At the 2024 Women Driving Auto Retail event hosted in conjunction with the NADA Show in Las Vegas, event attendees were tasked with answering one of the toughest questions facing the industry: How do we increase women working in dealerships?
The attendees – dealers, managers and industry leaders from across the country (and the world!) – provided their own personal experiences in positive and negative workplaces. The takeaways from their discussions are distilled into five steps employers can take to help their recruitment efforts.
- Market to women. Ensure public-facing content (website, social media, advertising) includes images of women, both customers and staff. Remove aggressive language from job descriptions (like “sales killer”) and emphasize benefits and culture. Advertise job openings on social media, including Facebook and Instagram. Remind candidates this is a fun industry!
- Be visible. Host and sponsor events. Even better – host events specifically for women, such as customer “gals' nights” with service specials or female career fairs and education clinics. Bring female staff to recruitment events.
- Establish and promote an inclusive culture. Codify the company mission and values and explicitly establish standards of respect for employee and customer conduct. Organically share this positive culture through your existing employee resources; include female staff in the recruitment and hiring process and establish referral bonus incentives.
- Recruit from outside the automotive industry. If automotive experience is not required for the position, make that clear. Look for candidates in other industries like hospitality and retail. Establish an internship program with local high schools and community colleges. Smaller companies can partner with other local businesses to establish a rotational program.
- Do the research. Follow hiring trends to determine the needs of the next generation. Create an elevator pitch and be prepared to tell female candidates why women are successful in your company.
Stay tuned for more ways to recruit and retain female talent in your workplace.
