Desirée Schweizer is one of over a hundred young people we have featured in our career guidance magazine over the past twelve years. A lot of time has passed since then. What is she doing now?
I still enjoy tinkering with cars. Unfortunately, I can't do that any more. After an operation on my abdomen, I developed back problems which eventually made it impossible for me to work in the workshop. Around that time, my friend, who is also a car diagnostician, was offered the chance to take over the garage in Scuol in the Engadin where he'd completed his apprenticeship.
We didn't want to miss out on this opportunity. The previous owner said he could well see me as a sales assistant. At first I thought: «Me – a car saleswoman?!» Up until then, I'd have preferred to hide away in the engine. But I took up the challenge.
In the car trade, I keep coming across people who think they can talk me into buying a car to resell by throwing a few technical terms at me.
The first lesson on the car saleswoman training course was about bookkeeping and balance sheets. I didn't understand a word and thought: What on earth have I got myself into? But giving up isn't my style, and now I love the job, even if I do miss the garage sometimes. At least I can still do a bit of work on my own car and on my motorbike, which I ride on race tracks.
A man's world
The motoring world is a man's world – I know that from my time in the garage. In car sales, I keep coming across people who think they can talk me into buying a car to resell just by throwing a few technical terms at me. But as a diagnostic technician, I know exactly how long a set of brakes will continue to work properly, or what weaknesses a particular generation of engines has. Once, someone tried to sell me a car by touting a brake treatment that doesn't even exist.
What I like about selling cars: I help our customers fulfil a dream. I pay close attention to how they look at a car and the expressions on their faces. And whether they glance back at the car as they leave our showroom.
My boyfriend has been running the garage for three years now. As the only sales assistant, I not only have to generate sales, but also ensure that everything is in order tax-wise for every car we sell. If I make a mistake, the consequences could be so serious that the tax office might shut down our business following an audit. That worried me at first. These days, it doesn't stress me out anymore.
My biggest challenge at the moment is that we're receiving more enquiries from customers who want to buy a car than I can handle whilst maintaining my quality standards.
