Motorsport Careers Advice
Whether you are looking for your first motorsport job or looking to move up the ladder, here’s some advice to help you secure that all important interview.
Blow your own trumpet!
You might not be the most confident person when it comes to saying what you are good at, but you can’t expect anyone else to know unless you tell them! This is where your CV and online profile come in.
Getting through the ‘paper-sift’ is the first battle when it comes to getting any job. What makes your CV stand out from the others? Be honest about your skills and experience and keep it relevant to the role you’re applying for. Even if you don’t currently work in motorsport, there’s no point having your job title as ‘Bar Supervisor’ if you are applying for an internship in engine development or a job as a race mechanic. Lead with ‘BSc (Hons) Motorsport Engineering Student’ or ‘Motorsport Engineering Graduate’ or even ‘Team Supervisor’ and tailor your experience to mirror the requirements of the role.
Stick to the relevant information and leave out the bits that no one cares about. Detail your history within motorsport, even if you were a volunteer. Only add details of current or past job roles if it adds to your credibility, otherwise just detail your job title and dates. Think about what recruiters want to hear. They don’t care that you worked as a shop assistant when you were at school but they’ll want to know if you took part in F1 in Schools or other STEM initiatives.
Skills vs Studying
Striking a balance between experience and knowledge can be tough when you are starting out towards a career in motorsport. If you’ve worked your way up through hands-on experience and vocational qualifications, chances are you have a good mix of the two to detail on your CV. If you’ve travelled a more ‘academic’ career path you may struggle to find enough practical experience to make your CV stand out.
Volunteering, internships and work experience are all great ways to pad out job applications. Start by connecting with or contacting local teams or racetracks to see if there are any vacancies or offer your time for free. Spend as much time getting to know more about the jobs you intend to apply for by attending race weekends or requesting garage tours.
Marshalling is another great way to gain trackside experience whilst also doing something worthwhile. Each track and race meeting has a dedicated team of individuals who play an integral part in the sport’s safety and it can be a great way to meet influential people in the business as well as watch some racing.
Download our full course guide now!
It’s not always what you know……
Who you know can go a long way. We’re not talking about nepotism here. Networking is a major part of motorsport. Whether you are on the hunt for a job, sponsorship or just people who share your passion, you’ll always find teams and individuals to be welcoming if you make the effort.
Networking can be done at race meetings, shows such as Autosport International and online via social media sites such as LinkedIn. At shows and race meetings you’ll be amazed at how much people want to share about the world of motorsport. Just be confident but not pushy. Show an interest and do your research before you make contact if you are looking to network to improve your job prospects.
LinkedIn can be a great way of making contact with industry professionals at larger teams and manufacturers as well as recruitment people who are actively seeking to fill relevant roles. Just make sure your profile is up to date and highlights your relevant experience and any volunteer or hobbyist motorsport activities before you hit the ‘Connect’ button and remember to keep it professional.
Research and attend as many industry events as you can. It’s a lot easier to sell you enthusiasm and knowledge face to face. Attend the NMA and MIA Jobs Fair, held bi-annually at the Silverstone Wing. This event is a great way to get yourself in front of teams and manufacturers on the look out for new recruits.
Social Media
Social media is a great way to network within the motorsport community. Most teams and companies have active social media accounts where they share updates and news on a regular basis. This can help you to identify teams in your area who are on the lookout for new recruits as well as help keep you up to date with local race meetings and opportunities for volunteering on a local level.
Facebook and LinkedIn both have featured job listings which can be searched and applied for on both the apps and desktop sites. Before you hit the apply button take some time to research the company or team on their social media accounts too. This will give you some pointers when it comes to your application as well as some common points of interest if you get through to interview stage.
We’ve created a handy guide to LinkedIn for Motorsport Professionals. You can read it here.
Use the search functionality of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to search for local clubs, tracks and teams. Follow their feed and comment on any posts you find interesting. This is a great way of raising your profile in the local motorsport community as well as keeping up to date with team news.
Hands-on Experience
Not sure you have the skills or experience to start applying for your dream job in motorsport? Why not consider upskilling while you gain more experience? All of our degree qualifications are taught online so that you can carry on earning while you learn.
We also incorporate hands-on experience into our courses, giving all students the opportunity to work on the Team NMA Lotus Evora GT as we compete in the GTO class of the GT Cup. Want to find out more?
We’ve put a list together of just a few of the motorsport careers available:
NMA works in association with RaceStaff.com, so after you graduate with an NMA Degree we can help you achieve your dream job within the motorsport industry.