Hiring Out of Desperation
None of us want to admit that we hire out of desperation. However, there isn’t a single dealership out there that hasn’t done it at one point or another. Perhaps it’s coming off the back of a bad month of sales, or maybe it was a reaction to an especially busy Saturday where customers were everywhere but not enough staff to help them. The goal of the hire is always made with the best intentions, but many dealers quickly see their desperation hire end up being costly, hurting morale, and diminishing profitability. It’s clear that hiring decisions born out of desperation and frustration are never made through a clear and well considered process. Does this sound familiar?
How to Fix Your Hiring Process
The smartest employers recruit from a pre-qualified candidate pool long before the need to fill a job arises. It may seem counterintuitive, but this practice works in numerous different industries! Think of it this way, the best time to dig a well is before you’re actually thirsty. If you start digging for water when you need water, then you are going to make some rash decisions. In the same way, it’s a good idea to always keep your hiring well as full as possible. This allows you to develop relationships with potential candidates long before you have a need for them. Having that candidate well or dealer pool is one of the most important steps in finding qualified candidates. I refer to this as the talent pool, and there are several ways to quickly fill that pool and keep it consistently full.
How to Find Quality Candidates
When filling this pool, dealers must have a unique and powerful message. You may know it as a job description. While this seems like a no brainer, you would be shocked at how many dealers get this foundational aspect of recruiting wrong. This is the place where you have the opportunity to tell your story, and even more importantly, to make your company an attractive option to potential candidates. Sure, it’s always important to list the job requirements of the position, and the skill sets your looking for in your company, but if you really are looking for an above average candidate, you must take a deeper dive! Hiring in retail automotive is extremely competitive in this marketplace, especially for the real talent.
It’s no secret the talent pool in the automotive industry is shrinking. Let’s face it, talented millennials that are looking to work long hours on commissions, for 6 days a week are hard to come by. The labor force of this generation is different, and the challenge to dealership’s is to find a better way. Maybe it’s time for your store, or group, to take a hard look at how you structure hours and pay for this young generation of potential talent.
When it comes time for your team to expand, make sure your job description sparkles with personality. Remember, the goal of this description is to help your potential candidate think “this organization is for me”, or “I have to give these guys a call.” While other job ads will blend into the masses with various bulleted lists of required skills, and daily tasks required of the job, your description is busy being noticed. Make a human connection, and you will quickly see the quality of your candidates rise.
If you do this consistently, you will start to label your business as an employer of choice. Making all your future hires easier than the one before. How you handle the hiring process has so much to do with your reputation as a dealer because being an employer of choice is a powerful tool in attracting top talent.
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Additionally, we would love to hear about your experiences with hiring for your dealership! Add a comment or a question below, and we would be happy to discuss hiring with you.