Don't let your car ruin your career

Let’s face it. We all want a chance of getting our dream job. We don’t want to spend our lives working at dead-end places with no career prospects. Search the Internet and you’ll find all kinds of guides on how to increase your chances of getting a job. Those tips will talk about things like personal grooming and body posture during interviews. They’ll even discuss how to improve the way you speak! Other guides will give you tips on how to improve your CV for maximum impact. These are great but could actually the car you drive effect your chances of getting a job? One thing you need to realise is many businesses operate out of small offices. When that’s the case, all employees (including the boss) can see when vehicles approach. I’m obviously making assumptions that you drive and if you don’t then why not 🙂 When I was 20 I turned up to a job interview and I was driving a ford fiesta that was loud and modified. Luckily the person interviewing didn’t see me pull up in your car, so thank god as they may have judged. They may also have certain stereotypical views of you because of the car you drive. So let’s take a holistic view of it all and question, what car SHOULD you be driving to an interview. Believe it or not, the following types of vehicles will help you get certain jobs easier: Let us assume that you wish to get a job as a senior manager or even a company director. With such a position comes great responsibility. Part of your duties will involve seeing key clients on a regular basis. And you might need to visit their premises on some occasions. Because of the BIK (benefit-in-kind) tax rules, it’s cheaper to use your own car for work. It makes sense to buy an executive car for management roles. Dealerships like Inchcape Lexus and H.R. Owen are ideal places to buy such a vehicle. What’s more, you could get a used model to keep your costs down. Once you’ve secured a new job, you could celebrate by upgrading to a newer one! The last thing you want to do for such job roles is to drive an old banger. Trust me; it’s crucial to give the right first impression! Of course, not everyone wants to forge a career sitting behind a desk or wearing a suit all day long. Plenty of folks enjoy working in the great outdoors. In those cases, nature is your office, and overalls are your suit! The thing is; you wouldn’t want to drive an expensive luxury saloon for such jobs. Let’s say you want to get a job as a landscape gardener or a builder. You want to give your potential future boss the impression you are a capable person. One idea to boost your job prospects is to drive to your interview in a utility vehicle. It could be something like a pickup truck, SUV or even a Transit van! Yes, I know, it sounds strange. But, it can give your interviewer the impression you know what you’re talking about. And they are far more likely to learn more about your experience and skills. I’m exceptionally lucky as I have a company car but it’s something to bare in mind if you think you may need some automotive support!  ]]>