Automotive Industry References: Follow the guidelines!

Posted on 3 June 201430 March 2015 by Sophie Senneville

We all know how hard it is these days to find well-qualified staff. Technical skills are easily identifiable, but the much sought after ʺsoft-skillsʺ are not as easy to quantify. The last thing any Manager wants is to put up with the insubordination of their best technician or service consultant! Job_search_reference

As very few dealership administrators or shop managers have any practical human resource management training, many fail to ask for references, or if they dare ask, the references aren’t followed up on in an organized manner. This usually ends looking more like an ʺinformal chatʺ than an actual structured reference check.

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Technical evaluation for technicians: a great 10-minute investment!

Posted on 20 May 201430 March 2015 by Auto-jobs.ca

How many technician interviews have you performed which eventually turned out to be a waste of time once the person was hired, sometimes after no more than a few days, or even a few hours? The reason is simple: we don’t take the time to properly evaluate the candidates.

As a rule, an interview reveals many crucial human aspects of an individual. It allows you, among other things, to discover if the candidate has the personal traits that make life easier in the workplace on a day-to-day basis. This is a big deal, as it’s important to know from the start if this person has the soft-skills required for the job. Employers often rely on intuition, and for lack of tools, do not validate the candidate’s actual skills. This often leads to costly, tough decisions (time and money) later on.

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Importance of obtaining prior authorization before performing pre-employment screening in the automotive industry

Posted on 13 May 201430 March 2015 by Auto-jobs.ca

Recruiting new employees is an expensive and time-consuming process, which is why pre-employment screening is so important. The manager responsible for the process must invest time and energy that inevitably detracts from their everyday responsibilities. Welcoming, integrating and training new employees is a huge drain on dealership resources. If the process fails, the impact is felt by the whole team, which must make up for any departures or gap in required skills.

Pre-employment screening and reference checks are valuable tools that help avoid these negative consequences. When performed correctly, reference checks validate the skill level and knowledge of the candidate. What is the correct process? It consists of a process that encourages maximum objectivity from the previous employer. Instead of asking for an opinion, we ask that they rate specific skills on a scale of one to ten. This technique will provide an accurate measurement of the desired skills instead of leaving the door open for an unwarranted rant.

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Employee retention tips and secrets

Posted on 10 January 201430 March 2015 by Sophie Senneville

It seems that the number of younger workers required to replace the rapidly aging workforce just isn’t there. This could result in a catastrophic shortage of qualified workers in various trades and professions in the Canadian market in the next few years. Under these circumstances employee loyalty and retention become critically important issues. We all know very well that raising wages cannot in itself be the ultimate retention strategy. Are there other solutions? What must you do to create a productive and loyal team?

Gone are the good-old days when you could crack-open a couple of beers as a reward to your staff. Anyhow, it never was the best idea. Busiess leaders need to create a culture that builds loyalty to spark a sense of belonging for their employees. The workplace remains the major source of personnel and professional accomplishment. Employees who feel that they are valued and appreciated, who feel important as human beings, will benefit from a level of motivation that breeds superior performance and loyalty.

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