In this interview, we speak to Senior Recruitment Consultant Wen Shan, who has over 22 years’ experience working within and for Australia’s automotive industry – first as an engineer then as a recruitment consultant.

She speaks about her fascination with watching the industry change over this time, and how she is helping organisations source and hire talent that will see them become a force within the EV and emerging automotive technology space.

Tell us about how you got into recruitment?

My entry into the recruitment industry wasn’t actually planned! I began my career as a qualified engineer working for General Motors Holden, where I worked in the R&D team as a project engineer. During this time, I was lucky enough to work on some iconic Holden projects while completing my MBA and Postgraduate studies in Organisational Development. Following this I transitioned to the cost engineering side of the business.

After 15 years with the company, Holden shut down its engineering centre. Me and a former colleague decided to co-found and direct an automotive engineering service company that focused on exporting professional engineers to global automotive OEMs, primarily in China and other countries in Asia. This was my first foray into recruitment, finding skilled local engineers who were able to fill skill gaps overseas.

While in this role, I began a six-month project with Bayside Group, and five years later I’m still here as a permanent employee!

What do you enjoy about working with automotive companies and employees?

I’ve always worked within the automotive industry, so I have very extensive knowledge of the roles, operations and requirements of automotive organisations. I’m very passionate about the industry and am fascinated by how it’s changed and adapted over time.

I also know a lot of people within this space and have a large network, so I enjoy keeping up to date with the advancements companies are making and what people are working on. Even though I now work in recruitment, I actually feel like I haven’t left the automotive industry at all.

Emerging technology and electric vehicles are becoming more prominent within Australia’s automotive landscape. What are you seeing in relation to growth in this area? 

Given my interest in the industry, I watch trends very closely, so the growth of EVs in Europe and Asia caught my eye from the beginning. Though Australia has been relatively slow on the uptake of EVs and emerging technology, there are still companies who were early adopters here.

Due to my networks, employers from emerging tech start-ups reached out to me at Bayside Group to assist them in finding staff – mostly business development managers at that stage. Then when they grew bigger, they came to us again to assist in finding the likes of system engineers, ICT specialists and electrical engineers.

What are some of the challenges automotive employers may face when looking to build a workforce that has the skills required for EVs and emerging automotive technology?

The automotive companies that were beginning their journey in the emerging tech space first reached out to me because they were struggling to find the right candidates. And though that was several years ago now, unfortunately a skills shortage is still something these employers are facing.

Australia is already quite a small talent pool, and the cessation of onshore automotive manufacturing has made it even smaller. This also saw a reduction in the number of people gaining the skills and qualifications required to move into automotive roles.

However, as the adoption of emerging technology increases globally, university courses and subjects in this area are becoming more common.

How has your work at Bayside Group been able to assist automotive employers in overcoming these challenges?

Having a solid understanding of the skills required for these emerging technology roles helps me identify candidates who could be ideal for automotive employers. In Australia, we have world-class universities and research within this space, and accessing this pocket of talent will be invaluable for automotive employers moving forward.

Even if they don’t have prior experience specific to the automotive industry, engineers and people who have completed PHDs often work with the same tools and software needed to succeed in emerging automotive technology roles. In my experience I’ve been able to place many professionals without specific automotive backgrounds who have excelled and been able to apply their research background to the emerging automotive technology space.

Furthermore, when the right talent can’t be found locally, we can source professionals with the required skills from overseas, including through 482-sponsorship. Internationally there has been a greater uptake of EVs and emerging technology, therefore a larger talent pool from which to draw on.

If you’re looking for professionals within the emerging automotive technology space, or for a job in the industry, you can contact Wen Shan on 03 9864 6095 or the Bayside Group automotive team here.