As the World’s largest Used Car Dealerships, we are often asked what’s it like to work at Cargiant and be part of a multi-award-winning team.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be profiling members of the Cargiant team. We’re kicking off with one of our best, Rhianne Murphy, Recruitment Manager, who has been with Cargiant for more than 3 years and who now knows Cargiant like the back of her hand.
Rhianne has supported the placement of numerous candidates across Cargiant’s team from senior management, workshop and mechanical staff to recently supporting the appointment of Cargiant restaurant manager and understands the range of skills required to make the World’s largest Used Car Dealership run like clockwork…
What’s the culture like at Cargiant?
It’s a fast paced and friendly environment where you really get to know your work colleagues and feel part of one big giant team. We are committed to ensuring that as individuals and as an organisation we create value for our customers, employees, partners and suppliers. We are constantly trying to improve. Whether it’s investing in our systems and technology or developing our products and infrastructure, as well as hiring the best people and rewarding performance.
What’s at the heart of Cargiant?
We are always striving to provide our customers with the highest quality of care of which we are capable. One of our company values is integrity: being honest and inspiring trust by saying what we mean, matching our behaviours to our words and taking responsibility for our actions. We are accountable for failure as well as success and do not allocate blame. We are each personally accountable for the highest standards of behaviour, in all aspects of our work. I would say that this company value, more than any other, resonates with me and really drives me and my team forward every day.
How did you get into recruitment?
My first working experience after university was in media believe it or not. It was an account based role and I was responsible for liaising with clients and ensuring everything stayed on track. There was plenty of people management, organising and project management – working to a deadline was key. I think it gave me a good grounding for the recruitment industry. I’ve always been a people person and I couldn’t imagine myself in a role where I didn’t engage with others. Listening and speaking to candidates is something I really love about my job.
For those of us who might not know, what is recruitment?
Recruitment is all about listening. Here at Cargiant we do a lot of listening to what our customers tell us and what they don’t tell us too. It’s how we improve and continue to remain multi-award-winning. My team’s approach to recruitment is the same. If we listen carefully to our internal clients as well as the job seeker we can ensure that both their needs are met. We have a good retention rate at Cargiant, with lots of long standing members of staff, so it’s great to be given the space to appoint people that are matched for the role but also to see the potential in people for the future and offer real progression, training and development.
What’s been your proudest achievements?
It’s always nice to see members of staff win awards as it means our team has recruited well and the candidate is thriving in their role. Over the last few years we have been fortunate to win a number of awards that demonstrate our desire to improve, including: Highly Commended Apprentice of the Year Award – West London Business Awards and the F&I Salesperson of the Year Award – MotorTrader Awards.
What are the challenges of recruiting for the automotive industry?
For me the biggest challenge is encouraging women to consider careers in the automotive sector. In the past, many of the traditional roles associated with the automotive industry were male dominated, but this isn’t the case anymore. One way we are helping to inspire young women to take on roles is through our workshop apprenticeships.
How has the car buying market evolved?
The markets reputation is something we as a business are always striving to improve. Long gone are the days that in order to buy a car you had to haggle with a used car salesman and his pals in order to get a good deal. But I fear this association still lingers on. I believe Cargiant has been instrumental in changing the perceptions of the used car market over this issue and led the way from the start with our fair and transparent pricing model. At Cargiant there is no embarrassing haggling and everyone pays the lowest possible price, as advertised.
What are your top interview tips and advice?
When it comes to interviews, we can all get nervous. My top tip to controlling your nerves is to be prepared. Make sure you always research the company and the market. We want to see that you arrive at Cargiant having researched what we do as thoroughly as you can. Make sure you have a clear idea of the role you are applying for and that you feel confident that your skills match. It’s also really important to demonstrate a desire to grow and develop – these are the candidates we invest in. Most importantly it’s important to be yourself and allow your personality to come through during your interview.
How can candidates get in touch with your department?
We’re always looking for hardworking, driven people who have what it takes to deliver the experience Cargiant has become famous for. There are a variety of career opportunities at Cargiant from Car Sales and Customer Services roles, Mechanical and Bodyshop Technicians to Site Maintenance Specialists.
If you’re interested in a career at Cargiant, contact our recruitment department by emailing [email protected] along with your CV.