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Dear Dealix,

Our dealership has a difficult time hiring the right people for the right jobs.

Our system for hiring people has been one that we have used for years, but it seems over the last several months we are not selecting the right people for the right positions. We initially thought it was a problem with just finding the right Internet personnel, but it goes for all facets of our dealership.

Any advice will help us out a whole bunch.

Thanks,

Charlie

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Dear Charlie,

Finding the right fit in all departments of a dealership is getting to be more and more difficult. There are always several candidates for the open positions, but finding the right person among those candidates is the challenge. In the old days, stores would judge the person by their previous job or their former dealership. These aspects alone determined how good of a hire they would be.

Today, dealers have to be more diligent in their hiring practices because of the human resource implications and the costs associated with hiring and training people. Dealers can't afford to invest in someone who is just going to blow out the door in three months. Moreover, the wear and tear on the department is a drain on the store's productivity. Kissing too many frogs that do not turn into princes is time consuming and very frustrating.

Personality Matters

The auto retail industry is starting to do their due diligence on finding the right candidates. More and more dealers are using Personality Index (PI) testing. Here are a couple examples of some popular PI tests.

• The Myers-Briggs Personality Index - A well-tested model of human behavior and decision making that categorizes people according to their tendencies in each of four behavioral characteristics.
• The Wonderlic Test - A fifty-question exam for employees in a wide range of occupations that assesses aptitude for learning a job and adapting to solve problems.

I also just took a test by Predictive Index® which can be used to improve performance and productivity of people at all levels of the organization.

In short, these tools can offer a great perspective on the candidate and highlight personality traits that are most conducive to the position being offered. Ultimately, doing this type of research upfront can also help you avoid turnover.

No Shortcuts: Be Thorough

In addition to these ideas, there are a few simple practices that anyone can employ to make good hiring decisions. The one step that is most often ignored is doing a thorough follow-up with the candidate's references. I know several dealer groups that were put together by a smooth talker. If they had simply followed up on the references listed and done a little extra research they may not have picked the wrong person.

Interviewing skills are also a must when several managers are involved in the hiring practice (and they should be). The concept that two heads are better than one works wonderfully here. Each person interviewing will have a different perspective on each candidate, allowing you even deeper insight into your potential hire. When you find common ground among all those involved in the hiring decision, you know you're making a thoughtful choice.

Charlie, I know I referenced a few tools and ideas that may seem either out of reach or time consuming. But, while I don't claim to be an H/R expert, I have interviewed thousands of candidates in several different areas – from paratroopers, administrative assistants, to General Managers. And, I know that I'd rather work hard upfront and keep my employees than to have a constant revolving door.

I hoped this has helped you in your efforts in finding great employees that stick!

Best regards,

Gilbert

Gilbert Chavez is a veteran in online automotive sales and is frequently contacted by dealers for advice and best practices on running a better Internet department. He regularly shares his responses to some of these questions with the Dealix Dealer Newsletter.