Automotive News - June 10, 2019 - Bank of America - S6

Roll out the red carpet for hard-to-fill jobs

you successful in providing a mobile job application process
will make you one of the most successful dealers in hiring
the best people in the market.

Make it mobile

Consider flexible scheduling

Robinson points out that 70% of all job searches today
originate on a mobile phone. His suggestion:

Experts and business leaders agree that the stereotypical
dealership work hours - 9 to 9, plus weekends - make
those positions unappealing to many job seekers. That's
especially the case for millennials, applicants with young
families and women. "It's very weekend- and night-intense,
and that doesn't work for the female population because
of the responsibilities often borne by the females in a
household," says Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Marisa
Carnevale-Henderson. "It becomes more challenging
and difficult to hire and retain women." One option is
a system with more flexible scheduling - perhaps four
days on, three days off, or rotating weekends off, says
Fleming Ford of ESI Trends. But putting such a plan in
place often needs to go hand in hand with a shift away
from strictly commission-based pay. "You can't just do one
without the other," Ford says. "You have to put people first,
paying them a safe salary with incentives, so they feel
comfortable being away from the floor."

"Every dealer or
general manager
should pull out
their phone and
try to apply for a
job at their store."
Is it easy to do on a smartphone? If not, Robinson says:
"You need to change the way you're doing it. The dealership
should provide an exceptional 'shopping' experience for the
person shopping for a job. And all of the things that make

6

Recruiting tool

For some dealership jobs - receptionists, porters, even
salespeople - the supply of applicants often exceeds
demand. But the industry is suffering from a well-publicized
shortage of qualified technicians, for instance. When the
supply is so far below the demand, Robinson says: "You
have to opt for marketing and speed to get the best
candidates. Jobs are products that must be marketed, just
like vehicles are marketed. You have to put something
out there that differentiates your dealership - something
that will get that master technician to choose you." To get
the attention of those sought-after job candidates, make
sure you provide rich content and descriptions in your ads
and on your website and respond quickly to any applications
or emails. The red-carpet treatment lets job seekers know
you really want them. That includes reaching out to students
in historically minority high schools and colleges. "We have
to do a better job of getting more minorities to become
master technicians, and that happens when a student is
recruited, and sees a career map," says Damon Lester,
president of the National Association of Minority
Automobile Dealers (NAMAD).

70%

of job searches
occur on
smartphones
Automotive News - June 10, 2019 - Bank of America

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - June 10, 2019 - Bank of America
