Interviewing for a new job can be nerve racking and take up a lot of personal time. King County Metro’s new creative way of transforming the hiring process provides a much more user-friendly and efficient approach to both the candidate and the employer. Despite many hiring efforts, there have been more than 40 open mechanic positions in the Vehicle Maintenance Division of King County Metro for multiple years. Now, those open positions are all filled in large part due to the new hiring fairs hosted by Metro.

On October 31 – November 1, 2023, Metro held the first-of-a-kind job fair for vehicle maintenance technicians. This first event brought in 22 candidates and 11 of them secured a same-day conditional offer of employment. In the past, the hiring process was often much slower and less friendly to applicants.

The job fair consists of candidates that had applied online and were invited to take part in this part of the application process. Candidates rotate through stations for skill and knowledge tests. Those who pass then sit down for an interview by a three-person panel. If the panel is satisfied with their knowledge, candidates receive a verbal offer and begin the pre-employment process. If no issues are raised during the pre-employment process, the candidate receives a formal employment offer and begins work in their new position. 

“We have reduced a process that could take up to 12 weeks to six 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 new process means if a candidate has the skills Metro needs, they’re leaving the one-day job fair with an offer of employment. The more traditional hiring process can take a long time due the multi-step method, which is a challenge because of the possibility of losing candidates to other organizations. “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,” said Ward.

This new method is not only more efficient, but it also provides a more interpersonal approach for candidates and Metro. Candidates who score below the standard on the written and skills test are not allowed to advance but can retest in six months. This new system allows for more one-on-one time to discuss what they need to work on before they test again. Having this knowledge is invaluable to a candidate and provides a more personal, supportive, and proactive experience. This also showcases the King County True North and values from the very beginning of the process.

Attracting and retaining mechanics at Metro is critical. Metro’s fleet needs regular repairs and maintenance and the team have been short-staffed for a few years. Having the ability to fill open positions in an efficient way by utilizing this new approach has proven to be a great solution.

So far Metro has hosted six hiring fairs with one more scheduled for the Spring of 2024. All of Metro’s career opportunities can be found 24/7 at kingcounty.gov/MetroCareers.