Evaluating candidates — and employers — in a tight-knit industry
By Jan Plessner
This article originally appeared in the October issue of Powersports Business.
Most of us have heard of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon challenge, where players try to link a Hollywood actor to Kevin Bacon in six films or fewer. The powersports industry has its own version of that game. Except here, it’s not six degrees. It’s more like two.
According to the Yahoo Finance Research and Markets Outlook Report for 2025, the powersports industry was estimated at $13 billion, roughly 100 times smaller than the U.S. auto industry, which moves about 16 million passenger cars and light trucks a year.
Recently, I had a newly unemployed technician (not my guy) texted me minutes before his service manager messaged our confidential new client portal asking for help with a technician search. It happens regularly, but this one was a small-world record.
That’s powersports for you. It feels like a tight-knit neighborhood or an extended family of second cousins, all connected by a high-speed backdoor communications network.
Torching Bridges
I’ve been doing this long enough to know that whatever happens on a Tuesday in Tennessee is often common knowledge in Michigan by Thursday. OEM reps, dealer principals, GMs, parts managers, spouses of any of the above, and the former disgruntled employee all know somebody who knows somebody.
That’s not a bug. It’s the defining feature of our business and is exactly why integrity isn’t just a nice-to-have here. It’s survival gear.
Burn a bridge in most industries, and you might get away with it. Burn one in powersports, and you’ll find out just how short the walk back across that bridge really is, because everyone on the other side saw or heard you do it.
I’ve watched people torch relationships on their way out the door or on social media; bad-mouth a former employer in an interview; ghost a commitment; stiff a colleague on a deal; or pass along intel that wasn’t theirs to share, only to need that same person’s blessing on a referral call weeks later.
Dealership burnt ends
On the other side of the equation, company leadership, department heads, and hiring managers can also create unfavorable energy and invite negative feedback during the hiring process.
I wince every time I hear about a candidate who fell for the bait-and-switch or the “not as advertised” meatball sandwich, was strung along for far too long without feedback, was lowballed upon arrival despite an impressive verbal agreement, or worse. Word travels. Reputations calcify. And in an industry this size, it doesn’t take long for the brown goo to stick to your shoe.
The other bacon: advance research
That brings me to the flip side of the same coin: research. This matters whether you need a setup tech for a small department or a high-octane GM for your XL superstore. Deep candidate vetting shouldn’t start after you’ve locked in the terms of employment. Depending on the candidate’s employment status, it should be a top priority before the start date.
Start by including one sentence in your offer letter template.
“This offer of employment is conditional upon successfully passing a background check, reference checks, and a drug screen.”
Reference checks aren’t 100% bulletproof, but they can reduce costly and frustrating hiring misfires. That’s why we offer complimentary reference checks on every placement. Yes, they take time, but they cost less than misfires.
Ask pointed questions about how they handled conflict, how they left, and whether they’d be rehired. A bad hire isn’t just one bad day. It’s turnover costs, team disruption, lost customer trust, and sometimes a very public unraveling the whole industry ends up watching.
I’ve seen “this candidate is awesome” turn into a huge disappointment more times than I care to share. Slowing down at the front end is always cheaper than mopping up later.
Candidate due diligence
But candidates, don’t think you’re off the hook here. If you’re considering a move across town or across the country, into a new department or up the ladder, you owe yourself the same diligence you’d want an employer to show you.
Do your homework on that dealership or group before you sign anything. Ask to speak with current employees and find former employees on LinkedIn. Talk to industry colleagues who’ve done business with that team. Talk to vendors and reps who’ve seen how that dealership treats people when no one’s watching. Territory reps see things HR never will.
And yes, do the online research, too: reviews, news coverage, social media footprints, the whole trail. A little digging can save you from walking into a culture that looks great in the interview and feels completely different three months in.
Full circle
Here’s the thing both halves of this column have in common: they’re really just two versions of the same lesson.
In an industry this small, you can’t outrun your reputation or a rushed decision. Powersports just doesn’t forget.
