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For Youth - Career Information - The Front Office PartspersonAre You Right for the Job? Sean Goodrich - Whitehorse, Yukon - "Territorial Auto Parts" Get Ahead in the Parts Business -- Gearhead Wanted. You probably won't see that in an ad for a partsperson, but an understanding of how engines and mechanical systems work is a great way to get started in his line of work, says Sean Goodrich. Territorial Auto Parts is an aftermarket jobber store, where people can buy common replacement parts, as well as specialty parts for classic and older vehicles. Customers include do-it-yourselfers, independent repair shops, car and truck dealerships, and light industrial equipment dealers such as John Deere. "People come in and you know they're dead wrong, but you have to make them feel like they're right when they go away." Career Path After working in health care for many years, Sean decided to steer his career toward a field he'd always enjoyed: automotive. In 1995, he attended the University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops, B.C., and obtained trades certificates in both automotive parts and heavy equipment parts. Then, through a Yukon government-funded program, he found a company, Territorial Auto Parts, to take him on as an apprentice. After completing the requirements of a three-year apprenticeship, Sean wrote his apprenticeship exams. He now has his Gold Seal, which qualifies him to work as a partsperson within Yukon, as well as his Red Seal, which qualifies him for work in other provinces and territories. Are You Right for the Job? "One of the major complaints I hear from people in the industry is that young people don't have the technical knowledge to be able to diagnose problems," Sean explains. He adds there aren't many women in the industry, but those who succeed are the ones who have a strong mechanical ability. A partsperson should:
All in a Day's Work: Putting the coffee on, filling the till, turning on the computers, following up on orders from the previous day--Sean starts his day at 8:00 a.m. much like everyone else. Then the phone starts to ring, and Sean's kept busy for the next nine hours locating parts for a range of customers. If the customer doesn't know exactly what he or she is looking for, Sean asks focused questions to get the right information to begin tracking down a part. "When you're dealing with the public, their business rides on getting the right part the first time. They rely on the parts store," Sean notes. If the part is on the shelf in the store, that's easy. If it's not, he'll go through online and paper catalogues. If the part is available from Uni-Select, he'll order it. Finding older or specialty parts requires some hunting on the Internet. His job also includes shipping and receiving (keeping track of parts coming into and leaving the store), as well as inventory control--knowing what's on the shelves at all times. At 5:00 p.m., Sean cashes out and goes home. The work stays new and fresh not only because he takes courses to learn more about his job, but also because he likes the face-to-face interaction. "My mind is constantly working," he smiles. "No two sales are the same." Apprenticeship: QC, MB, SK, AB, NWT, BC, YT |
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