As one of the highest-quality Twin Cities valet companies, Unparalleled Parking takes pride in providing efficient, friendly service to every customer. It all starts with our drivers. As the backbone of our workforce, our drivers play a crucial role in our company’s continued success.
From friendly, polite interaction with clients to driving slowly and carefully in a variety of vehicles, valet drivers play so many roles that they can make or break the valet company they work for – which is why we’re so picky about who we hire!
That being said, almost anyone can learn to be a valet driver, though few choose to cultivate the unique characteristics required to truly be successful at the job.
For those who do, it can be a rewarding career!
What’s It Like to Be a Valet Driver?
The valet's job is to provide excellent customer service and greet guests while they park and retrieve their vehicles. They're responsible for ensuring vehicles are parked safely and securely and following any specific instructions the guests give.
They also ensure the parking area is safe and clean and have excellent communication skills because they may need to answer guests' questions or recommend attractions or places to visit.
How to Get Hired as a Valet Driver at Unparalleled Parking
If you’re interested in becoming a valet driver for Unparalleled Parking, there are a few things we look for in potential employees, along with prerequisites every candidate needs to pass before working for us.
All employees must pass background checks before we allow them to work to ensure we’re hiring upstanding individuals and our customers will stay safe while interacting with us.
That’s the only concrete prerequisite you’ll need to have that can make or break your potential employment with Unparalleled Parking, though we do look for certain personality traits too!
What Makes a Good Driver for Valet Parking Services?
Valet parking services sound simple. All a driver has to do is get into a vehicle, drive around a little, and eventually find a parking spot. Millions of people park their own vehicles every day. Anyone can do it, right?
Nope!
Certain character traits will facilitate success in this job because valet drivers are paid to be the best at finding parking spots, usually in urban areas where parking is scarce. On top of that, high-quality valet companies will prioritize high-quality candidates.
At Unparalleled Parking, we search for the following attributes in our employees!
A Positive Attitude
Working for a transportation company will have stressful moments like any job. Positivity and an upbeat attitude are key to keeping cool under pressure and ensuring those we serve have a positive experience with our business.
A Good Driving Record
Our employees handle valuable assets, so we like to see mindful, gracious drivers who understand the weight of the task at hand. (Not a track record of excessive tickets or reckless driving behavior.)
A Great Work Ethic
In the valet industry, there’s simply no room for slacking off. A fast-paced work environment combined with service industry standards means potential employees must be willing to work hard and stay positive while doing it.
The Ability to Stay Cool Under Pressure
As anyone who has worked in the service industry will tell you, customers can sometimes be disagreeable. If you’re considering a career in the valet industry, you must know how to work around this to provide the utmost quality valet parking service.
Day in and day out, you must be cool under pressure and willing to calmly take feedback if your customer or manager is unsatisfied.
The Understanding That Patience Is a Virtue
This need for steadfastness also applies to the job's less social aspects: parking the car.
Valet companies often serve urban areas, where parking garages are packed, and spaces on the street are scarce. Being able to put up with the universal frustration of not being able to find a parking spot is a requirement for working in valet services.
Valet drivers must be darn good at it, considering the purpose of their job is to shoulder this frustration for their customers repeatedly.
Local Parking Knowledge & Navigation Skills
It’s not a prerequisite, but to be a good employee for valet service, knowledge of the city's parking habits is a huge plus.
Navigating confined parking areas, slippery conditions, or more complex parking lots is a must. Knowing where people tend to park, the streets that tend to be the busiest, and the closest parking spaces to your customers will all facilitate success in this job.
This isn’t something just anyone can know and often requires research or on-the-job training.
Customer Service Expertise
At Unparalleled Parking, we pride ourselves on our friendly, personable employees, who effortlessly shift their personas to fit the situation.
Some customers, for instance, will prefer a simple smile and a nod when they hand off the keys, while others like to exchange a brief word. Though the difference between both interactions is slight, it makes a big difference in the vibe of an event or establishment when those interactions reoccur repeatedly.
Those who work for a valet company must be able to read social situations well enough to see what their customers need out of them; making the experience one to remember for their clients is part of their job description, after all.
Great Driving Skills
Of course, valet company pros must know how to drive, but few people understand what that means in the context of this job. Everything from stick shifts to ADAS cars to giant trucks must be under a valet’s can-handle umbrella.
Hopping into a strange vehicle and being trusted to care for it takes guts, but more importantly, superb driving skills—better than the average civilian.
These skills might be more critical than ever in today's post-pandemic world. The Seattle Times explores an instance wherein a fully automated parking system was created in a local building.
If such fast, easy parking becomes a norm, valet parking services workers will need impeccable driving skills to compete with consumers’ ever-increasing desire for convenience.
Winter Driving Skills
Events happen at all times of the year, and it's no secret that navigating Midwest roads and parking in the winter months can be challenging. Even if you are a pro on snowy and icy roads, your top priority is making sure you and your guest's vehicle are safe.
Giving yourself plenty of time and extra space when parking or retrieving vehicles can help prevent accidents, and letting guests know that the process may take longer than normal due to the weather, keeps them informed so they aren’t surprised by a delay in getting their vehicle back.
Unparalleled Parking Skills
Perfect parking takes time to learn, and it's only through repetition that you can become truly efficient period to become an Unparalleled Valet driver; our expert tips include:
- Enhanced parallel parking skills so you avoid fender benders.
- Understanding the dimensions of vehicles and how this pertains to complex parking situations.
- Giving yourself plenty of space to accommodate for wider turns or slippery conditions.
- Knowing how to properly and safely park the vehicle in an uphill or downhill environment.
- Understanding what to look for and avoid when parking in front of curbs.
The Drive to Hustle
Valet parking services are meant to be quick, so drivers must be similar: swift, efficient, and light on their feet. Not everyone has the type of personality, nor the drive, to continuously work at high speeds for hours, but those who do will find a great job opportunity in valet parking services.
Interested in Unparalleled Work? Check Out Valet Opportunities
Unparalleled Parking is always looking for new drivers – and, of course, for new businesses, we can help! If you’re looking for employment, click here.
If your event could benefit from skilled valet drivers who fit all of the above descriptions, contact Unparalleled Parking today. We’re a Minneapolis and Saint Paul valet company that services everything from hotel valet to private events.
Call us now at 651-300-1515 or send us a message online to see what we can do for your company and your customers.