What's one of the biggest hurdles in attracting more women to the car industry? They don't know to consider it in the first place. It isn't on most women's radars.
I was lucky to stumble upon my opportunity to join the industry during my senior year of college. It was a perfect blend of timing, a great job market, and graduating from an excellent undergraduate business program. I knew nothing about cars at the time, and I felt a little self-conscious about it since I was surrounded by people who were very passionate about cars.
As I grew in my career, I learned the business and realized you don't have to love cars; you have to love the work you do, which is how it unfolded for me. I tell candidates I am interviewing the same thing. Being a car enthusiast is not a requirement, but learning the business and becoming passionate about the work you do is.
This is an important message to spread as we are trying to move the effort forward with hiring and retaining more women in automotive, specifically retail automotive.
I originally wrote and posted this article to LinkedIn in 2020. It also contains a video from Walser Automotive Group's "Women Of Walser": "I Am A Woman in Automotive." This is a great video sharing that very message and highlighting women's career opportunities in automotive. Check out the link below for the original article and Walser's video.
You Don't Have to be a Car Enthusiast to Love the Car Business
How else can we spread the message to attract more women to the industry?
