Hireology COO Julie Brinkman Featured in Automotive News

Automotive News released a special supplement on March 13, focused on “Women Impacting Dealerships.” As part of the feature, Automotive News spoke with Julie Brinkman, Chief Operating Officer at Hireology, who shared her expertise about attracting and hiring women in automotive.
As outlined in the supplement, only 19.2 percent of current dealership employees are women, while only 5 percent of general managers and fewer than 1 percent of service technicians are women. Yet women make up 50 percent of the global workforce as a whole.
The Automotive News supplement focuses not only on attracting and hiring more women at dealerships, but building a more diverse workforce overall – as diverse employees help dealerships address the ever-changing demands of today’s diverse consumers.
For the “Women Impacting Dealerships” supplement Julie offered several key insights, including the following:

Assess Your Dealership Culture

“First and foremost, dealers need to make an objective assessment of their sales and service culture,” says Hireology’s Julie Brinkman. “That includes looking at things like the language used at the dealership, the jokes that are made, and asking, ‘Would a woman be comfortable working here?’” She suggests asking employees for their insights, either by using anonymous surveys (on paper or via tools such as Google Forms or Survey Monkey) or one-on-one private conversations. “If you’re the dealer principal and feel that your presence in these conversations might be intimidating, tap one of your managers to sit down with employees.”

Build a Strong Employment Brand

“A dealership needs a strong employment brand,” Hireology’s Julie Brinkman says. “That includes a career site that features a diverse group of employees who work at the dealership. The career site should provide stories about the career paths available to job seekers, using the stories of those real employees.”
These are just a few of the many insights Julie offered for the “Women Impacting Dealerships” supplement. See additional commentary from Julie and other retail automotive industry experts here: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/an8576321197WMPRC_supp//index.php#/0

Automotive News Feature Continues Momentum Following International Women’s Day

The “Women Impacting Dealerships” supplement comes on the heels of the annual International Women’s Day, which took place on Friday, March 8. To commemorate the day, several employers across industries highlighted their commitment toward hiring women and supporting a more diverse workforce.
For International Women’s Day, Walmart released a video featuring several women who have grown in their careers and contributed to Walmart’s success. Some examples include a former part-time cashier who is now a store manager and a management trainee who is now a senior vice president of people. On the Walmart website, the brand also highlighted female founders of several brands sold in Walmart stores.
Another example of a major employer that recognized International Women’s Day is PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The brand partnered with the UN Women’s HeForShe Initiative to work toward achieving global gender equality in the workforce. PwC released a report for International Women’s Day that highlights its actions toward gender equality around the world and how workforce equality can improve the global economy as a whole.  
Businesses across industries are making more of an effort to attract and recognize female employees, and build a more diverse workforce. For additional tips on how the automotive industry can capture the attention of female job seekers, download our “Hiring Women in Automotive Checklist” below.

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