Why aftermarket recruitment needs an overhaul

The old ways of putting up a job posting waiting for applicants to flow in won’t cut it in today’s world, according to automotive aftermarket talent leaders.

Competition for talent is too high and aftermarket companies need to up their game if they want to attract the brightest and best, attendees of a recent webinar heard.

Everyone wants the best talent, from financial companies to the hospitality industry to the aerospace sector. The automotive aftermarket is no different, explained Lani Glancy, vice president of talent development, diversity, equity and inclusion, and communications at AutoZone.

“And one of the things that we as an industry are realizing is that the way we used to go and find talent — mostly just putting up an ad or a job description and waiting for somebody to say, ‘Hey, me!’ — is not working,” she said during the webinar Developing a Sustainable Workforce through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, hosted by AAPEX during a series of webinars leading up to the Las Vegas show.

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And it’s not working, she added, because everything aftermarket companies are looking in candidates are what other industries want in their new hires as well.

“So how do we differentiate ourselves as an industry and look and make our industry more attractive to all people?” she asked.

“It’s finding the skill set synergies that really can help organically grow a diverse workforce,” said Jessica Hinman, chief corporate responsibility officer at FCP Euro, an online retailer of automotive parts.

She agreed that traditional methods of recruitment need to go out the window. But a common misconception in the industry is that anyone you are looking to hire needs to be a car enthusiast. It amazed Hinman how much people default to that line of thinking.

Even if someone isn’t a car enthusiast, they can still have desirable and transferrable skills for the aftermarket, she pointed out.

“So I cannot stress enough that when a company just tries to check a box to fit a diversity or inclusivity metric, it is never going to work,” Hinman said. “it is not sustainable. What we need to do is, again, broaden those horizons, open up more networks and think outside the box for how we recruit that top talent.”