Eileen Foil
Service Advisor, Western Motor Company
Garden City, Kansas
On the job: 15 years

Career satisfaction:
I meet all kinds of people and enjoy working with them, and in the auto industry.  My brother was a technician and my father tinkered with cars most of his life, so I grew up with this – it’s second nature.

Advice to other women:
I have a great career as a service advisor and technician, and it’s not all heavy line work like pulling engines and transmissions.  There’s also a lot of technical work, since you diagnose and repair using the computer.

Career inspiration:
My family was always involved in working on cars.  There was a service department opening at a dealership where my brother worked, and he asked if I was interested.  I didn’t know anything about the job, but he said I could learn, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.

Rewards:
Honestly, I’m making more than I ever thought I would in my life.  Even if you start as the lowest oil change person you can grow into a technician or a service advisor like I am, or even a management position.  I know people who have advanced to working for the manufacturers too.  Women are doing this job every day.

Challenges in role:
The younger generation is open to the idea of a woman in the automotive repair field, but some of the older generation still think ‘What’s a woman doing up here?’  Once I gain their trust, however, they know I understand my business and they come again.

Working with men:
When you just start out you have to gain their trust, so they realize that you know what’s going on and understand what they’re talking about.  Now I have co-workers who tell new technicians ‘She’s OK.  She understands you’.”  It’s not always easy, but it gets better once you earn their respect.

Experience and education:
I started right out of high school, so I’ve learned on the job, but the manufacturers offer lots of support and we can count on computers and on-line training.  When I go to an outside training session, I’m always amazed how many women are there.  Twenty years ago, I was the only one, and now it’s about a 50-50 ratio.

Key skills:
Basic computer knowledge is important, since that’s what we work with every day. With today’s technology learning to use the computer, especially in diagnostic work, is essential.

Gender barriers:
I’ve had old school service managers who would say ‘I just don’t know what we are going to tell our customers about you.’  My reply was always this: ‘Tell them who I am, that I’ve done this for a lot of years and I know what I’m talking about.’  I‘ve missed some opportunities because I’m a woman, but times have changed and people have opened their eyes. There are lots of jobs out there for women in this industry.

Most valuable lesson:
We’re in the 21st Century and the world has changed.  Service and dealership managers are open to trusting women.  It used to be that you never saw a women parts department or as a service advisor, but now four of the five people in our service drive are female.  Everybody’s eyes are open now and you won’t see the prejudice that was there before.

Other thoughts:
I would advise any woman to go into the automotive field -- even mechanics.  Having basic knowledge of auto mechanics is a great help.  There’s a shortage of qualified people in the industry, so there’s a chance to get into a field that’s open.  We need the help.