Volkswagen has ambitious plans for its North American operations. Having introduced new models intended for high volume production such as the 2012 Jetta and Passat and witnessing a surge in sales, the company is now pushing to grow the service side of its operations to support higher sales volumes. One method VW is taking is by supporting dealers and urging them to hire new staff for their service departments.
Last month in the U.S., VW set up a career website designed to serve as a pool for applicant resumes, which dealers can then mine in order to seek out the best candidates for their stores.
While VW says it cannot hire staff for dealers itself, it’s providing its retail network with an effective strategy to seek out the right workers, allowing stores to decide who they need and how many staff members they want to hire.
According to Will Trafton, chairman of the Volkswagen National Dealer Council and owner of a VW store in Rochester, NY, the hiring support program couldn’t come at a better time. “[Dealers] may not be hiring next month,” he said “but with more VW owners on the road demand for service is likely to increase. And for some positions, dealers simply can’t wait to fill them.”
