Process in all facets of your dealership is the cornerstone of your success. Naturally areas that lack in this area will always suffer. We wanted to focus today on something that we normally don’t blog about but understand how critical it is to the evolution of your business and brand.
A hiring process is so critical as the industry averages in employee turnover remain consistent and somewhat high in certain segments. Does your dealership have a solid process of hiring in place? Every dealer principal knows that they’re most important asset is their team and well established, repeatable hiring process can help attract and build the best teams.
Beth Kempton of Hireology wrote this great blog post on what to review at the mid-year mark to ensure your dealership continues to have success when it comes to screening and assessing new talent for your business.
Beth recommends you look at your HIRING VELOCITY (also known as time to hire). This measures the time it takes from posting a job through offer acceptance. She explains that the longer a position goes unfilled, the more productivity is disrupted as current employees spend time covering for the open role. And, if your dealership takes too long to move candidates through your hiring process, you risk losing top candidates to other jobs – possibly with your competitors. Hireology’s research shows applicants reviewed and acted upon within 12 hours are more likely to be hired.
Understanding your store’s Hiring Velocity will help you see where you can improve your hiring process. Addressing areas of improvement sooner, rather than later, helps create an efficient, repeatable process to move candidates through your hiring funnels faster.
The other main point Beth makes in her post is PROCESS ADHERENCE. She recommends following a proven, repeatable hiring process ensures your team completes all hiring steps each time you have an open position. It’s pointed out that by skipping steps or rushing the process you may miss out on a desirable candidate or hire someone who becomes the dreaded “bad hire”. At your processes core, it’s important to ensure that ALL candidates get reviewed. Don’t be quick to hire the first person who stands out. Explore all options.
Beyond initial screening, it’s also critical that the other pillars of your process are met. Skill tests, background and reference checks should be completed with every applicant. Hold your managers accountable in ensuring that all steps are met. Just like understanding hiring velocity, it’s key to know if any of your departments are affecting the hiring process, and in turn, their team’s productivity, by skipping steps.
Whether your dealership is large or small, employs HR staff or not, it’s important to ensure that you have a repeatable hiring process in place. Take time to review it and ensure that all department heads champion it on behalf of the store. Your customer experience and continued success count on it.
