Career profile for Automotive Attendant

What does an Automotive Attendant do?

Automotive Attendants service automobiles, buses, trucks, boats, and other automotive or marine vehicles with fuel, lubricants, and accessories.

In addition, Automotive Attendants

collect payment for services and supplies,
may lubricate vehicle, change motor oil, refill antifreeze, or replace lights or other accessories, such as windshield wiper blades or fan belts,
may repair or replace tires.

What kind of tasks does an Automotive Attendant perform regularly?

Automotive Attendants are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Collect cash payments from customers, and make change or charge purchases to customers' credit cards, providing customers with receipts.
Check tire pressure and levels of fuel, motor oil, transmission, radiator, battery, or other fluids, adding air or fluids as required.
Perform minor repairs, such as adjusting brakes, replacing spark plugs, or changing engine oil or filters.
Clean parking areas, offices, restrooms, or equipment, and remove trash.
Order stock, and price and shelve incoming goods.
Sell and install accessories, such as batteries, windshield wiper blades, fan belts, bulbs, or headlamps.
Grease and lubricate vehicles or specified units, such as springs, universal joints, or steering knuckles, using grease guns or spray lubricants.
Rotate, test, and repair or replace tires.

The above responsibilities are specific to Automotive Attendants. More generally, Automotive Attendants are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Controlling Machines and Processes		Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment		Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
Communicating with People Outside the Organization		Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Controlling Machines and Processes

Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment

Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.

Communicating with People Outside the Organization

Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

What is an Automotive Attendant salary?

The median salary for an Automotive Attendant is $26,540, and the average salary is $28,150. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Automotive Attendant salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Automotive Attendants earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Automotive Attendants earn less than $21,100 per year, 25% earn less than $23,280, 75% earn less than $31,330, and 90% earn less than $38,230.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Automotive Attendants is expected to change by 4.3%, and there should be roughly 16,400 open positions for Automotive Attendants every year.

Median annual salary: $26,540
Typical salary range: $21,100 - $38,230
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 4.3%

What personality traits are common among Automotive Attendants?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as an Automotive Attendant are usually higher in their Realistic and Conventional interests.

Automotive Attendants typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Also, Automotive Attendants typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as an Automotive Attendant tend to value Support, Relationships, and Independence.

Most importantly, Automotive Attendants moderately value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Second, Automotive Attendants moderately value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Lastly, Automotive Attendants somewhat value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Automotive Attendants must consistently demonstrate qualities such as attention to detail, self-control, and dependability.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Automotive Attendants, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Self-Control		Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Analytical Thinking		Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Self-Control

Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Analytical Thinking

Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

What education and training do Automotive Attendants need?

Working as an Automotive Attendant usually requires a high school diploma.

Automotive Attendants need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Automotive Attendants

14.2% did not complete high school or secondary school
46.6% completed high school or secondary school
24.8% completed some college coursework
8.6% earned a Associate's degree
4.8% earned a Bachelor's degree
0.9% earned a Master's degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Automotive Attendants

Automotive Attendants may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as customer and personal service, mechanical, or sales and marketing knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Automotive Attendants might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Mechanical		Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Sales and Marketing		Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Mathematics		Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Sales and Marketing

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Important Abilities needed by Automotive Attendants

Automotive Attendants must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Automotive Attendants need abilities such as oral comprehension, oral expression, and manual dexterity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Automotive Attendants, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Manual Dexterity		The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Finger Dexterity		The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Control Precision		The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Manual Dexterity

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Finger Dexterity

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

Control Precision

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Critical Skills needed by Automotive Attendants

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Automotive Attendants frequently use skills like active listening, speaking, and service orientation to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Automotive Attendants, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Service Orientation		Actively looking for ways to help people.
Operation and Control		Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Time Management		Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Service Orientation

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Time Management

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Automotive Attendant

Automotive Attendant

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