When the word professional comes to mind, most of us think doctors and lawyers, not technicians. Professionals have gone to school and they must continue to educate themselves on a regular basis to keep up with changes in their respective field. Consequently, they can demand good money for their services. Professionalism in the automotive field refers to a person doing their job with sincerity, maintaining professional etiquette and professional ethics.
The automotive industry, along with the automotive technician, has evolved into a highly technical professional field. We have evolved from mechanics to technicians in order to possess the qualities needed to work on today’s technologically sophisticated vehicles. So many additional demands have been put on technicians that now include but are not limited to:
- Attitude
- Ethics
- Handling diversity
- Etiquette
- Customer service/quality
- Drive in workmanship
- Communication
- Writing ability
- Conflict management
- Honesty
All these topics will be covered in this series, which will define you, an automotive technician, as a professional.
Today a service director expects a professional to walk in his door to interview for a technician’s job. The automotive professional who possesses the above-mentioned qualities will be hired over the mechanic with good wrench skills.
Why professionalism is important
- Professionalism will ensure good performance by all. Technicians must work together professionally to do the best at their job.
- Professionalism will keep all employees in the shop motivated. A happy technician is a great ambassador of the dealer products.
- Professional shops ensure a technician’s quality of work, not just quantity of work, is taken into appreciation.
- Professionalism in the shop helps maintain communication. This ensures all are heard.
How to be a true professional
Ensure you will be a true professional and in turn instill professionalism into your workplace. Here are some things to help you achieve professional status:
- Treat your customers and co-workers with respect and dignity.
- Come to work on time.
- Honestly earn your pay.
- Do jobs to the best of your ability.
- Take pride in every car you repair.
- Start your day off clean and neat.
- Take care of your tools and supplies.
- Respect your work and yourself.
- Make a difference.
Remember that customers expect that their vehicle is in professional hands and that it will be treated and repaired as if their life depends on it because in many cases it does.
What not to do
These characteristics put you at risk of making a negative impression:
- Negative attitude is one of the most unprofessional things that can happen to any business, especially the automotive industry.
- Feeling like you have no ownership in your repairs or the quality of them.
- Unethical acts and making unnecessary repairs will damage your and the dealer’s reputation.
- Lack of motivation not only hits your paycheck when working on a flat rate, but makes your shop’s atmosphere unprofessional.
- Dressing poorly and unkempt work areas gives an unprofessional impression.
Don’t overlook the importance of your professional presence in the automotive workplace. Our industry has become more fast-paced and vehicles have become very complex, which means professionalism is the key in your career being successful.
