How to hire an Automotive Detailer

How to hire an automotive detailer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step automotive detailer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an automotive detailer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new automotive detailer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an Automotive Detailer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your automotive detailer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an automotive detailer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an automotive detailer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an automotive detailer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of automotive detailers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type Of Automotive Detailer	Description	Hourly Rate
   Automotive Detailer	Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Others feed or remove material to and from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.	$10-16
   Car Cleaner	Car Cleaners are Responsible for cleaning and washing vehicles for their exterior and interior. Their duties include greeting customers, soap application, cleaning dirt and spraying rims and tires, spray windows using cleaning agent, wax application, rinsing away soap, car debris removal, vacuuming to suck debris and dirt, applying upholstery cleaner for stains and dirt removal, rear window cleaning, as well as cleaning console and dash using a soft cloth... Show More	$11-17
   Car Wash Attendant	As a car wash attendant, they wash and polish car exteriors and interiors. They often clean tires, dust, drying, applying soap solutions, vacuuming car interiors, scraping loose specks of dirt, cleaning seats, and removing the trash on a car... Show More	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Work Ethic
   • Cleanliness
   • Customer Vehicles
   • Engine Compartment
   • Air Compressors
   • General Maintenance
   • Dexterity
   • Buffing Machines
   • Customer Service
   • Auto Body
   • Loose Dirt
   • Customer Delivery
   • Foreign Materials
   • Customer Satisfaction

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Cleaned/Wax automobiles and maintain the cleanliness of the showroom
   • Detail cars, trucks, RV's, and boats on a daily basis.
   • Detail cars, trucks, planes, RV's, boats, air boats, hover crafts and all-terrain vehicles.
   • Visit various stores, take inventory, and stock their shelves with Frito-Lay products.
   • Provide oversight to several Sacramento-area grocery stores to stock shelves with Frito-Lay merchandise in a neat and organize fashion.

   More Automotive Detailer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your automotive detailer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An automotive detailer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, automotive detailers' average salary in mississippi is 41% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level automotive detailers 37% less than senior-level automotive detailers.
   • Certifications. An automotive detailer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an automotive detailer's salary.

   Average automotive detailer salary

   $13.63hourly

   $28,357 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level automotive detailer salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated June 13, 2025

   Average automotive detailer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	Washington	$38,945	$19
   2	Oregon	$36,972	$18
   3	New York	$34,103	$16
   4	California	$33,352	$16
   5	North Dakota	$33,255	$16
   6	Massachusetts	$32,516	$16
   7	Montana	$32,336	$16
   8	Colorado	$32,327	$16
   9	New Hampshire	$32,103	$15
   10	Minnesota	$31,770	$15
   11	Maine	$31,209	$15
   12	Utah	$30,410	$15
   13	Wisconsin	$29,158	$14
   14	Arizona	$28,836	$14
   15	Illinois	$28,652	$14
   16	Nebraska	$28,527	$14
   17	Nevada	$28,404	$14
   18	Iowa	$28,056	$13
   19	Pennsylvania	$27,879	$13
   20	Michigan	$27,749	$13

   Average automotive detailer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Mars	$40,162	$19.31	1
   2	CarMax	$36,611	$17.60	50
   3	Lyft	$33,289	$16.00
   4	Valet Park of America	$32,205	$15.48
   5	O'Brien Steel Service	$31,778	$15.28
   6	Asbury Automotive Group	$30,490	$14.66	165
   7	Carvana	$30,123	$14.48	213
   8	Sonic Automotive	$30,058	$14.45	134
   9	Serpentini Chevrolet	$29,759	$14.31	10
   10	Mayse Automotive Group	$29,657	$14.26
   11	Penske Automotive Group	$29,598	$14.23	65
   12	Inver Grove Ford	$29,515	$14.19	2
   13	Oshkosh	$29,503	$14.18	2
   14	Jim Glover Chevy	$29,273	$14.07	2
   15	Johnson Brothers	$29,260	$14.07	1
   16	Lucid Motors	$29,209	$14.04	8
   17	Morrie's Auto Group	$29,186	$14.03
   18	Lithia Motors	$29,156	$14.02	2
   19	Audi Dallas	$29,136	$14.01
   20	Performance Automotive Network	$29,113	$14.00

4. Writing an Automotive Detailer Job Description

   A job description for an automotive detailer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an automotive detailer job description:

   Automotive Detailer job description example

   HOURS: 3:00pm-11:00pm, MONDAY-FRIDAY

   Are you a clean freak? Do you obsess over every little detail? Do you love that new car smell? If so, our busy dealership may have the perfect opportunity for you as our new make-ready tech/detailer. Sure, we work hard. But we also take good care of those who work to make our dealership a success. If that’s you, let’s talk. For the right person, the rewards can be outstanding.

   Job Responsibilities

   • Detail client vehicles as needed
   • Maintain strict adherence to dealership policy on client vehicle care and operation
   • Note damage and notify service so a claim can be filed within 24 hours
   • Perform quality control inspections of all vehicles before being brought to frontline
   • Coordinate with sales and service to ensure on-time deliveries

   Education and/or Experience

   High school diploma or GED

   1 to 3 months of related experience and/or training
   Candidates with an equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered

   Compensation

   Compensation is based on experience and commensurate with Fortune 500 companies.

   Benefits

   Training for career advancement

   Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

   401K and Profit sharing

   Paid vacations and holidays

   Great environment and a drug free workplace

   About

   The Gerald family has been selling automobiles in the Chicago area since the mid-1930's and has been proud to be a part of the communities they serve for decades!

   We have succeeded in our endeavors because of a profound respect for our customer. The name Gerald stands for honesty and the highest standard of excellence.

   The Gerald management team and employees are some of the most outstanding in the business. As our auto group continues to grow, it will be the result of all of our combined efforts, and our dedication and loyalty to the thousands of customers who favor us with their trust and patronage. Over many years, Gerald has meant Service.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find automotive detailers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your automotive detailer job on Zippia to find and recruit automotive detailer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting automotive detailers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new automotive detailer

   Once you've found the automotive detailer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new automotive detailer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an automotive detailer?