1.
DO YOU THINK ANYONE HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED IN THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD?
The motor vehicle industry is probably one of the most exclusive clubs that you can be part of, manufacturers get an
insane amount of applications per job posting. Getting noticed by them can be hard if not nearly impossible, believe me I know.
By Miguel
Ihave been a gear head my entire life,
and will always remain that way, there is
absolutely no doubt about it.
Since I can vaguely remember, all
stages of my existence were influenced by
the automotive world.
When I was five I was head over heels
in love with the Ferrari 512 Testarossa, I
can recall feeling butterflies in my stomach
when I saw it for the first time.
By the time I turned six years old my
Dad got me a plastic cast model of the 1966
Ford GT40 LeMans edition in the famous
yellow with black racing stripes, it was my
greatest treasure.
In the mid to late 80’s I wanted to be
Marty McFly, not to go back to the future,
but to drive a DMC DeLorean. Man, oh man
how I dreamed on cruising the streets at 80
Mph in that beast, the gullwing style doors
where seriously out of this world.
Then one day in 1989 I was minding
my own business while my dad watched
Rain Man, I looked at the tv and there it
was, a red, bright red, as red as you can get
in an 80’s tv, a car that would introduce me
to a new level of love for cars.
Didn't take me long to I find out that
the car was the Lamborghini Countach,
one of the noisiest, most uncomfortable
cars but a sexy and incredibly fast supercar
nonetheless.
The next decade, the 90’s I had
different love interests, the Porsche 959,
the Toyota Supra, the Nissan Skyline, and
the “there is no substitute” Porsche 928.
But there were two that really melted
my heart were the mighty McLaren F1 and
the philharmonic Ferrari F355 Berlinetta
Rosso Corsa of course!
By now you might’ve realized where I
am going with this, I love cars, I live for
cars and I enjoy being around cars…all
cars!
Sadly however, my involvement with
the industry has been less than
spectacular.
With the exception of a couple of years
in early 2000s in which I was somehow
involved with two private automotive
conglomerates, I have not been able to go
back to my dream career path, too bad that
all I did back then was run some errands,
and get people coffee, lots of coffee*
* Just kidding, I did learn, actually I learned a
lot! I basically learned how to run a car dealership
in just a couple of years.
Are careers in the auto
industry the holy grail of all
careers?
09/2016
Overdrive

2. My wife and I arrived to the less than
warm city of Rochester NY in 2006. When
we got there I thought to myself (well
actually my inner child thought) “Oh man, I
can finally make this happen, I can get a job
at Porsche, Ferrari, BMW or Mercedes-
Benz, I am going to make this happen!”
Boy was I wrong! I was slapped in the
face by reality once again and didn’t even
see it coming, (there are no Ferraris in
Rochester)
I attempted to get a job (any job) at
several car dealerships, from the top
brands all the way to the modest ones, but
all I found were closed doors. No one
wanted to hire a kid that barely spoke
English, let alone trust him with the keys of
any car.
Now, lets fast-forward a few years (We
now live in Tampa, FL). I spend most of my
time occupied with stuff other than cars, a
busy career in technology, marketing,
business development does not leave
much free times to be playing with cars.
However, there was always something
missing, that desire of driving and testing
cars for a living kept coming back to haunt
me, and I couldn't keep avoiding my calling
any longer.
So, I decided to face the truth. I poured
my heart and soul in my quest of finding
the perfect career, conquer my fears and
make my childhood dream a reality, I had
my resume polished, from several pages I
went down to three, because apparently
that’s whats acceptable now.
I jumped on the Internet and religiously
applied to all of the companies that I could
think of, I created a LinkedIn account and I
started networking with people in the
industry to make myself visible, never
hiding my intentions. In fact, I consistently
messaged several of my connections to
make them aware of my desire of moving
from the technology world to the
automotive field…
Well, it is simple, but also complex, it
comes down to the good ole’ "Offer and
Demand" and the infamous "Employee
Turnover"
On the manufacturers side, the
career possibilities are endless. However,
they are scarce, very scarce; it certainly is
a very desirable industry and you can have
a very lucrative career, Of course it will
always depend on what path you have in
mind, and also the position that you want
to get hired for.
A s m o s t w e l l s t a b l i s h e d
corporations, they can be very good to its
employees, they get perks such as: big
discounts for products and services (cars,
trucks etc) good benefits packages,
relocation services, stability, career
advancement, among other goodies.
I mean, who can refuse the
bragging rights that come together with
your new hire package? Imagine telling all
of your friends “Yes guys, I drive
Lamborghinis for a living" …Come on, I
would do that for free!
This translate into employees
never wanting to leave. Seriously, why
would you want to leave when you can
have a new BMW every four months ?
All of these factors make getting
noticed hard, very hard. Harder than finding
Tom Cruise at a Sunday Mass while there is
a Christening going on, (if you are too
sensitive, I do not mean to offend your
softness, but it is the truth) Some people
eventually stop trying and focus
somewhere else, but if you are like me you
will get used to the automatic rejection
email, (That in more or less words says: it’s
not you it’s me! or in this case, us) you will
suck it up and continue applying.
Retail (regardless of which line)
has an elevated percentage of employee
turnover, but among all industries
automotive retail have perhaps one of the
highest, if not the highest.
You may be wondering why?
Well, there is a perfectly good explanation
for it.
Some dealerships have a rather
old way of hiring and compensating its
employees. The vast majority of them have
a hiring process that often lacks of
structure and sometimes is quite
inconsistent; Thus resulting in the hiring of
under qualified individuals. Also, some
“veterans of the industry” that have an
incredible amount of bad habits. They do
things their way, often reluctant to change
and rather than contribute to the betterment
of the business, they actually worsen it. Do
you remember that notorious phrase "Used
car salesman”?…… I rest my case your
Honor.
When it comes to compensation,
most dealerships have a commissions only
package, and I say most because there are
some exceptions. There are cases in which
the executives of a dealership will create a
pay package designed so employees (read
sales reps), as well as management get a
base salary plus bonuses.
And that is how it should be done.
If the automotive retail industry
doesn’t make some drastic changes it will
quickly succumb to the omnipresent eBay...
But
Same old story?
A NEW BEGINNING
So, if it’s that hard, how
come dealerships and
manufacturers are
always hiring people?
Here's why:
Base salary + bonus combination
translate to job stability.
Job stability = Better candidates.
Better candidates = unvarying
employees and quality
professionals.
Quality employees = Longer
tenure and loyalty to the company.
Longer tenure = Continuity.
Continuity = $$$!
Landing a career with a car
manufacturer is almost as hard (if not
harder) than to be noticed by Google.
In fact, a job as an F&I manager for a
domestic brand dealership can easily
break the barrier of $100k a year and
if you are lucky enough to have the
same position at a luxury dealership it
could soar as high as $225k!

3. Overdrive proud MEMBERS OF:
I’ve become aware that the challenge I’m facing is
far from an existential crisis, let alone a midlife one ( I
have yet to get a Porsche)
It has to do more with the realization that I have
spent hours upon hours in front of the computer
applying for positions I know I would dominate with
ease, but not being able to bypass the firewall that would
place my resume among the ones that a human being
will actually see! …That’s what gets me!……I should’ve
been a hacker like Dad told me.
I often wonder if all of these efforts are actually
worth it, I question myself and think: “It’s not going to
happen, stop this already” but then I walk into the candy
store (That’s how I call Ferrari of Tampa Bay) or I binge-
watch my favorite soap opera (Top Gear with Clarkson,
Hammond and May in it) and all is well again.
Clarkson’s phrase is always in my mind, it is a clear
reminder of what separates the people who make it and
the ones that observe from afar.
I guess the way I see is: “There is nothing to be
afraid of when pushing hard for the things you want in
life, only when you stop and give up is when you will be
defeated”
I have yet to make my dream a reality. To me,
automobiles are the greatest creation known to man, and
if you do not believe me, just take a glimpse at the work
of art called Pagani Zonda Tricolore and dare tell me
that it does not belong in the Louvre.
I will not accept defeat, I will continue my
adventure, I know it wont be easy, it will take a lot of
hard work, but at the end it will be gratifying and
immensely rewarding.
Whatever your dream is do not give up on it, work
hard for it, do not take no for an answer and I promise,
sooner or later you will find your own Holy Grail.
“Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming
stationary… that’s what gets you”
Jeremy Clarkson