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Winston Cup Scene has given us permission to post a copy of the following article that appeared in their September 7, 2000 issue. |
Editor: Deb Williams Photo: Phil Cavali |
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Bob Hubner needed a job.
The engine building company where he had worked since 1993 had lost most of its clientele and he'd been laid off. Now, perhaps he could turn his sideline - helping people with their job résumés - into a full-time business.
Meanwhile, Troy Selberg had started a company a few years earlier that served as a placement service for those seeking employment with Winston Cup teams. Selberg, from his years as a crew chief, knew there was a need for someone to serve as a go-between for a person who wanted to leave a team, but didn't want to be seen talking to a possible new employer.
In January, Hubner and Selberg merged their companies, since Selberg wanted to return to race team management, and Race City Résumés was born.
"What I do is give people the opportunity, that have a lot of experience from other series like the Hooters Cup, ARCA, Winston West, and Busch North, to get in the door (in Winston Cup, Busch and trucks)," said Hubner, who began working with people on their job resumes in 1995.
"You've got people who want to be in the business and they have no idea how to go about doing it. They've been going to these shops for years, passing out résumés and they're not getting any results."
In NASCAR's early years, one could obtain employment with a race team by simply visiting a shop and offering their talents wherever needed, even if it meant sweeping floors. But as the sport grew in popularity in the 1980s and then exploded in the 1990s, sending résumés to a shop or making a cold-call on a team just didn't acquire the desired results.
Now, there's Hubner's company that not only can help a newcomer get a foot in the door, but can also help someone in the sport find a better position and conduct a search for a team owner when a specific job must be filled.
"I categorize (the résumés). I have a database-driven system where I can quickly find experience and identify people," Hubner said. "I pre-qualify everybody, which means if I get an inquiry from a team, if they give me a really detailed description of what they want, I can match with what they give me with what I have for candidates.
"I'm able to take people and point them in the direction they need to go. You've got to know what you're doing when you walk into those shops."
Hubner noted there were very few race teams now that would even send a courtesy letter thanking a person for applying for a job because they're so overwhelmed with inquiries. That's what led Hubner to become more of a recruiter, providing a service for the teams, rather than a résumé writer.
"I set up job interviews. Like I said, I pre-qualify and I do background checks," said Hubner, who's based in Mooresville, N.C. "They (teams) don't have to worry about anything but giving me a call. We're not a temp agency. We're a permanent job placement agency."
Hubner said he works regularly with about 30 teams and he's got 4,000 to 5,000 people in his database. Of that total, 2,200 have worked in Winston Cup for the last two years. And, in addition to the United States, he receives résumés from Europe, Australia, Canada, Turkey and China.
"I get a lot of e-mail because of my Web site (www.racecityresumes.com)," Hubner commented. "What's really been working great is people who need résumés written can go to my Web site and fill out my forms. That helps out a bunch.
"I get a lot of marketing people and public relations type work. Office managers, secretarial, I get a lot of that too, which is good, because I get requests for that. Fabricators and body hangers are the hardest positions to fill ... and those are the most requests I get. You can get the skilled people jobs all year round."
Hubner also has a category in his database for pilots as well as show car and motor coach drivers.
"We've got about 50 job positions on the Web site," Hubner said.
Hubner tries to make his office hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but realizes that's unrealistic because of the different time zones. He also admits he's been working as late as 11 p.m.
"I'm trying to get the teams the right people, the right chemistry to make their team a great race team," Hubner said. "A crew chief leaves, takes five guys with him and that team is struggling for the next month or two until they can get another group in there."
Hubner said everyone wants to work in Winston Cup but they need to realize that's not realistic, especially in the driving department.
"I got this e-mail from a girlfriend of this guy. They were driving down the road one day and they were making noises like they were running Sears Point. I asked how much experience he had and he said, 'Well, none. I did eight laps at Charlotte, the Richard Petty school,'" Hubner, 30, said. "There's a difference between saying what you want to do and what you can do. You want to be up front with people. You don't want to waste their time."
It's that candidness that Hubner finds difficult, because he doesn't want to hurt people's feelings or dampen their enthusiasm. He makes sure those who talk with him want to dedicate their lives to motorsports and that if they have a family, they're aware of the stress that occurs if they're on the road.
"When we get you a job interview, it's the real thing. You have to come here," said Hubner, a Hudson, N.H., native who has been involved in racing since about 1989. "You have to be legit.
"I had this guy in Michigan and I called him up and said, 'OK, I've got you an interview. When can you get down here?' He said, 'I can't come down. I've got to landscape my yard.' I said, 'I thought you wanted a job. I've got a team interested in talking with you for a job.' He just changed his mind and didn't want to do it. I made a note I couldn't consider him for anything else because he wasn't serious enough. People have to understand this is for real; you have to really want to do this."
Hubner emphasized he doesn't raid teams for people, but he will help someone find a new position if that person comes to him.
When Hubner's not helping people find jobs in racing, he is running a softball league in the summer for the Winston Cup teams. Dale Earnhardt Inc. won the championship this year, the league's third season. Next year, Hubner says, Busch and truck teams also will be involved. In addition to DEI, the other championships have gone to Penske-Kranefuss Racing and Roush Racing's No. 97 team.
"I just like having fun. That's what life is all about, going out, meeting people and having a good time. Just make the best of every opportunity, and don't let a day go by without enjoying it. That's what life is all about."