Complete Story
02/19/2019
Retailer Builds College Pipeline To Recruit
Source: Automotive News
By going beyond online job advertisements, Zeigler is able to tap into a talent market outside the automotive industry, said Aaron Zeigler, president of the dealership group. The strategy has improved employee turnover rates and customer satisfaction levels, he said, which helps boost sales and profitability.
"We have decreased employee turnover to the single digits," Zeigler said. "Historically, especially on the sales end, turnover was much higher. ... These pipelines have helped us maintain a steady stream of people coming into the organization, and that's really helped us grow."
Zeigler works with students to determine what dealership location will best fit the new hire. For example, one student who wanted to live in a bigger city ended up at the group's Chicago stores. By determining what interns want to accomplish over time, the group can start to lay out a career with the company moving forward.
Zeigler offers a scholarship program that awards $100,000 annually to current employees or their children, with 10 people per year receiving $10,000 each.
Former Western Michigan University quarterback Zach Terrell was hired a year ago after being introduced to Zeigler by his football coach. Zeigler told Terrell, who briefly had a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, to consider working for the retailer when football was over.
Zeigler's unconventional approach appealed to the student athlete.
"There is nothing better than a referral," Terrell said. "That is true in our business, and that is true when it comes to recruiting."
The dealership group's courtship was a striking contrast to Terrell's other job-hunting experience.
"I've been to career fairs, but it's like herding cattle," he said. "It's hard to give a good impression of yourself in 10 seconds and also to get a good feel of the company you are interviewing with in that time."
But during Terrell's interview with the dealership group, Zeigler went over the company's background and long-term opportunities for employees. Zeigler CFO Dan Scheid took Terrell golfing and shared with him how he successfully transitioned into the car industry with no experience. The interview finished back in Zeigler's office, where the company president mapped a 10-year plan for what Terrell's career at Zeigler could bring.
Instead of starting as an intern, Terrell began as a sales associate in the showroom. Now an executive development associate, Terrell said his coach's recommendation provided an opportunity he otherwise wouldn't have had.