here are a few items you MUST check in your blind ad to avoid blowing your cover:
  1. If you put a phone # on the ad, make sure it is your cell or some other phone # and NOT your business' phone number.
  2. If you have the job seekers/candidates respond to an email, make sure the mail is not a dead giveaway like [email protected] or [email protected] We see these on blind ads all the time
  3. Make sure whatever venue you use does NOT automatically drop your company’s name into the ad. We see this on newspapers and Craig’s list often
  4. Your address dropped into the ad or too much of a specific description of your biz like “Our family owned shop has been in business for 14 years” will give some Sherlock Holmes local job seeker enough information that could get you a call to your business like, “Hey, are you guys the ones running the ad for a Service Advisor in the newspaper?”


Any of the above could make you feel as foolish as Brett Favre taking a cell phone picture of his package and emailing it off. Ok, it would NEVER be THAT embarrassing ….. but you get the idea.

So remember, all of this is to help you to implement an “Always be Recruiting” strategy so you can run ground plays and stay away from the Hail Mary.

In the meantime, may your business continue to GROW, and always be recruiting! – Joe Henry

*Son of a former Mercedes and Studebaker dealer as well as an independent shop owner and fixed ops dealership manager, Joe Henry has had many successful years in the automotive, truck, tire and collision industries before founding ACT Auto/Truck/Tire Staffing in 1998. He can be reached at 1-800-489-0536 or visit www.ACTautostaffing.com
Joe Henry - Owner
ACT Auto/Truck/Tire/Collision Staffing


Links to other great articles: Why You Should be ALWAYS be Recruting | The Proper Use of $ign-On Bonus | If you think the workforce is unstable..