Top ten dealership interview tips
Dealership interviews are short, practical and run by busy people. These are the ten things that decide them, in the order they usually come up.
- 1
Know their numbers before you walk in
Look up the dealership's brands, group ownership, recent awards and anything in trade press. Dealer principals notice when you know they just added a franchise or opened a second site. It takes ten minutes and almost nobody does it.
- 2
Bring your own numbers
CSI, hours per RO, efficiency, units a month, penetration, PPU, warranty audit results. Write them on a card if you need to. A technician who says "I run at about 115% and my comebacks are under 2%" is hired before the next question.
- 3
Explain every move in one sentence
Dealership careers have short stints and that is fine, but you need a clean reason for each. "The group restructured" or "I wanted a franchise with more volume" works. Blaming a former manager never does, even when it is true.
- 4
Dress one level above the job
Technicians: clean, pressed, closed shoes, no workshop boots. Advisors and sales: what you would wear on the floor at that brand. Prestige sites expect a jacket. You are showing them what their customers will see.
- 5
Ask about the roster and the workshop, in that order
Saturdays, late nights, how the roster is built and how far in advance, then equipment, bays, diagnostic gear and training. Asking about the roster shows you intend to stay. Asking only about pay shows you intend to leave.
- 6
Have a story for a difficult customer
Everyone in a dealership gets one. Pick a real example, describe what the customer wanted, what you did and how it ended, in under a minute. End with what you would do differently. Interviewers remember stories, not adjectives.
- 7
Be straight about licences, tickets and working rights
If your air-con licence has lapsed or your EV certification is booked but not done, say so and say when. Dealerships check. Being caught out after the offer is the end of it, being upfront is usually a non-issue.
- 8
Talk about the team, not just yourself
Who you trained, who trained you, how you handled a slow apprentice or a difficult advisor-technician relationship. Managers are hiring someone to fit a crew that already exists.
- 9
Do not negotiate in the first interview
Know your number and give a range if asked directly, then move on. Pay is settled once they want you. Push too early and you have told them money is the only reason you are there.
- 10
Follow up the same day
A short message to the person who interviewed you, within a few hours. Thank them, name one thing from the conversation you liked, and say you want the job if you do. Short, specific, no essay. Fewer than one in ten candidates do it.
Ready to put it to use?
Set up a profile and the right roles come to you.