Hiring and retaining quality employees is a challenge for many automotive dealerships. According to a recent survey, 55% of dealerships are still struggling with staffing.

One of the biggest mistakes dealerships make is hiring for skills alone and not considering behavior. This can lead to poor performance, a bad attitude, and ultimately, a poor fit for the dealership’s culture. Hiring for behavior is important, however dealerships can focus on both skills and behavior to hire and retain quality employees.

 

Dealerships May Hire for Skills, But Fire for Behavior

While a candidate may have the necessary skills for the job, their attitude or work ethic may not be a good fit for the dealership’s culture. This can lead to poor performance, low morale, and high turnover rates. Hiring for behavior means looking beyond skills and considering a candidate’s attitude, work ethic, and values. This can help dealerships find employees who are a good fit for the dealership’s culture and who are more likely to stay with the company long-term.

 

How to Hire for Both Skills and Behavior

To hire for both skills and behavior, dealerships may need to reconsider their hiring practices. Here are some tips for hiring for both skills and behavior:

  1. Reconsider Your Hiring Practices: Dealerships may need to rethink their hiring practices to focus on both skills and behavior. This may mean changing the interview process, using behavioral interview questions, and considering personality assessments.
  2. Train Hiring Managers to Succeed: Hiring managers may need training to identify candidates who are a good fit for the dealership’s culture. This may include training on behavioral interviewing techniques and how to evaluate a candidate’s attitude and work ethic.
  3. Plan for the Interview: Planning for the interview can help dealerships focus on both skills and behavior. This may include preparing a list of behavioral interview questions and evaluating a candidate’s responses based on their attitude and work ethic.
  4. Master the Interview: Mastering the interview means evaluating a candidate’s skills and behavior. This may include using a combination of behavioral interview questions, personality assessments, and skills assessments to evaluate a candidate’s fit for the dealership’s culture.

By focusing on both skills and behavior, dealerships can hire and retain quality employees who are a good fit for the dealership’s culture. This can lead to higher morale, better performance, and lower turnover rates.

 

Conclusion

Hiring for behavior is just as important as hiring for skills. Dealerships that focus on both skills and behavior can hire and retain quality employees who are a good fit for the dealership’s culture. To do this, dealerships may need to reconsider their hiring practices, train hiring managers to succeed, plan for the interview, and master the interview. By doing so, dealerships can improve their hiring process and find quality employees who will stay with the company long-term.

 

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