Chief Revenue Officer
RepairPal
Despite her father being an automotive mechanic when she was young, Kathleen Long says she never considered a career in the same field.
After deciding to leave the FinTech world, Long says a recruiter reached out to her about a role with RepairPal. Given that she knew nothing about the automotive industry or repairing cars, she was hesitant. However, it was the skills she identified as her strong suits that they were looking for – not necessarily automotive experience. “I was in financial technology,” she said. “I had a set of skills around process and people management, leadership and customer service and sales. All of this kind of stuff that sort of translated across industries, I suppose,” she said.
Long says she decided to take the leap and she’s been with RepairPal nine years now – the longest she’s served with any company. “It’s helped me to understand just how many opportunities are actually in this industry, from a lot of different angles. Regardless of what your skillsets or your dreams or goals are, there’s probably a place for you in automotive,” Long says.