Increasing gender diversity is an ongoing challenge in fixed operations. But the coronavirus pandemic just might offer a make-lemonade-from-lemons moment, especially if many furloughed employees don't return, observers note.
To capitalize on the potential opportunity, two female executives at auto groups with enviable levels of female employment, Liza Borches and Vanessa Delegas, suggest leveraging referrals, making job requirements less technical and using social media.
Borches says most women don't have the automotive industry on their list while job hunting. But it's important for a dealership's service drive to reflect its customer base in regard to age, gender and race.
"We can't wait for women to apply for positions; we need to pull them in," says Borches, CEO and dealer principal of Carter Myers Automotive in Charlottesville, Va. "That means we must be more intentional about recruiting. Contact women we know who are vendo…