Attracting Qualified Candidates to RV Parts & Accessories Jobs
Improve your hiring outcomes by using job descriptions that are current, inclusive and appeal to a broader applicant pool.
The theme of the May issue of RV PRO was women in the RV industry, and this month my column includes, among other aspects about personnel, comments on women in the parts and accessories operations in an RV business. Some of the data in this column was obtained from a 2021 study commissioned by the RV Women’s Alliance (RVWA).
As of the 2021 study, approximately 16% more women were employed in the RV industry than in 2019. An estimated 66% of employers in the industry were actively seeking female applicants, with 71% of the manufacturers actively seeking female applicants.
This is data for the RV industry overall. How do they correlate with your staffing requirements and with your recruitment practices — especially for your parts and accessories operations?
Recruiting for Your Parts & Accessories Staff
If you don’t currently have a need to seek candidates for your parts and accessories department, then perhaps the information in this column won’t have an urgency.
However, staffing needs might change due to retirement, injury, employee relocation or other reasons. In these circumstances, perhaps the contents of this column could be applied to future situations. Following are some factors that could come into play when considering applicants for a position in your parts and accessories department.
Job Tasks in a Parts & Accessories Department
What are some of the functions that are required of parts and accessories personnel? These could include yet not be limited to:
- managing the department operations
- receiving incoming shipments and processing outgoing shipments
- transacting internal and external customer requests
- maintaining and updating the displays and the stockrooms
- performing inventory accuracy cycle counts
For each of these listed job functions, what work skills are necessary? When was the job description for each of these positions updated? Why would these job descriptions need to be updated?
Job Descriptions, Employee Recruitment & Evaluation
If you have a job description for each of the positions in your parts and accessories department, and if each of these job descriptions details the current skills required to perform the tasks competently and efficiently, then you could more easily solicit appropriate candidates when and as needed.
Having detailed job descriptions might be an opportunity to enhance your chances of getting more qualified candidates — especially if you are willing to consider female applicants. This is a list of items you might include in your employment want ad that could improve your opportunities for more female applicants.
- What is your pay scale? Is it gender equitable?
- What skills are required?
- What physical restrictions, if any, are there?
- What are the days and hours for the position?
Where will you place your advertisements? Have you considered what media women might be more likely to check if they are seeking employment?
If you are seeking employees and have received applications for an open (or soon to be open) position, you can compare the skills listed on each application against those necessary for the position and decide which of the applicants should be contacted to schedule an initial interview.
If at least one of the applicants is scheduled for the initial interview, then having a checklist that is used for each applicant in the interview process is very important so that there is no bias. This checklist might include:
- a written application to determine handwriting legibility and to confirm contact information for the interview follow-up
- a review of the job description to ensure the candidate understands the job requirements
- a test of some of the job tasks, such as researching parts for a specific vehicle or product; interpreting a work order; performing a cycle count (to determine the proficiency level of the applicant) and similar such tasks
- a statement of the parts department rules regarding dress code, acceptable language (no cursing for instance) and employee interactions
- a review of the work schedule for the job position to ensure that the applicant can comply
- you present a scenario that could occur during the performance of the job for which the applicant is applying and require the candidate to reply how she would handle it
- a tour of the department (possibly the entire dealership) to offer the applicant the opportunity to evaluate how you operate and to meet current employees
First impressions are important, and your preparation for the interview might be graded by the applicant as much as your impression of the applicant’s preparation.
A Personal View & Examples
As a parts manager/director, I offered equal pay for each job position regardless of the gender of the employee. To fill my shipping/receiving position, I occasionally would have a “school bus mom.” This was a woman with school-age children (usually the K-8 grades) who wanted the freedom to get the kids on the bus in the morning and meet them when they returned from school in the afternoon. We coordinated their work to occupy the hours from approximately 9 a.m. until noon or 2 p.m., depending on the age(s) of the children.
My staff had flexibility to their work schedules as long as coverage was there. Birthdays off with pay and a card signed by each department employee were a benefit. If an employee was experiencing a situation that might impact their job performance, I gave them the day off with pay because they would not be performing at their optimal level. Job schedules were posted for the current and at least one subsequent week with scheduled lunches included.
My staff performance impacted our customer service experiences, so I tried to offer a comfortable work environment. It occasionally required some extra effort on my part, but the benefits were worth the effort.
When Will You Get This Accomplished?
As with most of my suggestions, some of those in this column will require extra effort. Over the 35 years since I started P.A.R.T.S*, I have suggested methods to my clients that could improve their business operations and their opportunities to enhance their customer service as well as increase their net profit. Many of them state they will do it when they get around to it. If that is your answer to my request that you implement any of my suggestions, then here is my gift to you! Please accept the Round Tuit.
