Whether you’re a dealership hiring manager or a professional athlete, the competitive advantage is important. Having an edge to your own personal performance is a powerful thing—one that’s usually recognizable as well. If you’re on a roll, hiring multiple rock star employees or averaging a .350+ batting average, people are going to notice. 

Good things happen when you’re “crushin’ it,” but how do we get to that point?

{Enter steroid reference here}

There are numerous ways to gain a competitive advantage, but if you’re a hiring manager looking for that edge, HR tech might be the easiest way to do so. If you haven’t yet discovered the advantages of algorithm-backed surveys and interview scorecards, then you’re missing out.

What You Should Know…

HR tech is being used by more hiring managers every year and for the ones using it, there’s been a positive response on performance. Software Advice, an HR and recruiting technology research firm, recently published a report on key performance indicators (KPIs) with HR analytics software. Here’s what they found:

• More HR analytics software users than non-users are performing “good” or “very good” on common KPIs

• 86% of software users reported “good” or “very good” performance on the time to hire KPI, compared to only 58% of non-software users

• 92% of software users reported “good” or “very good” performance on lowering cost-per-hire

Competition is out there. How you decided to set yourself and your business apart from competitors is entirely up to you on the hiring end. Wouldn’t you like to know more about whom you’re hiring, whether or not a candidate is the right culture fit or if a candidate is turnover prone? These are only a fraction of the benefits managers receive from this kind of analytical software; so why not implement HR tech into your dealership hiring process?

Want to hear something crazy? 103 years ago the Titanic sank. Want to hear something even crazier and completely irrelevant to the first question? Most people do not know how to conduct a proper interview, yet alone a phone interview.

Meeting someone face-to-face allows for natural interaction and initial conversation. On the other hand, meeting someone over the phone calls for a bit of effort from the caller (in this case, the hiring manager) to get the conversation going. Therefore, it’s essential to have a guideline or some format to follow when writing up phone interview questions; otherwise the interview is bound to fall apart and lose its purpose.

6 Tips for Phone Interview Questions 

1.)  MAKE A SCRIPT—Following the same script for every interview helps avoid bias and inconsistency. You want to make sure every candidate has the same opportunity to a fair interview process; this means asking everyone the same basic questions. Plus, this helps you stay on track and keep the interview flowing within your respective time limit.

2.)  INTRODUCTION—This means more than just a simple, “Hey, how’s it going?” Introduce yourself, your background and your company first. Then give your candidates an overview of how the interview will flow so they know what to expect. Make sure they understand your interview process. This will help ensure a smooth transition to the next stage of the process, like a face-to-face interview or polite rejection.

3.)  CAREER PLAN—Ask the candidates about their career plans, goals and dreams. This helps you gain a better understanding of what their overall objectives are and whether or not they’ll be an immediate fit for the job. This also helps you save time and make the decision of whether or not to go on with the rest of the phone interview...and as they say, "time is money!"

4.)  INVESTIGATE SKILLSETS—Ask what the candidates are good at and what they do not like doing when it comes to work. Knowing their areas of expertise and lack thereof helps you recognize what you can expect from the candidates. Are they the right culture fit? Can they complete the work that will be asked of them? Will they go above and beyond the type of work that’s needed to be an all-star employee?

5.)  JOB HISTORY—While conducting reference checks isn’t needed until later on in the interview process, it’s still good to ask about the candidates’ work history. This is another way to investigate their skillsets, experiences and personalities. There’s plenty to learn from hearing about a candidate’s prior job.

6.)  DESCRIBE THE WORK—After you fully explain the major details about your open position, ask the candidates if this is the type of job they can see themselves enjoying. It’s one thing to hire an experienced candidate, but if that same person is not going to truly enjoy the work, then it’s probably best that he or she tells you now rather than later. Let’s be honest, no one wants ‘dud’ or a ‘negative Nancy’ as a coworker.

Always end your phone interview by informing your candidates of the next steps of your interview process. It’s unprofessional to leave a candidate hanging and uninformed. Plus, it just looks bad on your part and nobody wants to do business with a lazy manager.

Formatting your phone interview questions with these six steps helps not only you, but also the candidates during the process. There’s so much more to gain from a phone interview if you ask the right questions and listen for the right answers—and that goes for both the interviewer and candidate. Set the interview up for success and you’re bound to find a diamond in the rough sooner or later.

Want to hear something crazy? 103 years ago the Titanic sank. Want to hear something even crazier and completely irrelevant to the first question? Most people do not know how to conduct a proper interview, yet alone a phone interview.

Meeting someone face-to-face allows for natural interaction and initial conversation. On the other hand, meeting someone over the phone calls for a bit of effort from the caller (in this case, the hiring manager) to get the conversation going. Therefore, it’s essential to have a guideline or some format to follow when writing up phone interview questions; otherwise the interview is bound to fall apart and lose its purpose.

6 Tips for Phone Interview Questions 

1.)  MAKE A SCRIPT—Following the same script for every interview helps avoid bias and inconsistency. You want to make sure every candidate has the same opportunity to a fair interview process; this means asking everyone the same basic questions. Plus, this helps you stay on track and keep the interview flowing within your respective time limit.

2.)  INTRODUCTION—This means more than just a simple, “Hey, how’s it going?” Introduce yourself, your background and your company first. Then give your candidates an overview of how the interview will flow so they know what to expect. Make sure they understand your interview process. This will help ensure a smooth transition to the next stage of the process, like a face-to-face interview or polite rejection.

3.)  CAREER PLAN—Ask the candidates about their career plans, goals and dreams. This helps you gain a better understanding of what their overall objectives are and whether or not they’ll be an immediate fit for the job. This also helps you save time and make the decision of whether or not to go on with the rest of the phone interview...and as they say, "time is money!"

4.)  INVESTIGATE SKILLSETS—Ask what the candidates are good at and what they do not like doing when it comes to work. Knowing their areas of expertise and lack thereof helps you recognize what you can expect from the candidates. Are they the right culture fit? Can they complete the work that will be asked of them? Will they go above and beyond the type of work that’s needed to be an all-star employee?

5.)  JOB HISTORY—While conducting reference checks isn’t needed until later on in the interview process, it’s still good to ask about the candidates’ work history. This is another way to investigate their skillsets, experiences and personalities. There’s plenty to learn from hearing about a candidate’s prior job.

6.)  DESCRIBE THE WORK—After you fully explain the major details about your open position, ask the candidates if this is the type of job they can see themselves enjoying. It’s one thing to hire an experienced candidate, but if that same person is not going to truly enjoy the work, then it’s probably best that he or she tells you now rather than later. Let’s be honest, no one wants ‘dud’ or a ‘negative Nancy’ as a coworker.

Always end your phone interview by informing your candidates of the next steps of your interview process. It’s unprofessional to leave a candidate hanging and uninformed. Plus, it just looks bad on your part and nobody wants to do business with a lazy manager.

Formatting your phone interview questions with these six steps helps not only you, but also the candidates during the process. There’s so much more to gain from a phone interview if you ask the right questions and listen for the right answers—and that goes for both the interviewer and candidate. Set the interview up for success and you’re bound to find a diamond in the rough sooner or later.

Turnover is annoying. It’s like a carpet stain that won’t go away. No matter how many different cleaners and pricey chemicals you use, it never fully goes away. While it’s nearly impossible to get rid of employee turnover, there are ways to lessen the amount of employees that leave your company. The most promising way to do so is by improving how you retain your staff at your dealership.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article that covered research on why employees might leave their company. In the article, the author mentions the importance of retaining employees due to the cost of turnover, saying:

“As the employment picture improves, companies are focusing more on retaining workers, largely because replacing them is costly. The median cost of turnover for most jobs is about 21% of an employee’s annual salary, according to the Center for American Progress, a liberal-leaning think tank. And it can cost, on average, some $3,341 to hire a new employee, according to the society of Human Resource Management.”

Money is both the issue and answer here. Think of your employees as an investment. The better you take care of that investment, the more likely you are to see it grow and flourish into something better.

4 Easy Ways to Increase Retention

1.)  Reevaluating Your Leadership—who do you consider the true, core members of your management team? Are they doing what it takes to teach, motivate and personally mentor your employees? Make sure your leaders are actually leading. Transparency and accessibility are important characteristics of a manager and are both something employees not only appreciate, but recognize as well. The stronger your work relationship is with an employee, the more likely he or she is going to continue to work at your company.

2.)  Testing & Pre-screening—before you finish your interviews, don’t forget to dive into who your candidates really are. The more you know about them, the better chance you’ll have at hiring the right person for the job. Two simple ways to do this is by conducting phone screens before face-to-face interviews and by using scorecards to test your candidates’ performances during the interviews.

3.)  Training—this a key step for retaining your employees. Develop your employees’ skillsets by offering position specific courses or sessions in your office. Most employees prefer a career path that allows them to develop their skills and become overall, better professionals. 

4.)  Culture—in order to truly win over the hearts of your employees, you have to provide an enjoyable workplace environment. There are countless ways to do this, but the key to building a successful office culture is making sure it’s unique to you, your employees and your brand.

Turnover might be an upstream battle for some businesses, but the smart ones are the companies that know how to work with what they have. Investing in your employees with personal interest is the greatest way to be certain you’re working with those who’ll stick around for the long run. So make sure you take care of your investments!

Turnover is annoying. It’s like a carpet stain that won’t go away. No matter how many different cleaners and pricey chemicals you use, it never fully goes away. While it’s nearly impossible to get rid of employee turnover, there are ways to lessen the amount of employees that leave your company. The most promising way to do so is by improving how you retain your staff at your dealership.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article that covered research on why employees might leave their company. In the article, the author mentions the importance of retaining employees due to the cost of turnover, saying:

“As the employment picture improves, companies are focusing more on retaining workers, largely because replacing them is costly. The median cost of turnover for most jobs is about 21% of an employee’s annual salary, according to the Center for American Progress, a liberal-leaning think tank. And it can cost, on average, some $3,341 to hire a new employee, according to the society of Human Resource Management.”

Money is both the issue and answer here. Think of your employees as an investment. The better you take care of that investment, the more likely you are to see it grow and flourish into something better.

4 Easy Ways to Increase Retention

1.)  Reevaluating Your Leadership—who do you consider the true, core members of your management team? Are they doing what it takes to teach, motivate and personally mentor your employees? Make sure your leaders are actually leading. Transparency and accessibility are important characteristics of a manager and are both something employees not only appreciate, but recognize as well. The stronger your work relationship is with an employee, the more likely he or she is going to continue to work at your company.

2.)  Testing & Pre-screening—before you finish your interviews, don’t forget to dive into who your candidates really are. The more you know about them, the better chance you’ll have at hiring the right person for the job. Two simple ways to do this is by conducting phone screens before face-to-face interviews and by using scorecards to test your candidates’ performances during the interviews.

3.)  Training—this a key step for retaining your employees. Develop your employees’ skillsets by offering position specific courses or sessions in your office. Most employees prefer a career path that allows them to develop their skills and become overall, better professionals. 

4.)  Culture—in order to truly win over the hearts of your employees, you have to provide an enjoyable workplace environment. There are countless ways to do this, but the key to building a successful office culture is making sure it’s unique to you, your employees and your brand.

Turnover might be an upstream battle for some businesses, but the smart ones are the companies that know how to work with what they have. Investing in your employees with personal interest is the greatest way to be certain you’re working with those who’ll stick around for the long run. So make sure you take care of your investments!

Around this time of year, every year, I am filled with mixed emotions. If the famous comedy and tragedy masks got together and had 20 little children masks, that family of emotions would properly represent how I feel during March Madness.

With that being said, I still try to take every tournament with a grain of salt and enjoy it for what it is—the most exciting tournament in all of sports. (Yup, that’s how I feel about it soccer and cricket fans) 

The one thing that amazes me every year is the fact that some schools can have continuous success year after year. Even if you're not making it to the Final Four every so often, simply getting into the tournament and getting a win or two is an accomplishment in itself! It’s not easy to see the plural side of WIN in the NCAA tournament. Nevertheless, for some schools and their coaches, they make it look easy.

There are specifically three coaches who’ve seen the most success in the NCAA tournament over the years, reaching the Final Four numerous times. In order to achieve this level of success in any sport, a team must have an exceptional leader with the kind of leadership skills that are applicable both on and off the court. 

The same leadership skills are needed for managing employees, especially the millennials at your dealership. While they might be the youngest of your employees, they still make up a solid percentage of the workforce and are an impressionable group that can excel under the right leaders. Therefore, it’s crucial to make sure your leadership skills are up to speed so you can always relate to your younger employees and help them thrive at your dealership.

In honor of March Madness, below are quotes from three coaching legends who have the most Final Four appearances by any Division 1 coach in NCAA men’s basketball history. Keep these words of wisdom in mind when leading your millennial employees…these gentlemen knew and know what they’re talking about!

Quotes from John Wooden:

{UCLA head coach from 1948-1975}

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

"Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character."

"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."

"I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent."

"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

Quotes from Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski:

{Duke head coach from 1980-present}

“Everybody wants to take responsibility when you win, but when you fail, all these fingers are pointing.”

“A basketball team is like the five fingers on your hand. If you can get them all together, you have a fist. That's how I want you to play.” 

“Leadership is an ever-evolving position.” 

“I think you're not a human being unless you have doubts and fears.”

“Imagination has a great deal to do with winning.”

Quotes from Dean Smith:

{UNC head coach from 1961-1997} 

"What to do with a mistake - recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it."

"A lion never roars after a kill."

"The most important thing in good leadership is truly caring. The best leaders in any profession care about the people they lead, and the people who are being led know when the caring is genuine and when it's faked or not there at all."

"Good people are happy when something good happens to someone else."

"A leader's job is to develop committed followers. Bad leaders destroy their followers' sense of commitment."

Around this time of year, every year, I am filled with mixed emotions. If the famous comedy and tragedy masks got together and had 20 little children masks, that family of emotions would properly represent how I feel during March Madness.

With that being said, I still try to take every tournament with a grain of salt and enjoy it for what it is—the most exciting tournament in all of sports. (Yup, that’s how I feel about it soccer and cricket fans) 

The one thing that amazes me every year is the fact that some schools can have continuous success year after year. Even if you're not making it to the Final Four every so often, simply getting into the tournament and getting a win or two is an accomplishment in itself! It’s not easy to see the plural side of WIN in the NCAA tournament. Nevertheless, for some schools and their coaches, they make it look easy.

There are specifically three coaches who’ve seen the most success in the NCAA tournament over the years, reaching the Final Four numerous times. In order to achieve this level of success in any sport, a team must have an exceptional leader with the kind of leadership skills that are applicable both on and off the court. 

The same leadership skills are needed for managing employees, especially the millennials at your dealership. While they might be the youngest of your employees, they still make up a solid percentage of the workforce and are an impressionable group that can excel under the right leaders. Therefore, it’s crucial to make sure your leadership skills are up to speed so you can always relate to your younger employees and help them thrive at your dealership.

In honor of March Madness, below are quotes from three coaching legends who have the most Final Four appearances by any Division 1 coach in NCAA men’s basketball history. Keep these words of wisdom in mind when leading your millennial employees…these gentlemen knew and know what they’re talking about!

Quotes from John Wooden:

{UCLA head coach from 1948-1975}

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

"Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character."

"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."

"I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent."

"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

Quotes from Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski:

{Duke head coach from 1980-present}

“Everybody wants to take responsibility when you win, but when you fail, all these fingers are pointing.”

“A basketball team is like the five fingers on your hand. If you can get them all together, you have a fist. That's how I want you to play.” 

“Leadership is an ever-evolving position.” 

“I think you're not a human being unless you have doubts and fears.”

“Imagination has a great deal to do with winning.”

Quotes from Dean Smith:

{UNC head coach from 1961-1997} 

"What to do with a mistake - recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it."

"A lion never roars after a kill."

"The most important thing in good leadership is truly caring. The best leaders in any profession care about the people they lead, and the people who are being led know when the caring is genuine and when it's faked or not there at all."

"Good people are happy when something good happens to someone else."

"A leader's job is to develop committed followers. Bad leaders destroy their followers' sense of commitment."

Most of us know the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It’s one that makes sense and can be applied to many things in life. But does anyone ever apply this saying during self-reflection? I guess not since it’s grammatically incorrect and it just sounds weird. Nevertheless, if you’re running a business it is important to reflect on your leadership skills and how it may be affecting your company; especially the office culture and employees. 

We all know that no one’s perfect and if you’re self-aware, you know that there’s always room for improvement. As a business manager, improving your own leadership skills helps develop company culture and therefore, inspires your employees to work hard and actually care about the work they do.

But before you can improve your dealership environment and the work conducted within it, you first have to get rid the bad habits or behaviors that may be having a negative effect on your business. Below are five ways you can do just that:

Leadership Habits You Must Avoid

1. Meddling With Employees Ideas—Just because you’re a manager or hold a leadership position within a company, it doesn’t mean you must be involved in EVERY little detail within the office. This is especially true during brainstorming sessions or when collaborating with employees on new projects. Interference during the creative process, as a manager, limits the creative potential of your employees. (It’s like having your parents try to hang out with you and your friends…as a teenager)
2. Ignoring Others In The Office—Listening skills are vital to creating a successful office environment. Whether or not your ignorance is intentional, listening to what your employees have to say and putting forth an effort to connect with them on some level goes a long way. It helps build teamwork and a culture of transparency.
3. Disregarding Core Values & Goals—There’s a good reason why companies have mission statements, values and ambitions; without them business direction is lost. Leaders must stay true to their core values and goals in order to move their businesses forward. This means having the will to let go of an all-star employee if he or she doesn’t believe in or goes against your business values. Follow your principles and you’re bound to build a workplace culture that thrives. Plus, this might help you avoid being known as a hypocrite amongst your employees as well!
4.  Not Giving Credit When/Where It’s Due—This is a habit all leaders must avoid if they care to promote culture, creativity and overall motivation. Even when there’s a small accomplishment, such as finishing a project done well, give credit to that person and make it public in the office. People appreciate when they’re credited for hard work and it helps push other employees to work harder as well.
5. Rushing The Hiring Process—It’s nearly impossible to build a suitable culture in your office if you don’t employ the right people. Hiring someone just to fill an open position is a big mistake and one that can lead to turnover. Make sure you have a hiring process that accurately evaluates job candidates and scores their abilities. Not only does this help fill your office will employees best fit for your office culture, but it also helps make the company parties MUCH more fun and tolerable.

Be sure to evaluate your own leadership skills before trying to make changes at your dealership, because the problem might begin with you. If you think about it, Ice Cube was right when he said, “You better check yo self before you wreck yo self!” 

Most of us know the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It’s one that makes sense and can be applied to many things in life. But does anyone ever apply this saying during self-reflection? I guess not since it’s grammatically incorrect and it just sounds weird. Nevertheless, if you’re running a business it is important to reflect on your leadership skills and how it may be affecting your company; especially the office culture and employees. 

We all know that no one’s perfect and if you’re self-aware, you know that there’s always room for improvement. As a business manager, improving your own leadership skills helps develop company culture and therefore, inspires your employees to work hard and actually care about the work they do.

But before you can improve your dealership environment and the work conducted within it, you first have to get rid the bad habits or behaviors that may be having a negative effect on your business. Below are five ways you can do just that:

Leadership Habits You Must Avoid

1. Meddling With Employees Ideas—Just because you’re a manager or hold a leadership position within a company, it doesn’t mean you must be involved in EVERY little detail within the office. This is especially true during brainstorming sessions or when collaborating with employees on new projects. Interference during the creative process, as a manager, limits the creative potential of your employees. (It’s like having your parents try to hang out with you and your friends…as a teenager)
2. Ignoring Others In The Office—Listening skills are vital to creating a successful office environment. Whether or not your ignorance is intentional, listening to what your employees have to say and putting forth an effort to connect with them on some level goes a long way. It helps build teamwork and a culture of transparency.
3. Disregarding Core Values & Goals—There’s a good reason why companies have mission statements, values and ambitions; without them business direction is lost. Leaders must stay true to their core values and goals in order to move their businesses forward. This means having the will to let go of an all-star employee if he or she doesn’t believe in or goes against your business values. Follow your principles and you’re bound to build a workplace culture that thrives. Plus, this might help you avoid being known as a hypocrite amongst your employees as well!
4.  Not Giving Credit When/Where It’s Due—This is a habit all leaders must avoid if they care to promote culture, creativity and overall motivation. Even when there’s a small accomplishment, such as finishing a project done well, give credit to that person and make it public in the office. People appreciate when they’re credited for hard work and it helps push other employees to work harder as well.
5. Rushing The Hiring Process—It’s nearly impossible to build a suitable culture in your office if you don’t employ the right people. Hiring someone just to fill an open position is a big mistake and one that can lead to turnover. Make sure you have a hiring process that accurately evaluates job candidates and scores their abilities. Not only does this help fill your office will employees best fit for your office culture, but it also helps make the company parties MUCH more fun and tolerable.

Be sure to evaluate your own leadership skills before trying to make changes at your dealership, because the problem might begin with you. If you think about it, Ice Cube was right when he said, “You better check yo self before you wreck yo self!” 

We all have those days when we’re feeling sluggish or offbeat. Sometimes it’s because we’re lacking sleep or have too much on our schedule to handle. Other times it could just be because BuzzFeed is killing it with awesome quizzes for the day. Regardless of what causes us to be unproductive, there’s always that one thing we need but can’t quite obtain on these types of days: focus! 

Inc. Magazine recently published an article about the psychology of productivity and used results from their Inc. 500 survey. According to the survey, “85 percent of fast-growth-company CEOs work 10 or more hours a day” and that “Under such circumstances, personal productivity isn’t just a metric. It’s also a mandate.” 

Those hours may be necessary for CEOs, yet the same can be said about employees in other positions, especially hiring managers at auto dealerships. It’s hard to stay on top of your work if you can’t be consistently productive, yet alone hire the right people in a timely manner. 

If you’re looking for ways to increase your personal productivity, whether in the office or at home, here are the four ways according to Inc.’s article:

#1. “Go to the Root of Your Procrastination”

Addressing why you procrastinate is the first step towards strengthening your productivity. Sometimes the reason why is because of fear or the fear of making the wrong decision. “With uncertainty comes fearfulness. You have to acknowledge that fear.” - Timothy Pychyl, Professor of Psychology at Carleton University

#2. “Focus on Progress, Not on To-Dos”

It’s easier to tackle projects if you chip-away at them, rather than focusing on the long-term, overall goal. Plus, there’s always self-satisfaction in seeing your own progress. Although to-do lists are helpful for organization, it’s worth it to “maintain a ‘have done’ list—or at least reflect on your accomplishments for a few minutes at the end of each day—to keep yourself motivated.”

#3. “Beware of Time Thieves”

Everyone has a guilty pleasure, which sometimes consumes more of our time than we’d prefer (eh hem, BuzzFeed). The key is acknowledging what that time consuming thing is and trying to focus on what really needs to be done during a specific moment in time.

“If you didn’t have any of that (other unnecessary, time consuming things), and you could do one thing right now that would help get you to the next level of contribution, what would you do?” – Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

#4. “Be In-the-Moment With Everything You Do” 

The last step towards helping boost your productivity is by living in the moment, as cliché as it may sound.

“The more time, thought, and energy you expend going down a road, the harder it is to change course when the destination looks dicey. New research from Insead and the Wharton School shows that subjects who meditated were much more likely to abandon a lost-cause project than those who did not.”

Apply these four steps to your daily routine at your auto dealership and you might be surprised at how much more productive your days become. Apply these steps during your hiring process and you could end up hiring better-fit employees as well.