We speak to automotive hiring managers every week and the same problems come up time and again. Good people are turning down offers, roles are taking too long to fill, and the candidates who do get hired don't stick around as long as they should.
None of this is complicated to fix. It just takes a shift in how the process is run. Here's our advice on how to run a good process.
1. Pace
Good candidates don't stick around for long. If your process runs past three weeks, you're giving someone else the chance to move faster and take them off the market first.
Three weeks, start to finish, is achievable for most automotive roles. That means a clear interview structure agreed in advance, decision-makers available when they're needed, and no unexplained gaps between stages. Every extra week you take is a week a competitor doesn't.
2. Transparency
Sell the business, of course, that's the job. But candidates in automotive, a sector which has seen a huge number of changes in recent years, have sat through enough interviews to spot the optimistic as compared to reality. What actually builds trust is being upfront about where the business is struggling too.
If there's a tough trading period, a restructure, or a gap in the team, say so. Candidates would rather know now than find out three months into the job. Honesty here doesn't put people off, it's usually what gets them to say yes.
3. Progression
Don't just tell candidates the role can develop over time, show them. Talk about specific people in the business who joined in a similar role and have since moved up, moved sideways, or taken on more responsibility.
A vague line about "opportunities to grow" doesn't land. A real example does. If you can't point to anyone, that's worth addressing before you're relying on it as a selling point.
4. Job specs
Non-specific job specs lose good candidates before you've even spoken to them. A generic list of duties tells someone very little about what the role actually involves day to day, or why it's worth their time.
Be specific. What will they actually be doing? What does success look like in the first six months? What's genuinely different or better about this role compared to the one they're already in? Features and benefits, clearly laid out, not buried in jargon.
5. Future-proofing
It's easy to hire for what's worked in the past. But the skills and experience that got the business here won't necessarily get it to where it's going next.
Automotive is changing fast, EVs, new technology, shifting customer expectations. If you want to future-proof the business, hire people who can grow into where the industry is heading, not just people who fit where it's been. That might mean looking outside your usual candidate pool or being open to transferable skills over a like-for-like CV match.
Get these five right and you'll not only hire faster, you'll hire better AND you'll keep hold of the people you bring in. Which is definitely the dream!
If you're hiring in automotive and want a second opinion on your process, get in touch with us.