A leaner, more aggressive auto industry is making a comeback, hiring workers and ramping up manufacturing plants...do you know how to hire the right people?
Some otherwise brilliant auto dealership executives may be surprisingly ill-prepared to tackle the all-important business of hiring! They might manage small offices and, perhaps, up until now, have been lucky enough to know and trust the people they hire, i.e., relatives and/or friends -- individuals from inside their own parameters, their own comfort zone.
However, as their businesses grow, these dealers are almost certain to run out of family members or acquaintances when looking to fill open positions. When the inevitable occurs, small dealership managers will be dependent on a strange, often intimidating unknown for their staffing source: the outside world! They’ll quickly discover that it’s best to take plenty of precautions before hiring – and not base personnel decisions on their own gut feelings!
Managers of larger dealerships might also think a more formalized hiring system is unnecessary. Often, too many corporate bureaucracy layers yield complex problems and unexpected, time-driven emergencies within these organizations. Stringent hiring practices may seem impractical or too time-consuming. Corporate HR decision-makers' primary objective may be to find somebody -- anybody -- to quickly fill an open slot. A common myth often accepted as inarguable fact at large dealerships is that frequent employee turnover is normal and unavoidable, so it almost doesn’t matter who is hired – the logic being that he or she will probably leave soon anyway. Unfortunately, such a misguided theory fuels the fires of inefficiency and expense, compounding the already exasperating everyday problems these major dealerships face.
Regardless of how few or how many employees any manager oversees, the goal of leading trustworthy, capable, long-term, and well-suited staff members should be undertaken and achieved. List your needs and some reasons for those needs. This will help you set priorities and cause you to see your expectations and ideas' strengths or weaknesses in a more realistic light. Think about the specifics of your work environment. Is it fast-paced? If so, you have good reason to avoid hiring people who tell you they are “patient and systematic.” While such persistence and diligence may sometimes be thought of as admirable qualities, they are almost certain to become debilitating liabilities in a busy, highly charged atmosphere.
When you are ready to start looking to incorporate your next "A Player" on your team, consider this:
Once you’ve placed your ad and gotten responses from applicants, start weeding out the very obvious misfits. Whittle down your candidates to a small number that seems reasonable to you, but keep in mind that as you dig deeper into each person’s background, you may uncover more than just a few unpleasant surprises. Current research shows that 30 to 40 percent of all job applications and resumes include some false or inflated facts!
Consider performing a background check before allowing a total stranger to join your dealership. It’s something you owe not only to yourself but also to your existing employees. Incidents of violence and crime in the workplace are well documented and, unfortunately, no longer uncommon. Make sure there are no issues from an applicant’s past that make you uncomfortable. “Negligent hiring” is a term commonly used in today’s business world and can be alleged if an employer fails to exercise reasonable caution when choosing an employee. Courts increasingly hold employers financially and legally liable for illegal or violent action taken by employees not subjected to reasonable pre-employment screening.
It’s also wise to ensure your potential new employee possesses the skills needed to perform well for you. This can be done by administering proficiency tests that are job appropriate and designed to demonstrate abilities in typing, math, writing, or deductive reasoning. Don’t just assume that the person interviewing for your bookkeeping position is mathematically gifted. Sometimes, people who say they know how to make complex, formula-based calculations really don’t…surprise!
Once your applicant has cleared a background screening and proven his or her abilities, there is another assessment you may want to make. It’s a significant one -- a determination of your potential new employee’s compatibility with the proposed job and the proposed work team! If you’re looking to retain good, productive employees, make sure the people you hire fit the target's profile in mind for the job.
A behavioral assessment is not a pass or fail the test. Behavioral evaluations, determined by your applicant’s responses to a simple online questionnaire, are readily available and offer extensive insight regarding a person’s strengths, weaknesses, suitability to the job, and motivational hot buttons. A formalized hiring system needs to be implemented to avoid the expense, disappointment, and frustration that a misfit employee brings to a dealership.
Consider your own management style, and keep in mind that you’ll need to understand yourself before you can motivate and inspire others.
Do you micromanage, or do you expect subordinates to work independently?
Is your ideal employee one who consistently asks for your advice or one who makes solitary decisions?
Surround yourself with subordinates who mesh with your own work approach, and you’ll reap all the rewards that follow.
It is possible to lead a productive, cohesive, and loyal group, but to do so, you’ll need to know your own unique expectations then seek and find subordinates who can live up to them. Don’t just hire anybody! Demonstrate your excellence as a decision-maker and gain the notice of others within your organization. Take your management skills to new levels by employing workers who exceed expectations and rightfully deserve full membership to your team!
