Categories
Dealership Recruiting

Interviewing 101

Contributing Author:
Amber Hash
Recruiting Manager
EFG Companies

Have you found yourself wondering what happened to that stellar candidate who came in for the job interview? They were impressive in the interview, so why are they not measuring up on the job?

This scenario happens because some people are just better at interviews than others. It could be that you find yourself passing on potentially top-performing employees and hiring less apt candidates, all due to the interview.

So, as an employer, what are you to do? Approach an interview the same way you would approach a needs analysis with a potential customer.

First, put the candidate at ease with some small talk and set expectations on the interview itself, including timing. This step helps those people who are nervous interviewers. Putting them at ease will help them open up about their experience and what they can bring to the table.

Then, ask behavioral questions. Again, let’s go back to the needs analysis with a customer. Those questions typically revolve around driving habits and lifestyle, i.e., behavior. The same thing applies in a job interview. Ask candidates for examples of goals they reached and how they achieved those goals. Have them describe a stressful situation, or a situation where they made a mistake at work and how they handled it. Ask them if they’ve ever been in a situation where they needed to change a person’s mind, and how they achieved that change.

Categories
Dealer Marketing Dealership Marketing Dealership Recruiting

Time to Get Y-lingual® with Your Brand

Eric Fifield Executive Vice President EFG Companies
Contributing Author:
Eric Fifield
Chief Sales Officer
EFG Companies

Did you know that Baby Boomers are no longer the largest generation in the U.S. workforce? As of this year, Millennials (or Generation Y) have taken that spot according to the Center for Generational Kinetics. This also means that Millennials are now the largest generation of consumers.

If you remember the headlines from a couple years ago, everyone in the auto industry was concerned with Millennials simply not wanting to buy vehicles. Headlines abounded with articles discussing the migration to urban centers with walkable commutes, the rise of ride sharing, and the “inevitable” doom of personal ownership. All these fears turned out to be unfounded when it turned out that the reason Millennials weren’t purchasing vehicles was not because they weren’t interested in owning their own vehicle, but rather because they simply couldn’t afford the purchase.

Now, however, times are changing. This demographic is getting older and settling into careers. Their debt-to-income ratio is becoming more balanced. However, that’s not to say that this demographic is as well off as their Baby Boomer parents were at the same age. According to Northwestern Mutual’s 2018 Planning & Progress Study, those Millennials between the ages of 25 and 34 have an average of $42,000 in debt. In addition, more than 44 million Americans are saddled with student loan debt averaging $33,000.

Categories
Dealership Recruiting Dealership Training

Tips for Keeping Your Top Performers

Amber Hash, RecruiterAccording to the 2014 Dealership Workforce Industry Report, dealership employment grew 3.4 percent and topped 1 million people last year, with median weekly earnings of $976. However, turnover is still taking a toll on dealership overhead, with an average rate of 36 percent.

As you re-evaluate your operations going into 2015, you are probably asking yourself how to address turnover in your dealership. After investing time and money into recruiting, training, and ramping up your employees, the last thing you want is to lose that investment to high turnover.

Maintaining and retaining a staff of high performers always starts with recruiting. When identifying the type of person you want for a given position, set up a model that extends beyond experience and education and considers the qualities, work styles and strengths of Top Performers in the position for which you are sourcing candidates. Then stick to that model during your candidate selection process.

Ryan Musgrove, Director of Training, EFG CompaniesHowever, in order to truly woo Top Performers, dealers need to think beyond how much they are willing to pay in commissions, to how they will provide a career path to recruits. For today’s job seekers, the opportunity to advance is just as important as their paycheck. A good career path does more than simply list off the hierarchy of job roles in your dealership, but also clarifies benchmarks and career goal metrics for employees to be considered for promotion.

Once you’ve hired quality talent, cultivating and retaining your Top Performers becomes the primary objective. This process begins with providing your team with the tools to succeed through training and mentoring. The most successful dealerships are those with a culture that encourages education and mentorship, and fosters a community where your team members support one another.

If you have a person placed in a position where they are not succeeding, consider whether they would fit better in a different position or if more training and follow-up is required. For those that are succeeding and providing the dealership with significant income, don’t get “sticker shock” when you see their commission check.

The number one reason why good sales managers and F&I producers are recruited out of a dealership is because their pay plan was changed, resulting in less take-home pay. When creating your job descriptions, determine a pay plan for each position based on percentages you are willing to pay. Then stick with that pay plan when your people succeed. If an F&I producer is taking home a fat check, that means the dealership is making that much more.

Lastly, take account of the work/life balance of your employees, especially if you are looking to hire young talent. Generation Y has repeatedly stipulated that they want to be a part of an organization that is about more than making money, and that provides a good work/life balance. According to NADA’s 2014 Dealership Workforce Study, dealerships are seeing an increase of Generation Y employees, which they attribute to across-the-board cuts in dealership hours, as only 13 percent of dealerships surveyed schedule sales consultants to work more than 50 hours.

While this might make you cringe, think about productivity in a different way. Numerous studies have demonstrated that employees who live full lives tend to also be the most productive employees. Work/life balance does not have to mean complete flexibility for every employee, but rather tailored to individual dealerships and their respective cultures. Good work/life balance programs have the potential to:

  • Increase employee retention
  • Improve morale
  • Reduce absenteeism
  • Increase engagement and productivity
  • Decrease stress and burnout

With almost 40 years of experience in automotive retail team development, EFG Companies knows how to cultivate a culture of success within your dealership. Our recruiting services team has conducted extensive, proprietary research to identify core qualities of Top Performers. With our Top Performer Profile, our recruiting experts can match individuals whose personality characteristics and work style will make them successful in the retail automotive space. Meanwhile, our training services team goes beyond traditional methodologies that temporarily fuel sales teams without changing culture, behaviors and attitudes for sustainable benefit. We are a team dedicated to identifying and changing behaviors to transport teams into Top Performers. Find out how today!