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Our goal with this
page is to give you insightful information with regard to
your Automotive Career.
We often talk in our office about a 10 foot long list of things we see people do
to either fail at an
interview or to derail a person's current job. After
25
years in business we have learned a lot
and are willing to share information for those of you who
wish to better your career.
STARTING
A NEW JOB WE PLACED YOU IN & TAKING NOTES
Once you've started your
new job you need to purchase a professional looking Notebook and take thorough
notes when your new Manager and Co-Workers give you training and directions on
how to accomplish certain tasks. Make sure they see you taking notes. Your new
Manager will be impressed and it will get you off to a positive start in more
ways than one. If you have to be told repeatedly how to do something you will be
endangering your job security. You should have sections including Computer
System, Policies and Procedures, Product Info, and other topics of everything
you are learning. Keep this Notebook in a safe place with your name and phone
number in it.
Include a section for "Daily To Do List" that you create in the
morning and update throughout your day. This will help to ensure you make it
through the critical start of a job and let your Manager and Co-Workers see that
you are willing to work smart to be a valuable part of the team. Hopefully you
will gain the benefits of steady employment and a steady paycheck. Life will be
good.
BUSINESS
CALL ETIQUETTE
Unless a call is
confidential always use your First and Last name. "Hi, this is Jane Smith
calling for Heidi please." It saves the person answering the phone from
having to ask over and over who is calling. We need to know exactly who we are
talking to in our business. We have more than one Jane we are working with.
FREE
TALK / THERE ISN'T ANY SUCH THING
So you just saw a guy / gal you know from a
previous job come into your dealership and interview. You
jump on the phone and call someone you know from where this person works.
"Hey, did you know John / Jane is over here interviewing?" That info
gets passed on throughout the dealership, hey it's just Free Talk right? But
then John who interviewed gets called into the GM's office and fired for looking
for a new job. John has a wife, a 3rd grade son and a 6th grade daughter. He has
now been fired, doesn't have a new job, they are hard to come by, and all
because of your Free Talk, only it wasn't free, it carried a high cost to John,
his wife and his two children. (Don't go out walking in a lightning storm and stay out of
crosswalks.)
DIDN'T
GET THE PROMOTION
We just placed a nice young person in a Receptionist position
in a luxury dealership. After about 3 months a position came open in her
dealership but they chose a longer term person. A couple of more months later
another position came open but she didn't get that one. So she quit, didn't call
us for advice, just blew out. Didn't get the promotion. Probably got a new dream
job where everything goes her way. Most likely not. She was working for great
people and a Dealer Principal who is loyal to his staff. There are opportunities
for advancement. Sure, she didn't get the first two, BUT there are opportunities
for advancement. This is a very bad career move. Call us, this is our 24th year
helping our customers with their careers. We like helping people and we've been
paying attention for 24 years. We know this stuff.
CALLING
ON MONDAY MORNING
We recommend not calling an Employer to see if "they hired
anyone yet?" It's Monday morning, everyone is getting up to speed on
emails, phone messages, business from last week, etc including us here at Car
People. We are getting up to speed as well and don't call our Hiring
Managers until later in the day. We don't have any new information. It's just
common courtesy to show patience on Monday and let everyone work and set the
tone for the rest of the week. Don't be one of those Monday morning callers.
LEAVE A JOB THE RIGHT WAY OR HURT YOUR CAREER: Don't Vent on your way out of a job. Even though it's for reasons that can lead to an emotional outburst, Don't Do It. There's a famous line out of the movie Top Gun where the Flight Commander tells Tom Cruise, "Son, you are writing checks your body can't cash." When you vent or are negative on your way out of a job you are Writing Checks Your Career Can't Cash. Your former employer is not going to give a reference which is taken as a negative or gives a negative reference and you miss out on a great job. Who knows when the next one will come up. Give 2 weeks notice and work hard those last two weeks. Stay positive. Do it for yourself and your career. Most Employers will respect the way you left and help you with references. The automotive community here is small and references are checked.
Successfully
Starting Your New Position:
Now
that you’ve worked so hard to land that position, it’s time to show the
employer that they made the best choice possible for the opening they needed to
fill.
If
we placed you in your new position, how you conduct yourself at work, your
attendance and your job performance, especially early on, has a direct
reflection on us and our ability to help you again. If your new position is not
a good fit please call us confidentially and let us know before quitting. If you
are having any other problems that are affecting your ability to make it to work
please let us know immediately. We can be of help in solving problems you are
experiencing at work or as a last resort help you move to another company. This
gives us a head start on finding a replacement for our employer customer as
well. Our confidence in helping you in the future will remain high.
Buy a Notebook for Taking Notes: Once
you've started your new job you need to purchase a professional looking Notebook
and take thorough notes when your new Manager and Co-Workers give you training
and directions on how to accomplish certain tasks. Make sure they see you taking
notes. Your new Manager will be impressed and it will get you off to a positive
start in more ways than one. You should have sections including Computer System,
Policies and Procedures, Product Info, and other topics of everything you are
learning. Keep this Notebook in a safe place with your name and phone number in
it.
Include a section for "Daily To Do List" that you create in the
morning and update throughout your day. This will help to ensure you make it
through the critical start of a job and let your Manager and Co-Workers see that
you are willing to work smart to be a valuable part of the team. Hopefully you
will gain the benefits of steady employment and a steady paycheck. Life will be
good.
Be on time everyday:
This only way to start a successful
relationship with your employer and co-workers.
Then if you are really sick or need a day for a family emergency it
won’t be a problem since everyone will know that you are dependable and are
gone for a good reason.
Take a positive attitude every day and every where you go at work:
Every customer
must be treated with a smile, greeted professionally, listened to
and provided the best service possible every time.
Around the office and even in the lunchroom or on breaks with a
co-worker, think about what you say. Negative
things have a way of getting around a lot faster than positive.
Keep things to yourself that bother you as no place is perfect. If
things are too bad or it’s an ethical matter go to management or give proper
notice and leave gracefully. If we placed you please call us and give us a heads
up. You call will be held in confidence.
Let
your Manager know that you want to be the Best Employee you can:
How they would like things done and what are their priorities for you
Ask your Manager their top 5 priorities; How you can contribute?:
Take good notes, review them and follow up on your progress.
At your review discuss the goals you have worked hard to accomplish.
It’s also important to take a note pad and working pen to each and
every meeting. Take good notes; if
there’s ever a misunderstanding refer to your notes and your Manager will be
much more likely to understand and know you made the mistake in good confidence.
Honestly tell your Manager that you appreciate their guidance and support:
Be open to constructive criticism and take direction.
You’ll benefit from this along with your co-workers and customers.
You are on the Employers time: You are being paid to do a
good job; what if you were paying someone to work for you!?
Be a team player; never think that you are “above” a certain job.
Every job is important, it may not always be what you like but don’t
complain it your work; positive behavior will pay off.
Professional Dress for the Work Place: You will be
treated more professionally in return, taken seriously, make customers
comfortable and will be considered for the right promotions in the future.
Image is important for future promotion considerations.
Here's what a New Car Dealer Principal has to say about Car People Oregon
“I
hired my long term General Manager through Car People to oversee my large auto
group. A year later I hired a top General Sales Manager
for
my flagship store. Since then
I have hired my Corporate Controller,
my most successful Service Manager and many office, service, parts,
body shop
and sales/finance management people. Car
People is thorough in checking a person's work history and references. As an applicant for a new job you
should be honest with them. If you are they will help you get interviews
as jobs open in the best dealerships in this area.“
(The GM
retired and the GSM is now the GM over the entire Auto Group. He's been there
since 1991. The Controller is still with the Auto Group.)
Work Related Tips that seem common sense but are repeated over and over.
Wade's Favorite:
Fight your own Fights: Don’t
get sucked into something you don’t even have an issue with. People try to get
other people on their “side” and you may not even know all the facts not
to mention it's not your problem. Focus
on your job and the employer you work for. If you do have an issue
don’t react right away, think of how you should respond. Sometimes just
letting some time go by is the best response.
Things look a lot different the next day once you've given yourself an evening
to cool off. Call Car People and we may be able to help you work out an
issue and stay gainfully employed and approach the issue in the most
professional way as you only have one career.
Turn off your Cell Phone / Do not use the Internet for personal
reasons:
Check messages on your break or at lunch.
If someone is having a true emergency they can call the business.
The computer at work is the businesses and You are on the Employers Time
at Work; even if they allow you to use the computer on breaks and lunch time
it’s not a good idea. Why put your
job at risk!
More coming soon.............................
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