When it comes to the automotive industry, there are certainly a wide range of jobs available to be had. These jobs appeal to people of many different interests, so you should be able to find something suitable you like (if you’re interested). In this field, with the right training, you can advance to higher positions relatively easily. Here is a look at different career opportunities that await in the automotive industry. Automotive technician: These technicians are responsible for performing various tasks such as changing oil, replacing air filters, and balancing wheels. There are also plenty of other maintenance tasks technicians have to perform such as changing brake pads and doing tune-ups. If you're looking to join the automotive industry, you could also become a car mechanic, which is a level or two up on the ladder from the technician. Many people confuse mechanics with automotive technicians. Mechanics are responsible for performing many of the same tasks as technicians. However, mechanics also perform more difficult tasks than a technician. These tasks include things such as replacing engines, alternators, or fixing suspension and electrical problems. In order to become a mechanic, you will also need more education and experience. Becoming a diesel mechanic is also an great option in automotive industry. These guys are responsible for repairing and servicing diesel engines. Although this includes a few passenger vehicles, you would likely have most of your focus on buses and trucks. This corresponds to a hefty increase in wages. The average yearly salary of a diesel mechanic is $50,000. If you enjoy communicating with people rather, becoming a car salesperson may be the perfect career with you. You would spend the majority if your day trying to sell cars to people who visited the car lot. Your salary would be based on the amount of commissions you earn. You can also work your way up the ladder into a management position as you gain experience. In the current economy this job isn’t as lucrative as before, but top salespeople in relatively wealthy areas still make an attractive living ($75,000+ per year) Similar to a floor salesperson is the internet sales manager. Instead of working with people who visited the car lot, you would work with leads received from the internet. Some of these leads come in direct due to the dealer’s website advertising, others come in from affiliated websites who work with you to sell cars. One example of a site like this is the Internet Autoguide. Whenever you get these internet leads like this, you would have to make an appointment to try to get the person into the dealership to buy a car. This is one of the best paying and most sought-after positions in auto sales. The top-producing and most quick-witted sales staff advance to this position. If you’re more of an artistic person, another option is automobile design. As its name suggests, you would be tasked with coming up for new car designs. This career is definitely in high demand thanks to the fact trends are constantly changing in the car industry. However, you will need plenty of education in order to begin a career as a designer, and your first employment and first projects won’t be designing cars. A career opportunity in the automotive industry that is expanding is a body and paint specialist. As one of these specialists, you would have to repair damage that resulted from a car accident of some kind. You would have to fix the exterior of the car and then restore the paint job as well. Thanks to the fact there are plenty of car accidents around the country, this position is in high-demand. Another option is to get a job on the assembly line. Getting your foot in is not easy, but it’s easier than before. You could join an assembly line that focuses on making cars, or even a line that simply makes certain parts that go in the cars. Nowadays, most assembly line positions require some knowledge about computers and robotic manufacturing. More of a money person? Finance and insurance department of a car dealership are a good opportunity. People looking to buy a new car will need financing and insurance in order to get it. You would have to work with sales staff, management and lenders (and of course the customer) to do your job. After you gain experience in this department, the top role to achieve within the dealership is Finance Manager. You would oversee all financing and monetary inflows and concessions of the dealership on all car sales/leases and purchases. You would have to ensure the dealership makes a fair amount of money whenever people buy a car. As you can see, there are certainly a lot of positions available in this industry. You should be able to find something that suits your interests easily if you have the required education and experience, or in some fields just getting your foot in the door at the right time. Career opportunities automotive industry image from Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.