New websites and programs are targeting auto retail industry
A dealership is only as strong as its people. From sales people to service technicians, hiring the right employees can be a challenging process, one that requires an investment in time and long-term thinking.
Having the right hires is the key to a successful dealership and finding the best people can be easy if you know what to do.
Hiring the wrong employee is costly not only for your workplace but for your own time as well. All too often, retailers such as dealerships suffer from high turnover rates. So, what should you do if you find that your dealership is turning into a revolving door of new faces?
The first step is to find a way to find the right people for the right jobs, and that process starts at recruitment and where you place your job postings.
In British Columbia, the BC Auto Careers job board is designed specifically for people looking for jobs within the auto industry. Posting a position on popular job boards like Kijiji and Craigslist will no doubt yield more applications, but ultimately, you are attracting applicants who are browsing auto careers among many other options.
Having one applicant who is passionate about the auto industry is more valuable than having ten applicants who are only interested in the short-term, and an effective job site could filter those who are unsuitable for the position.
An effective job site would also streamline candidates to their appropriate job posting. On the BC Auto Careers job site, for example, candidates can select from postings across different specialisms within the auto industry such as administrative, sales, technical, management or trades.
Take the time to provide an honest and detailed job description — this will help job seekers evaluate themselves and decide whether they are a right fit for the job. Try to give as much detail as possible, and always link back to a company career page.
The quality of your job posting and application process will impact the ability of job seekers to find the opportunity that fits their background and influence their decision to fill out an application.
Ideally, the company career page should give the job seeker more information about what it’s like to work at your dealership. Your website should be a good representation of your dealership’s workplace culture and showcase any career development opportunities.
Just like how the applicant needs to give a good first impression during the interview, the dealership needs to give a good first impression during the recruitment process in order to attract the best people.
The quality of your job posting and application process will impact the ability of job seekers to find the opportunity that fits their background and influence their decision to fill out an application.
Once you have the right applicants, the next step is to develop a well-defined hiring process. Make sure to provide the hiring manager with consistent guides and templates to evaluate candidates fairly and thoroughly.
Keep the best people by creating the best environment for them to thrive in. The onboarding process is really the beginning of the retention process. The dealership should be aiding the new employee to get them started off on the right foot — making them more productive, faster.
The best employees are the ones who become embedded in their jobs, and dealerships can create that sense of community by providing mentors and fostering cohesiveness.
The key lies in the recruitment process and making sure that your job posting is being seen by the right eyes. To that end, a valuable resource can be found at: http://bcautocareers.com. The site provides a great deal of information about career options in the automotive sector along with a full range of job postings in a variety of fields, including administration, sales, technician and management.
On the national front, CADA has spearheaded a national Auto Career Start program that is important to highlight at: https://autocareerstart.com. The aim of the program is to attract more people to careers in the automotive retail industry and a key component is a national job board for prospective employees to seek jobs at any dealership across the country. Please check it out!
