Automotive Jobs in Tempe, AZ

A short drive reaches several cities

Tempe sits close to Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa and Chandler, and the 101 and 202 run through or near it. A store in a neighboring city can be an easier trip than one in your own, so do not limit yourself to the Tempe page. Browse it first, then widen by distance on the main jobs page and compare.

Ask for the shift hours before you accept. Some seats have fixed hours, others change by week. If you need a predictable schedule, say so in your first reply. A manager would rather know before the offer than after.

Getting hired with a thin work history

If you have one or two jobs outside the trade, write the duties anyway. Handling cash, opening a location, training a new hire and following a checklist are things a service manager wants to see. Keep the bio short and clear, and state the job you want.

Use the education section. Automotive programs at community colleges and trade schools, electronics or computer coursework, and any certification you have earned all go there. Interviewers treat them as evidence of interest and basic knowledge, and they usually test it. Expect a practical question or ten minutes at a bench.

• ▸Name a specific car you have worked on and what you did.
• ▸List tools you own or can use.
• ▸State your availability honestly, including weekends.
• ▸Set the open-to-work flag so employers searching Tempe can find you.

EV, software and tech-adjacent seats

Some automotive jobs overlap with software: EV service, vehicle data, connected-car work, digital retail, marketing and recruiting. People from outside dealerships get hired into these seats, so read posts for the real duties rather than the word dealership.

For an EV technician seat, your profile should show high-voltage training, battery or charging diagnosis, and safety practice. Few people have deep EV history, so employers often train on the brand. A background in electronics or electrical work helps. For digital and marketing seats, show something you ran from start to finish, such as a campaign, a site or a report, and be ready to say what you would measure at a dealership.

Pay for a first job

With little to compare against, ask for the details. For an hourly seat, ask the rate, how raises are decided and what training is paid. For a technician track, ask how flat-rate credit starts as you gain skills and what the guarantee covers. For sales, ask about commission, any draw and how chargebacks work.

Spiffs, which are small payments for selling specific products or services, can add to pay in some seats. Ask whether they apply and how they are earned. Get the plan in writing, and check what Arizona requires for hours and paperwork if you are under 18.

What the interview looks like

Interviews for early-career seats are short and practical. A service manager may ask how you would greet a customer who arrives upset. A shop foreman may ask what you would check first on a car that cranks and will not start.

Answer with steps: what you would look at, in what order, and what you would tell the customer or the lead technician. Ask about the path to the next role and who trains you.

Pay in the Phoenix metro

Tempe jobs: common questions

Data as of October 20, 2026.