The average job search in 2025 can take anywhere from a couple of days (if you’re lucky) to a few months. Looking for your next opportunity can be challenging. However, as a diesel mechanic, your skills are in high demand, which can make finding an employer a bit easier. 

Still, you don’t just want any job. You want a career where you can lean into your passions, develop professionally and do what you love every day in a supportive environment committed to your growth. That’s not too much to ask. 

That said, finding your best-fit situation and the right company for you is difficult.

There have never been more ways to find a new job, but what are the best ones? 

And, most importantly, where should you start? 

At RDO Equipment Co., we employ more than 1,000 full-time heavy equipment technicians in more than 12 states. Over the years, we’ve seen how the job-search process for technicians has changed in many ways — and stayed the same in others. 

In this article, we’ll outline eight practical ways to find a new job in your area — whether you live in Arizona, North Dakota or somewhere between. 

These tactics are:

• Take advantage of word-of-mouth
• Follow companies on social media
• Use job boards and company review sites
• Sign up for job alerts
• Attend job fairs and industry events
• Check company websites
• Use specialized recruitment agencies
• Use search engines

Take Advantage of Word of Mouth

Word of mouth is a massive driver of job changes among diesel technicians. Your network can be a powerful tool as you search for your next career. It’s very common for a technician to talk to friends or former colleagues about a company they’re considering.

In these scenarios, you can get a referral to that person’s company, connect with someone else they know and/or start the process of researching a suggested company. 

Here at RDO, we can attest to word-of-mouth’s immense effectiveness in finding an employer. In 2024, we hired over 50 technicians from word of mouth and referrals alone. 

We advise starting with your network as you search for your next opportunity. 

Ask around, where do people like working? Do you have anyone whose opinion you trust who knows of an opening? Start there.

Follow Companies on Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool for finding a job in your area. If you’re aware of companies you might want to work for, find them on your preferred social platform.

Businesses often post job updates when there’s a hiring need. This is also a good way to learn more about a potential employer, as they post company photos and culture updates. 

While you don’t necessarily have to follow them on everything, here are some platforms to consider: 

• Facebook
• Instagram
• X
• Threads
• TikTok
• LinkedIn

If you have an account, LinkedIn is a particularly strong option, as companies often host job listings on their profile. You can even apply directly on LinkedIn in some instances. 

Creating a LinkedIn profile is a good idea for your job search; you can research the hiring manager and your coworkers (if they have an account) and even message some of them to learn more about the company, job and culture.

Use Job Boards and Company Review Sites

Since the advent of the internet, hundreds of job boards have surfaced, displaying every company’s open roles. 

Websites like Indeed, Monster Jobs, Zip Recruiter and Career Builder give you the opportunity to find an open position in your area by filtering based on your location and the job titles you’re interested in. 

Make an account, and many of these websites will let you save your information and upload a resume to better match you with relevant jobs. 

Although a job board like Indeed hosts jobs accross industries and categories, there are some job boards that are more refined for positions in a subset of industries. 

AgHires, for example, focuses on connecting job seekers and employers within the agriculture industry. 

Company review sites, like Glassdoor, are also a good resource for your job search.

Often, these platforms allow you to sign up for company updates and may push you emails when new jobs you’d be interested in are available. This leads us into our next point.

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Sign Up For Job Alerts

These days, if you want it, you can get a nearly instantaneous notice when a company you’re interested in working for posts a new job. To help manage their jobs and candidates, employers use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

Though it varies, many ATSs let job seekers enter their information to receive an email when the company updates its job postings.

At RDO, our ATS lets people “activate job alerts for this search” when looking at jobs.

Beyond a company’s individual ATS. Job alerts can also be activated from the job boards themselves. This is a great way to get updates from various employers in your area. Sometimes, being an early applicant can help you get a job. So, if you’re actively searching, consider signing up for alerts. 

Attend Job Fairs and Industry Events

Job fairs and other events are a way for technicians to connect with employers in their area. Sometimes these events are hosted by a company, or through a local institution (like a job service agency or school).

Attending these kinds of events is a good way to figure out your options in the area.

Register for an event (there’s probably more than one per year), introduce yourself to the hiring team, tell them your background, give them your resume and go from there. 

Check Company Websites

Another good place to check for openings near you is on the websites of companies in your area.

In fact, this might be the place to secure a job the fastest since many companies post their jobs directly on their websites or ATSs first. 

Job boards and other services might not scrape these jobs immediately so the quickest way to find them is directly on the website itself. 

A company’s website is also a good place to find out more about their careers. For example, filling out a contact us form to inquire about upcoming openings is a good way to get ahead and express your interest.

Here’s our Careers Inquiry form if you’re interested.

Use Specialized Recruitment Agencies

Staffing agencies exist to connect job seekers (like you) with great employers — either on a contract or ongoing basis. There are some specialized recruitment agencies to help technicians find work. These companies — like Trillian Staffing and PeopleReady — can be found through a quick Google search.

Recruitment agencies have a network of companies they work with.

You can leverage these relationships to get your resume in front of these companies when they have a need. Make sure to do your research, particularly if the agency only specializes in contract work and you’re looking for a full-time position.

Use Search Engines

The final point on this list is a good one to highlight. Search engines (and AI large language models) can help you match with jobs in your area through searches like “service technician jobs near me,” “companies hiring diesel mechanics,” and “insert city/state diesel mechanic jobs.”

When you do this, you’ll receive all kinds of results, including search advertisements from companies who have paid for placements and listings pulled from job boards. 

It doesn’t matter which search tool you use, but Google, Bing, Yahoo and Duck Duck Go are the most popular.

Keep Your Career Moving Forward

You’ll probably have multiple employers throughout your mechanic career. Although it’s not necessarily a good idea to “job hop” as a technician, sometimes you know it’s time to move on from an employer. 

When this happens, plenty of tactics exist for finding a new company. This includes word of mouth, social media, job boards, company websites and search engines. 

As time passes, your goal is to look back on the trajectory of your career with pride at how far you’ve come. Finding a new job in your area efficiently is a great way to do this. 

For more tips on how to build a career you’re proud of, read “6 Tips for Advancing Your Career as a Diesel Mechanic.”

Join RDO Equipment Co. in Your Area as a Service Technician

As you go through the process of looking for a new job, consider RDO. We’re proud to offer industry-leading opportunities for service technicians across 12 states. If you’re looking for a company where your ambition will be rewarded with opportunities and support, view our open positions.