RECRUITING & HIRING
Parts & Accessories Department Operations Manual
PURPOSE
12-1
SALES MANAGER INTERVIEW GUIDELINES
12-7
PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT OVERVIEW
12-1
SALES MANAGER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
12-7
INTERNAL RECRUITMENT SYSTEM
12-3
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
12-8
OPEN POSITION NOTIFICATION
12-3
SAMPLE JOB OFFER LETTER
12-14
EXTERNAL RECRUITING SYSTEM
12-5
NEW HIRE ORIENTATION CHECKLIST
12-15
PURPOSE
This section covers the process of recruiting and hiring people for open positions in your
dealership. By following these steps, you will be able to easily interview new applicants
and fill positions within the dealership in a timely manner.
PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT OVERVIEW
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The Personnel Recruitment System is divided into two separate processes,
INTERNAL recruiting and EXTERNAL recruiting.
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The department managers are responsible for staffing their individual
departments and the General Manager (GM) is responsible for keeping each
department manager position filled.
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The methods of recruitment may differ from one position to the next.
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E-mail, snail mail, and internal signage are all utilized in the recruitment process.
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Employment applications will be stocked in a labeled display rack on the wall
near the main customer entrance. Display rack label will state: ‘Employment
Applications, Please See the Manager’.
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All employees are authorized to hand out applications to any person that inquires
about the job posted.
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Completed employment applications collected by an employee shall be hand
delivered immediately to the department manager or General Manager.
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All manager prospects must be interviewed at least twice before being hired.
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Depending on the position, openings should be filled in 1 to 15 working days.
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All internal and external methods should be completed in 2 working days.
© 2007 Dealership University - Confidential -
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Parts & Accessories Department Operations Manual
RECRUITING & HIRING
Pre-Interview Screening Flowchart
Review job
history & weed
out job hoppers
If Applicant
Not Present
Receive
Application
Review the
application &
check salary
requirements
If Applicant
Is Present
Introduction,
evaluate first
handshake &
body language
Ask about job
history, salary
requirements &
work availability
Thank them for
their time &
evaluate second
handshake
Call references
for work
performance &
attendance info.
Proceed now or
file application &
continue within
24 hours
Call applicant to
interview by
phone. Evaluate
phone skills
Schedule
appointment for
full interview in
person
See
Interview
Flowchart
© 2007 Dealership University - Confidential -
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RECRUITING & HIRING
INTERNAL RECRUITMENT SYSTEM
It is always best to promote from within whenever possible. So, the first step should
always be to evaluate existing prospects within the company. Since the Sales
Department brings in 80% or more of the total dealership revenue, extreme detail
should be exercised when considering prospects.
1. Post provided signs on entrance doors, exit doors, restroom doors, parts counter,
service counter, and break room.
2. Place portable “Now Hiring” ground sign in front of store by the road or street.
3. Have other department managers notify their staff in meetings to keep their eyes
open and spread the word.
OPEN POSITION NOTIFICATION FOR EXISTING POSITION
SAMPLE EMAIL
Date:
March 01, 2007
To:
(insert email address)
From:
(insert email address)
Subject:
Open Position Notification
Position:
Sales Manager
New or Existing Position: Existing
Reason for Opening:
As you know already know Bob Smith has been offered the
General Manager’s position and has accepted. Bob Smith will continue to work in his
current position until a replacement can be recruited.
© 2007 Dealership University - Confidential -
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RECRUITING & HIRING
INTERNAL Recruiting Flowchart for Sales Manager Position
General Manager
determines that
the position is
open.
General Manager
checks for active
prospects in
application file
General Manager
posts signs by the
road
Team members
distribute & collect
applications
General Manager
posts the signs in
the store
All team members
forward completed
applications
immediately to
General Manager
See
External
Recruiting
Flowchart
© 2007 Dealership University - Confidential -
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RECRUITING & HIRING
EXTERNAL RECRUITING SYSTEM
Place the following ad in the local newspaper.
Section:
Management
Have fun working in a fun place! Earn a competitive salary plus benefits
as a Sales Manager in a fast paced motorcycle dealership. No experience
necessary but a positive attitude and a smiling face are! Email resume
(insert email address), fax (insert fax #) or call (insert phone #).
Place the following ad in a local cycle trader book.
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
Have fun working in a fun place! Earn a competitive salary plus benefits
as a Sales Manager in a fast paced motorcycle dealership. No experience
necessary but a positive attitude and a smiling face are! Email resume
(insert email address), fax (insert fax #) or call (insert phone #).
© 2007 Dealership University - Confidential -
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RECRUITING & HIRING
EXTERNAL Recruiting Flowchart for Sales Manager Position
Notification sent &
internal recruiting
steps have been
completed
General Manager
places preapproved ad in
newspaper
General Manager
places preapproved ad on
internet job board
© 2007 Dealership University - Confidential -
General Manager
places preapproved ad in
cycle trader book
See
Screening
Flowchart
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RECRUITING & HIRING
SALES MANAGER INTERVIEW GUIDELINES
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The first interview should always be with the General Manager
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Never hire the first interview
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Give the prospect a quick tour of the facility before the interview, especially if the
prospect is a result of an external search
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The second interview should include the other department managers
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If necessary, a third interview should be conducted by the General Manager
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Review the application and/or resume to see if there is consistent work history,
and if the applicant has experience related to this field. Are they a job hopper?

The purpose of the interview is for us to learn about the prospect’s attitude
toward people and work, education, and work experience, and future career
plans.
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Some things to think about during the interview are: Is the applicant alert? How
was the introduction? Does he/she have a firm handshake? Is the applicant
open minded and willing to learn? Is the applicant enthusiastic? Is the applicant
a powersports enthusiast? Does the applicant have any management
experience? How is the applicant’s appearance; is it too far left or too far right?
SALES MANAGER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What made you decide to get into sales?
2. Tell me a little about yourself.
3. How do you feel about working Saturdays?
4. Have you ever owned a motorcycle, ATV or PWC?
5. What is your greatest strength?
6. What is your greatest weakness?
7. What characteristics do you feel it takes to make a successful sales team?
8. What kinds of methods would you use to motivate your sales staff?
9. Have you ever had any management experience?
10. What are your feelings about controlling moral in the work place?
11. Can you give me an example of a time you sold something?
12. What aspect of this job excites you most?
13. What aspect of this job concerns you most?
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RECRUITING & HIRING
14. One of our employees comes in late regularly; however, he/she is your best
salesperson. You warn the employee verbally, but he/she continues to come in
late. How do you handle this situation?
15. How does this atmosphere make you feel?
16. What are your hobbies?
17. Are you married?
18. After reviewing the job description, how confident are you that you can
successfully perform the duties of this position?
19. Do you have any references?
20. Give me your best closing sales pitch as to why we should hire you over our
other applicants.
21. Background check/drug test
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
A LIST OF TESTED QUESTIONS
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WARM-UP QUESTIONS
WORK HISTORY
JOB PERFORMANCE
EDUCATION
CAREER GOALS
SELF-ASSESSMENT
CREATIVITY
DECISIVENESS
RANGE OF INTERESTS
MOTIVATION
WORK STANDARDS
LEADERSHIP
ORAL PRESENTATION
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
FLEXIBILITY
STRESS TOLERANCE
STABILITY & MATURITY
INTEREST IN SELF DEVELOPMENT
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
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What made you apply for this position?
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RECRUITING & HIRING
How did you hear about this job opening?
Briefly, would you summarize your work history & education for me?
WORK HISTORY
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What special aspects of your work history have prepared you for this job?
Can you describe for me one or tow of your most important accomplishments?
How much supervision have you typically received in your previous job?
Describe for me one or two of the biggest disappointments in your work history.
Why are you leaving your present job? (or, Why did you leave your last job?)
What is important to you in a company? What things do you look for in an
organization?
JOB PERFORMANCE
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Everyone has strengths and weaknesses as workers. What are your strong
points for this job?
What would you say are areas needing improvement?
How did your supervisor on your most recent job evaluate your job performance?
What were some of the good points & bad points of that rating?
When you have been told or discovered for yourself, a problem in your job
performance, what have you typically done? Can you give me an example?
Do you prefer working alone or in a group?
What kind of people do you find most difficult to work with? Why?
Starting with your last job, tell me about your achievements that were recognized
by your superiors.
Can you give me an example of your ability to manage or supervise others?
What are some things you would like to avoid in a job? Why?
In your previous job what kind of pressures did you encounter?
What would you say is the most important thing you are looking for in a job?
What are some of the things on your job you feel you have done particularly well
or in which you have achieved the greatest success? Why do you feel this way?
What are some of the things on your last job that you found most difficult to do?
What are some of the problems you encountered while doing your job? Which
one frustrates you the most? What do you usually do about it?
What are some things you particularly liked about your last job?
Do you consider your progress on the job representative of your ability? Why?
How do you feel about the way you & others in the department were managed by
your supervisor?
If I were to ask your present (most recent) employer about your ability as a
_________________, what would he/she say?
© 2007 Dealership University - Confidential -
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Parts & Accessories Department Operations Manual
RECRUITING & HIRING
EDUCATION
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What aspects of your education or training have prepared you for this job?
What courses in school have been of most help in doing your job?
CAREER GOALS
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What is your long-term employment or career objective?
What kind of job do you see yourself holding five years from now?
What do you feel you need to develop in terms of skill & knowledge in order to be
ready for that opportunity?
Why might you be successful in such a job?
How does this job fit in with your overall career goals?
Who or what in your life would you say influenced you most with your career
objectives?
Can you pinpoint any specific things in your past experience that affected your
present career objectives?
What would you most like to accomplish in this job?
What might make you leave this job?
SELF-ASSESSMENT
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What kind of things do you feel most confident doing?
Can you describe for me a difficult obstacle you had to overcome? How did you
handle it? How do you feel this experience affected your personality or ability?
How would you describe yourself as a person?
What do you think are the most important characteristics & abilities a person
must possess to become a successful ( )? How do you rate yourself in these
areas?
Do you consider yourself a self-starter? If so, explain why & give examples.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievements to date? Why?
What things give you the greatest satisfaction at work?
What things frustrate you most? How do you usually cope with them?
CREATIVITY
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In your work experience, what have you done that you consider truly creative?
Can you think of a problem you have encountered when the old solutions didn’t
work & when you came up with new solutions?
Of your creative accomplishments big or small, at work or home, what gave you
the most satisfaction?
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RECRUITING & HIRING
What kind of problems have people recently called on you to solve? Tell me
what you devised?
DECISIVENESS
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Do you consider yourself to be thoughtful, analytical or so you usually make up
your mind fast? Give an example. (Watch time taken to respond)
What was your most difficult decision in the last six months? What made it
difficult?
The last time you did not know what decision to make, what did you do?
How do you go about making an important decision affecting your career?
What was the last major problem you were confronted with? What action did you
take?
RANGE OF INTERESTS
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What organizations do you belong to?
Tell me specifically what you do in the civic activities in which you participate.
(Leading questions in selected areas, i.e. sports, economics, current events,
finance)
How do you keep up with what’s going on in your company/industry/profession?
MOTIVATION
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What is your professional goal?
Can you give me examples of experience on the job you felt were satisfying?
Do you have a long or short-term plan for your department? Is it realistic?
Did you achieve it last year?
Describe how you determine what constitutes top priorities in the performance of
your job.
WORK STANDARDS
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What are your standards of success in your job?
In your position, how would you define doing a good job? On what basis was
your definition determined?
When judging the performance of your subordinate, what factors or
characteristics are most important to you?
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RECRUITING & HIRING
LEADERSHIP
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In your present job what approach do you take to get your people together to
establish a common approach to a problem?
What approach do you take in getting your people to accept your ideas or
department goals?
What specifically do you do to set an example for your employees?
How frequently do you meet with your immediate subordinates as a group?
What sort of leader do your people feel you are? Are you satisfied?
How do you get people who do not want to work together to establish a common
approach to a problem?
If you do not have much time & they hold seriously differing views, what would be
your approach?
How would you describe your basic leadership style? Give specific examples of
how you practice this?
Do you feel you work more effectively on a one to one basis or in a group
situation?
Have you ever led a task force or committee or any group who doesn’t report to
you, but from whom you have to get work? How did you do it? What were the
satisfactions & disappointments? How would you handle the job differently?
ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS
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Have you ever done any public or group speaking? Recently? Why? How did it
go?
Have you made any individual presentations recently? How did you prepare?
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
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Would you rather write a report or give a verbal report? Why?
What kind of writing have you done? For a group? For an individual?
What is the extent of your participation in major reports that have to be written?
FLEXIBILITY
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What was the most important idea or suggestion you received recently from your
employees? What happened as a result?
What do you think about the continuous changes in company operating policies
& procedures?
How effective has your company been in adapting its policies to fit a changing
environment?
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RECRUITING & HIRING
What was the most significant change made in your company in the last six
months which directly affected you, & how successfully do you think you
implemented this change?
STRESS TOLERANCE
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Do you feel pressure in your job? Tell me about it.
What has been the highest pressure situation you been under in recent years?
How did you cope with it?
STABILITY & MATURITY
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Describe your most significant success & failure in the last two years.
What do you like to do best?
What do you like too do least?
What in your last review did your supervisor suggest needed improvement?
What have you done about it?
INTEREST IN SELF DEVELOPMENT
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Who/what has been the most important person/event in your own self
development?
How much of your education did you earn?
What kind of books & other publications do you read?
Have you taken a management development course?
How are you helping your subordinates develop themselves?
Indiana University Bloomington Libraries
Last Updated: 02.19.02
URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~libpers/interview.html
Comments: libpers@indiana.edu
© 1997, The Trustees of Indiana University
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RECRUITING & HIRING
SAMPLE JOB OFFER LETTER
March 01, 2007
Sally Supersmile
123 Fake Street
Fakeville, CA 12345-1234
Dear Ms. Supersmile:
Congratulations! We would like to extend an offer of employment to you as Hospitality
Coordinator for our dealership. This hourly position is full-time and compensation will
begin at an hourly rate of $7.50 per hour. Pay dates are every other Friday. Your first
check will include March 5th through March 18th, 2007 and will be disbursed on Friday,
March 23rd, 2007.
We would like you to begin your employment with us on March 5 th, 2007 with initial
training to take place with Scott Sells, General Manager. The duration of such training
will be determined by the General Manager who will be serving as facilitator. Once
complete, you will begin regular work at our store.
All other benefits available such as medical and dental insurance, vacation, etc. are
detailed in our Employee Handbook which you should receive on your first day of
employment.
We are glad that you are ready for a career with this dealership and believe that we
provide a premier opportunity in an exciting industry and a fun atmosphere. We are
confident that you will be a strong contributor to our future success and growth.
Sincerely,
Scott Sells
General Manger
Accepted:
____________________________________
New Employee’s Name
© 2007 Dealership University - Confidential -
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Date
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Parts & Accessories Department Operations Manual
RECRUITING & HIRING
New Hire Orientation Checklist
1. ___ Enter Lightspeed info. / Clock in/out
2. ___ Introduction to staff/facility tour
3. ___ Company structure (flowchart)
4. ___ Employee handbook
5. ___ Handbook receipt form
6. ___ Required days & hours
7. ___ Overtime stipulations
8. ___ Uniform standards/Dress code
9. ___ Lunch break policy
10. ___ Signed offer letter
11. ___ Benefits program
12. ___ Parking information
13. ___ Job reviews
14. ___ Vacation policy
15. ___Copy of application
16. ___ Tax papers
17. ___ Copy of driver’s license
18. ___ Background check (form)
19. ___ Voice mail/Phone extension
20. ___ Mailbox (for snail mail)
21. ___ Email (if applicable)
22. ___ Business cards
23. ___ Job description
24. ___ D.O.M. review
25. ___ D.O.M. receipt form
26. ___ Training agenda/outline
27. ___ Training program list
28. ___ Signature on this checklist
29. ___ MVR form for insurance
Notes: ________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
________________________________
Employee’s Signature and Date
________________________________
Manager’s Signature and Date
Copy to: New Employee, Personnel File, Department Manager
© 2007 Dealership University - Confidential -
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