What do they do?

Sell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store.

Also known as:

Automotive Parts Counterperson (Auto Parts Counterperson), Parts Advisor, Parts Associate, Parts Back Counter Man, Parts Clerk, Parts Consultant, Parts Counter Person, Parts Counter Salesperson, Parts Counterman, Parts Counterperson, Parts Person, Parts Representative (Parts Rep), Parts Salesman, Parts Salesperson, Parts Specialist, Salesperson, Wholesale Parts Salesperson

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Parts Salespersons is projected to grow 4 percent from 2020 to 2030, more slowly than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • 4.6%

    Change

    Ranks #35 in job growth rate
    1,170

    Job Openings

    Ranks #7 in net job growth

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (<1%)
  • Master's degree  (1%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (7%)
  • Associate's degree  (9%)
  • Some college, no degree  (28%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (46%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (9%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Parts Salespersons

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Process sales or other transactions.
  • Explain technical product or service information to customers.
  • Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
  • Take product orders from customers.
  • Monitor inventories of products or materials.
  • Prepare sales or other contracts.
  • Gather customer or product information to determine customer needs.
  • Examine condition of property or products.
  • Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.
  • Calculate shipping costs.
  • Stock products or parts.
  • Clean work areas.
  • Set up merchandise displays.
  • Advise customers on the use of products or services.
  • Demonstrate products to consumers.
  • Measure product or material dimensions.
  • Arrange delivery of goods or services.
  • Repair parts or assemblies.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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