Dealers often tell us one of their biggest challenges is finding good employees, especially service techs, and how this dilemma is limiting their growth.

The demand for good employees is reflected on one online job and recruiting resource, AgCareers.com, which says it had a 15% increase in the number of jobs posted on the site in 2014.

A survey from AgCareers.com gives you a peek into the minds of potential job seekers — what they value most and what they are willing to give up to get the job they want.

Two critical factors, location and salary, could work in your favor. For instance, 49% said they were willing to relocate for a job and 39% answered “maybe” in terms of relocating. So, if you’re concerned about the lack of qualified prospects in your area, don't be. That outstanding employee may move if you offer what they want.

And, salary isn’t the number one factor when choosing to leave one job for another — opportunity for career advancement is. Small dealerships may have an advantage, because new employees won’t have to wade through layer after layer of management to get a position of more responsibility.

Check out this list of what would motivate someone to leave their position for another. The rankings are on a scale of 1-4, with 1 being very unlikely and 4 being very likely.

Once you have them, keeping them is another challenge. The survey found that among employed respondents, 17% were exploring other job opportunities on a daily basis and 30% of them were doing so while they were at work. What influences an employee to stay or go? You, the boss. The survey found this: “Employees’ relationship with their supervisor/boss can be a make or break component in retention. When we look closer at the extreme levels of satisfaction, candidates not interested or not searching were very satisfied with their supervisor/boss, while candidates thinking about changing jobs or actively looking were very unsatisfied with their supervisor/boss.”

This all means you have some work to do when you post your next job. A list of required skills, salary and benefits is a must, but so is an explanation about the future you can offer an employee. And, describe your culture to clue job seekers into what it’s like to work for you. Honesty is always best. For instance, if your dealership is fast-paced and your team works closely together on a daily basis, say so. The match is what’s most important, so don’t fake a company culture.

Finally, if the growth of your company depends on expanding your team, now’s the time to set some goals to achieve by year end, so your team is ready to go for 2016.