We caught up with Hayley, a vehicle technician from Motability Dealers, Lookers to find out how they have helped her gain essential experience and knowledge for her role…
Hayley began her career in the motor trade at just 17 years of age. She started working at an independent garage which was owned by a family friend. Now, fast approaching her two year milestone with Lookers since she joined in 2016, Hayley gives us an insight into her daily routine and her journey so far…
What does a typical day look like in your role?
My alarm is always set for 6:30am. My parents and brother are usually still in bed while I’m having breakfast, but I see my dad just before I leave our house in Runcorn. My trusty little Ford Fiesta gets me to work in about half an hour.
As I walk in to the office, I get a warm and smiley welcome from Service Advisors Chris and John! We tend to catch up in the office for ten minutes or so while we wait for jobs to come in. Typical tasks and responsibilities can be anything from full health checks on cars to technicalities such as rebuilding parts.
My day is pretty typical, but I’d say my biggest achievement so far has been rebuilding an engine on an Astra K last year, which was also my biggest challenge in my career so far. It’s also what I’m most proud of. Lookers lets you put your abilities to the test and allow your skillset to flourish, which is one of the main things I love about working here.
Rounding up my day usually ends by cleaning my tools and my work area, having a few laughs and saying goodnight to everyone.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to work in a role like this?
Based on my experience of working in this industry, there’s always a lot of camaraderie between teams, so people looking for a role within the motor trade will need to enjoy this type of light-hearted and sociable environment. Days could sometimes get quite tedious and repetitive at the small independent garage where I worked, but since moving to Lookers, opportunities to work on projects such as rebuilding the Astra K engine, have often cropped up. Here, I can work independently, get involved in a breadth of tasks, and socialise with a friendly, supportive team.
