DO YOU THINK ANYONE HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED IN THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD? The motor vehicle industry is probably one of the most exclusive clubs that you can be part of, manufacturers get an insane amount of applications per job posting. Getting noticed by them can be hard if not nearly impossible, believe me I know.

By Miguel

I have been a gear head my entire life,

and will always remain that way, there is absolutely no doubt about it.

Since I can vaguely remember, all stages of my existence were influenced by the automotive world.

When I was five I was head over heels in love with the Ferrari 512 Testarossa, I can recall feeling butterflies in my stomach when I saw it for the first time.

By the time I turned six years old my Dad got me a plastic cast model of the 1966 Ford GT40 LeMans edition in the famous yellow with black racing stripes, it was my greatest treasure.

In the mid to late 80’s I wanted to be Marty McFly, not to go back to the future, but to drive a DMC DeLorean. Man, oh man how I dreamed on cruising the streets at 80 Mph in that beast, the gullwing style doors where seriously out of this world.

Then one day in 1989 I was minding my own business while my dad watched Rain Man, I looked at the tv and there it was, a red, bright red, as red as you can get in an 80’s tv, a car that would introduce me to a new level of love for cars.

Didn't take me long to I find out that the car was the Lamborghini Countach, one of the noisiest, most uncomfortable cars but a sexy and incredibly fast supercar nonetheless.

The next decade, the 90’s I had different love interests, the Porsche 959, the Toyota Supra, the Nissan Skyline, and the “there is no substitute” Porsche 928.

But there were two that really melted my heart were the mighty McLaren F1 and the philharmonic Ferrari F355 Berlinetta Rosso Corsa of course!

By now you might’ve realized where I am going with this, I love cars, I live for cars and I enjoy being around cars…all cars!

Sadly however, my involvement with the indust ry has been less than spectacular.

With the exception of a couple of years in early 2000s in which I was somehow involved with two private automotive conglomerates, I have not been able to go back to my dream career path, too bad that all I did back then was run some errands, and get people coffee, lots of coffee*

* Just kidding, I did learn, actually I learned a lot! I basically learned how to run a car dealership in just a couple of years.

Are careers in the auto industry the holy grail of all

careers?09/2016

Overdrive

My wife and I arrived to the less than warm city of Rochester NY in 2006. When we got there I thought to myself (well actually my inner child thought) “Oh man, I can finally make this happen, I can get a job at Porsche, Ferrari, BMW or Mercedes-Benz, I am going to make this happen!”

Boy was I wrong! I was slapped in the face by reality once again and didn’t even see it coming, (there are no Ferraris in Rochester)

I attempted to get a job (any job) at several car dealerships, from the top brands all the way to the modest ones, but all I found were closed doors. No one wanted to hire a kid that barely spoke English, let alone trust him with the keys of any car.

Now, lets fast-forward a few years (We now live in Tampa, FL). I spend most of my time occupied with stuff other than cars, a busy career in technology, marketing, business development does not leave much free times to be playing with cars.

However, there was always something missing, that desire of driving and testing cars for a living kept coming back to haunt me, and I couldn't keep avoiding my calling any longer.

So, I decided to face the truth. I poured my heart and soul in my quest of finding the perfect career, conquer my fears and make my childhood dream a reality, I had my resume polished, from several pages I went down to three, because apparently that’s whats acceptable now.

I jumped on the Internet and religiously applied to all of the companies that I could think of, I created a LinkedIn account and I started networking with people in the industry to make myself visible, never hiding my intentions. In fact, I consistently messaged several of my connections to make them aware of my desire of moving from the technology world to the automotive field…

Well, it is simple, but also complex, it comes down to the good ole’ "Offer and Demand" and the infamous "Employee Turnover" On the manufacturers side, the career possibilities are endless. However, they are scarce, very scarce; it certainly is a very desirable industry and you can have a very lucrative career, Of course it will always depend on what path you have in mind, and also the position that you want to get hired for. A s m o s t w e l l s t a b l i s h e d corporations, they can be very good to its employees, they get perks such as: big discounts for products and services (cars, trucks etc) good benefits packages, relocation services, stability, career advancement, among other goodies.

I mean, who can refuse the bragging rights that come together with your new hire package? Imagine telling all of your friends “Yes guys, I drive Lamborghinis for a living" …Come on, I would do that for free!

This translate into employees never wanting to leave. Seriously, why would you want to leave when you can have a new BMW every four months ? All of these factors make getting noticed hard, very hard. Harder than finding Tom Cruise at a Sunday Mass while there is a Christening going on, (if you are too sensitive, I do not mean to offend your softness, but it is the truth) Some people eventua l ly s top t ry ing and focus somewhere else, but if you are like me you will get used to the automatic rejection email, (That in more or less words says: it’s not you it’s me! or in this case, us) you will suck it up and continue applying.

Retail (regardless of which line) has an elevated percentage of employee turnover, but among all industries automotive retail have perhaps one of the highest, if not the highest. You may be wondering why? Well, there is a perfectly good explanation for it. Some dealerships have a rather old way of hiring and compensating its employees. The vast majority of them have a hiring process that often lacks of structure and sometimes is quite inconsistent; Thus resulting in the hiring of under qualified individuals. Also, some “veterans of the industry” that have an incredible amount of bad habits. They do things their way, often reluctant to change and rather than contribute to the betterment of the business, they actually worsen it. Do you remember that notorious phrase "Used car salesman”?…… I rest my case your Honor.

When it comes to compensation, most dealerships have a commissions only package, and I say most because there are some exceptions. There are cases in which the executives of a dealership will create a pay package designed so employees (read sales reps), as well as management get a base salary plus bonuses.

And that is how it should be done.

If the automotive retail industry doesn’t make some drastic changes it will quickly succumb to the omnipresent eBay...

But Same old story?

A NEW BEGINNING

So, if it’s that hard, how come dealerships and manufacturers are always hiring people?

Here's why:

Base salary + bonus combination translate to job stability. Job stability = Better candidates. Better candidates = unvarying employees and quality professionals. Quality employees = Longer tenure and loyalty to the company. Longer tenure = Continuity. Continuity = $$$!

Landing a career with a car manufacturer is almost as hard (if not harder) than to be noticed by Google. In fact, a job as an F&I manager for a domestic brand dealership can easily break the barrier of $100k a year and if you are lucky enough to have the

same position at a luxury dealership it could soar as high as $225k!

Overdrive proud MEMBERS OF:

I’ve become aware that the challenge I’m facing is far from an existential crisis, let alone a midlife one ( I have yet to get a Porsche)

It has to do more with the realization that I have spent hours upon hours in front of the computer applying for positions I know I would dominate with ease, but not being able to bypass the firewall that would place my resume among the ones that a human being will actually see! …That’s what gets me!……I should’ve been a hacker like Dad told me.

I often wonder if all of these efforts are actually worth it, I question myself and think: “It’s not going to happen, stop this already” but then I walk into the candy store (That’s how I call Ferrari of Tampa Bay) or I binge-watch my favorite soap opera (Top Gear with Clarkson, Hammond and May in it) and all is well again.

Clarkson’s phrase is always in my mind, it is a clear reminder of what separates the people who make it and the ones that observe from afar.

I guess the way I see is: “There is nothing to be afraid of when pushing hard for the things you want in life, only when you stop and give up is when you will be defeated”

I have yet to make my dream a reality. To me, automobiles are the greatest creation known to man, and if you do not believe me, just take a glimpse at the work of art called Pagani Zonda Tricolore and dare tell me that it does not belong in the Louvre.

I will not accept defeat, I will continue my adventure, I know it wont be easy, it will take a lot of hard work, but at the end it will be gratifying and immensely rewarding.

Whatever your dream is do not give up on it, work hard for it, do not take no for an answer and I promise, sooner or later you will find your own Holy Grail.

“Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary… that’s what gets you”

Jeremy Clarkson