frontliner

photographer

automotive detailer

automotive detail manager

automotive technician

Xcite Automotive

Let me start by saying, I genuinely enjoy this job. If I were able to get good hours I would be staying in this position longer. I was hired as a full time Frontline Photographer for Xcite Automotive doing car dealership inventory photos and window stickers. I cover a total of five dealers spread out over Ogle, Bureau, LaSalle and Peoria Counties in Illinois. Xcite lied to me about this position being a “full time” position. I am now out of my probationary period of three months and have only had one week with over 32 hours in that time. This is due to a consistent lack of inventory at my dealerships. Currently my weeks are between 14 hours and 24 hours with some days only having enough work to do for 2 to 3 hours.  After talking with my manager and giving the sales department a list of 15 dealers to look into adding to Xcite’s coverage. I was informed two months later that sales was unable to sign on even one new dealership in my area. There is no lack of dealers in my coverage area that spans 100 miles so the fact they they can’t find even one dealership to add to get me more hours is pathetic. Furthermore I was told by my manager that there is no long term solution to get me more hours if sales can get more dealers on my route. I am currently in the process of looking for employment elsewhere. Another thing to consider with Xcite is that they don’t reimburse their employees for round trip mileage, only mileage between dealerships. So on a day that I drive 250 miles round trip I only get paid for 100 miles between dealers. On a different day I drive 100 miles round trip but only get paid for 25 miles between dealerships. If I were getting good hours each day this wouldn’t be a huge deal, but when I am only getting 2 to 3 hours some days not getting round trip mileage often means I am making almost no take home pay for that day by the time taxes, vehicle maintenance and gas are subtracted from my pay. My small paychecks that sometimes only add up to $600 for a two week pay period are not even enough to pay for all the benefits. They offer health, vision, dental and 401k to full time employees but with my small paychecks I can only pay for health insurance which costs me $200 per paycheck. Also, this first year I need to be able to do an average of 30 hours per week in order to be eligible for benefits next year. Effectively I am working a “full time” job, getting part time hours so I can afford company health insurance and have very little take home pay. Next year (if I stayed) I would be working a “full time” position, getting very few hour and not be eligible for any benefits. This company is also highly dependent on technology and apps on the company cellphones working. In bigger cities this isn’t an issues but in Ogle, Bureau an LaSalle Counties the reception is absolute garbage leading to apps stalling out and refusing to work. Xcite’s Support team is not very helpful and it usually take at least a week to get problems resolved with apps or faulty inventory information. One plus side is that you make your own schedule. I started doing a full 5 day work week but as I realized I didn’t have enough work to fill five day I am now only scheduling three days per week so I save on gas and mileage. 

I wouldn’t recommend working here if you don’t want people in the same position as you being paid higher than you with less expectations. After my 3 month probationary period ended, I emailed asking to have a meeting so we could discuss what I should be working on if I want to work towards a raise. I wasn’t answered for 3 days and then the next conversation we had I was fired. I switched from this company and started working at a dealership they serviced. When I expected the same quality of work I WAS TRAINED FOR BY THEIR COMPANY from someone MAKING MORE THAN I WAS PAID it seemed to cause A LOT of issues. Apparently every employee has completely different expectations. I heard the managers talking poorly about other employees to other managers and employees. They are not organized or reliable, they only care about speed and not that photos look good. I waited on a return label for my equipment for like 3 months, and when I contacted them about it, They didn’t even know I still had my equipment. I’d say this is a good personal learning opportunity if you don’t care about actual growth with the company. They’re very nice but very fake. 

The job experience and pay is highly dependent on whose managing and the dealerships you work at, as the biggest issues with this job relates to your company managers and dealership lot organization. 

Commission is based on the number of cars you finish taking pictures of, and NOT by the photo count/sequence. Despite management claiming otherwise, you are judged by the number of cars you do at the end of the day. A car with 10 photos counts the same (towards commission) as a car with 30 or 50+ photos. 

Despite the negatives however, there are some pros. Job is fairly easy (also dependent on where you work, but still overall pretty easy), and scheduling is very flexible if you work it out with your managers ahead of time. Your typical day is to walk the dealership lot, find any cars that need photos, grab keys, print window price stickers, and photo the cars. On a perfect day where you don't have to deal with issues from company or dealership, the job is super easy.

Those who are going in for photographer experience however should look elsewhere, as the company no longer uses actual DSLR cameras, and use Pixel 3/4 cellphones to take photos.

Not the toughest job in the world but many aspects will wear you down. The actual photography aspect is fairly easy to learn and occasionally fun. The pay is also pretty fair and my experience with Xcite management is fairly positive. The issues come mostly from dealership managers, who expect unrealistic amounts of work out of you and can treat you as far lesser because you are third-party. It might say your shift is 9-5, but it's probably expected that you work overtime to appease the dealerships. 

Prepare to spend hours searching for keys and asking every single person who works at the dealership where they're at. You'll have to have a very cooperative dealership and work at superhuman speeds to reach the expected cars per hour and earn bonuses, which are pretty measly anyways. The heat can also get incredibly brutal during the summer when getting into hot cars all day. Don't be surprised if they make you commute hours away in your own car just to do a couple cars at a dealership.

Get some earbuds, bring some sunblock, and don't overwork yourself.


The only issues I really had was working with the dealerships. We didn’t have enough people on staff to fully keep up with the cars for 3 dealerships even though they claimed we didn’t have enough cars to add on a second person. One of the dealerships was an absolute nightmare to work with. They would tell me everyday that their sales were bad because of me and that I’m a problem. Another one of my dealerships was super cool but upset that I couldn’t keep up with 40+ photos and a 360 photo because they would turn their entire lot in a week while I was being given a ton of cars at the other 2 lots too. My third dealership was amazing but unorganized and would push loads of cars out all at the same time because they’d mess up putting them in the system. I think if there were 2 people and better conditions with the dealerships, it wouldn’t be that bad. 2 people before me had similar issues with the dealerships and 2 of my managers stood up for me as much as they could. I would end up crying everyday from how mean the one dealership was to me

I spent 2 years with Xcite as a photographer, servicing up to 7 dealerships concurrently at my peak. Days are fast-paced and full of non-stop action. While the nature of the work may seem easy, an eye for detail is key, as photography standards are high and rigid. It is necessary to be a self-motivated individual with impeccable time management skills, as reps are individual responsible for splitting their time between accounts and providing sufficient service based on inventory levels. Management is relaxed in their day-to-day function, but will still push you to meet goals when necessary. Occasional mandatory Saturdays, dependent on weather and inventory levels as the majority of the work is done outside and can only be done if it is not raining or snowing. 

I got hired super easily which usually means they were hurting for people (high turnover). This was definitely true, the work was super easy but remote. You're expected to travel to dealerships by yourself and I had a coworker in the same position as me train me. Never met my boss until about 6 weeks into the job. Have to get good at dealing with temperamental dealership employees and managers as they are the customers, and the work is soul-sucking. Quotas weren't ever enforced so you could do as little or as much work as you liked with no reprimand, maybe an angry dealer manager occasionally. The cars just keep coming and there is no fulfillment or enjoyment in the work.  If you enjoy not having coworkers or not developing personal relationships at your job then this is for you. Its boring, depressing, and you feel unwanted, unneeded even. It amazed me this company exists, they offer no services a dealer could do on their own. They're middlemen through and through. Look elsewhere if you respect yourself. 

Working as a Recruiter at Xcite Automotive has been an incredibly rewarding experience! The company fosters a positive and dynamic work environment where collaboration and innovation are encouraged every day. Xcite Automotive is genuinely dedicated to professional growth, providing ample opportunities for training and development. The team is passionate about the automotive industry and truly cares about connecting the right talent with the right opportunities. Leadership is supportive, approachable, and always open to new ideas. If you're looking for a company that values both its employees and clients, Xcite Automotive is the place to be!

Worst management ever. Manager showed up 2 weeks late with equipment necessary for training. Manager wore the same clothes for three days and the "clothes" were cargo shorts and a tee shirt, while spouting dress code requirements to staff. Hypocritical to say the very least. Disorganized, and the only incentive to not get fired is to comply and keep your head down in the dirt. The "management" has no respect for the employees and no respect fro themselves. Worst job I've had in years. Don't bother if you're looking for meaningful and rewarding work. 

Fun job, I occasionally drive and photograph different and unique cars which scratches a certain itch. Schedule is very flexible as long as you meet your responsibilities. There is an hourly pay rate with bonus potential per paycheck dependent on how many cars that you photograph/ basically incentivizes you to shoot around 20 car per day to max out your bonus. This can be easy in some cases but can be heavily dependent on dealership inventory and what dealerships you work with which could potentially screw you. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Frontliner 71 salaries reported	$17.77 per hour
Photographer 266 salaries reported	$17.90 per hour
Automotive detailer 209 salaries reported	$16.59 per hour
Automotive detail manager 77 salaries reported	$19.02 per hour
Automotive technician 16 salaries reported	$19.47 per hour

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