Why automotive retailers should run recruitment days in 2022

It is imperative for a dealerships success that when vacancies come up, the best possible candidate is hired. Even more so in 2022 after the Office for National Statistics reported that job vacancies in the UK were at an all-time high in 2021.

The traditional recruitment process in many industries begins with sifting through CVs and cover letters then selecting the ones that stand out to invite for an interview. Then, the interview consists of the candidate and hiring manager sitting across a table from each other for about an hour where the candidate answers a series of questions which the hiring manager uses to decide which candidate to hire. Whilst it is a tried and tested method, it can come up short when it comes to identifying the best candidate for a position in a car dealership.

So, what’s the alternative? Hosting recruitment days!

At a recruitment day, multiple candidates are all invited to attend and they take part in a wide range of tasks such as discussions, presentations and team building activities. Also, recruitment days can include some traditional aspects of the hiring process such as one-to-one interviews which when combined with more practical activities provide a well-rounded look into a candidate’s skills and suitability for the dealership and the vacancy being filled.

MotorVise have been running recruitment days all over the UK and won Recruitment Agency of the year at the 2021 Motor Trader Industry Awards so recruitment days must have some benefit to automotive dealerships! Here are just a few of the reasons why they are more effective than traditional recruitment processes:

See more candidates in less time

Recruitment days mean that instead of interviewing each candidate in an hour-long slot, car dealers are able to speak to and assess the qualities of many candidates at the same time. Let’s face it, hiring managers are busy juggling various projects and tasks so they have very limited time to be heavily involved in recruitment processes. Recruitment days allow for hiring managers to get more involved in the recruitment process and see a lot more candidates for themselves than a traditional recruitment method allows. A recruitment day means you can see up to 50 candidates in the same amount of time that you manage to interview no more than 10 candidates using traditional recruitment processes. This also means that you can hire for multiple vacancies at the same time from the same pool of applicants. For example, someone who may not be best suited to a salesperson role, could have the qualities to succeed as a showroom host. A recruitment day means that you have the opportunity to offer them a different role to the one they originally applied for.

Gives candidates more time to show desirable qualities

An interview setting can be very nerve-wracking even for the most qualified and experienced of candidates. Sitting across a table from an interviewer, wanting to give the best possible impression of themselves and making sure they don’t say something wrong adds a lot of pressure. In addition, an interview only gives hiring managers limited interaction with each candidate to use to decide on successful applicants. With a recruitment day, a candidate has the chance to feel more settled and has plenty of time and show the qualities you are looking for. You may find that the best candidates take longer to come out of their shell and a recruitment day gives them the time and the opportunity to do so. A more traditional hiring process may mean missing out on the best candidate because there wasn’t enough time for them to open up and demonstrate their true qualities. On the flip side…

True personalities are shown

It’s only natural for job applicants to put their best foot forward at an interview. However, that can sometimes mean they put on a façade. In an hour-long interview that can easily be maintained meaning the interviewer does not get a true insight into the real character of their candidate and their suitability to the vacancy. However, over the course of a full day it becomes a lot more difficult to keep up the act. There is plenty of time to see a candidate’s real personality and their true qualities. When a customer walks into a dealership, for them to have the best experience they must be greeted by somebody who is genuinely very warm and friendly. Someone genuine who being helpful and providing an excellent customer service comes naturally to instead of somebody who is a great actor because, inevitably, they will break character. Having more time to see candidates at a recruitment day means that hiring managers can identify who actually possesses the desired qualities for the vacancy.

Demonstrate working in groups and role playing

In a traditional one-to-one interview, there is very limited opportunity for a candidate to demonstrate how well they work with others. However, when they are with other candidates, they can show how they interact with a team when given a task to collaborate on. In a scenario where applicants are asked to work as part of a group, hiring managers can identify whether an applicant is more active or passive, if they have leadership qualities and how receptive they are to ideas and views of others. In addition, having multiple candidates present simultaneously means they can take part in role-playing activity. For instance, demonstrating how they would interact with a customer when they enter the showroom and how they respond to a customer’s questions or requirements.

 

Recruitment days are a very effective and efficient way to hire for vacancies in a car dealership. MotorVise offer recruitment days as part of our overall recruitment service which we won Recruitment Agency of the year at the 2021 Motor Trader Industry Awards for. We take care of the whole process from writing the job advert to vetting CVs to hosting the recruitment day itself. If you are looking to recruit, visit the MotorVise recruitment page for more information on our recruitment days and how they will benefit you.