How car dealers can put their best foot forward when it comes to hiring and recruiting – Steve Munyan

Hiring and recruiting methods in the auto retail industry have changed tremendously since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Car dealers have had to reconfigure their staff, adjust working hours, and face the challenge of attracting top performers. On today’s show, we’re pleased to welcome hiring expert Steve Munyan, President at Hire the Winners. Hire the Winners provides recruiting services for dealers to ensure their success and growth in the marketplace.

According to Munyan, over the past year, the auto retail industry is experiencing an influx of workers, however, the overall quality of work has decreased. The best workers available are moving faster and have more hiring options. Munyan says dealers have to put their best foot forward when it comes to hiring.

He says, “I see many companies making bad decisions right now and not laying the groundwork and the foundation for finding, retaining, and actually hiring, the best people.”

Resumes often don’t tell an applicant’s entire story. Munyan says dealers need to be conducting more phone interviews with a wider variety of candidates. He recommends that dealers not waste their time sitting down for an interview with someone they have not previously screened on the phone.

Munyan also says that dealers should hire a staff that closely represents the demographics of consumers in their market. For example, if women don’t make up 50% of your staff, then you are missing business.

Munyan explains, “92 or 93% of women rather deal with a woman and 56% of men would rather deal with a woman…The reality is, we want to make people comfortable.”

If the ratio is unbalanced, you are hurting your team.

In this segment, Munyan and anchor Jim Fitzpatrick also discuss more reliable hiring practices, what areas of the hiring process dealers could improve, and some of the biggest challenges dealers face in the years ahead.

Steve Munyan has over 40 years of experience in the automotive industry running dealerships and consulting automotive professionals. His recruiting firm, Hire the Winners, was founded in 2004 and has since helped all areas of the dealerships cultivate the right team.