Spotlight on Gemma Skidmore

Gemma has spent over 20 years working in recruitment, sourcing top engineering talent for companies such as Dyson, JCB, JLR - as well as universities and technical institutions. 

In this employee interview, we catch up with her to learn more about her role at Petalite.

What does your role as Talent Acquisition & HR Specialist involve?

My role is to engage with the candidate market and find the very best engineering talent to support the commercialisation of Petalite’s EV chargers. We know that today’s engineers seek companies who can offer a combination of technological progressiveness, societal impact, and opportunities for professional growth. A key aspect of my role is to communicate that we offer all this. Candidates could potentially be a part of a game-changing company, push boundaries and support a net-zero future.

As part of the HR team, I embrace skill-based hiring and primarily evaluate candidates based on their technical abilities, problem-solving skills, and competencies. We look at what they can do, rather than what they have done. This is because Petalite is bringing something new to the EV charging industry. Those who join us will inherently have no experience in our innovative technology and we need people who can use their expertise to push technical boundaries successfully.

What makes your role at Petalite different to your previous recruitment roles?

I have the everyday benefit of exposure to Petalite as a business and all its employees. In previous agency roles, after we had placed someone, we would make check-in calls to see how they were getting on and that was it. At Petalite, candidates become colleagues and can continue to ask me questions after being hired. I definitely enjoy the employee relations side.

When anyone has an on-site interview, we give candidates a tour. We introduce them to staff (including Oakley our office dog who many people love!) so they can gauge the culture at Petalite. New employees, no matter their role or level, will have the opportunity to talk to the senior leadership team about the business and our future plans. You don't often get that opportunity in a business which is refreshing.

What challenges have you been faced with when recruiting engineers at Petalite?

I have worked in recruitment for 20 years. There has been a talent shortage when it comes to engineering and a recognition that STEM subjects need to be promoted to young people more. A recent stat is that 75% of employers struggle to find candidates with the right skills. With the range of engineering disciplines and diversity of skills required at Petalite, this is as much as an issue for us as rest of the UK.

What is Petalite’s approach to recruiting engineers?

Petalite already ticks many boxes that established engineering companies offer in the UK. There are career progression opportunities structured with competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits packages. But we also recognise that engineers, particularly the generation coming in now, need more than that.

Engineers are not content to sit still in one company, improving the same product or creating a range from something that already exists. Engineers want to innovate. Petalite’s mission is to revolutionise electric charging, so innovation is at our core. Couple that with the opportunity to work in a clean energy industry, it instantly interests applicants.

I will also tell candidates the reality of working at Petalite. We are a scale-up and that can be challenging. If a candidate is in the mindset of working a specific way and focused only on that, they would find it difficult. The reality is that all staff need to be flexible, adaptable and open minded to the ups and downs of a scale-up environment.

However, I don't have to sell the exciting opportunity they could be part of. It’s more of a case of providing them with reassurance, how we are structured as a scale-up and our future business plans. The thought of a scale-up can make some candidates nervous.

This is a new and growing sector. Some candidates say, ‘I don't have an EV charging background’ and my response is ‘we don't need you to, we need the skills and experience you have’. I explain that's very important to Petalite. We need talent from related industries. We have staff from Formula 1, Formula E, automotive and aerospace. It’s a brilliant opportunity to become part of a growing sector making real change.

I’ve learned that many candidates care about green technology and at Petalite, innovation will always continue in this as our future moves towards sustainable energy.

For successful candidates, what is it like to work at Petalite?

When I catch up with new employees, I ask them how they are getting on. Many say, “it’s chaotic” and I reassure them this ebbs and flows through their journey here. I ask if they are enjoying it, and the answer is always ‘yes’. What always comes through is that our employees want Petalite to succeed. All our staff feel they have a place at Petalite, and that's rare in a company.

We are also a diverse workforce with employees from all over the world. It makes us who we are, and we embrace that. We are also mindful of our employee’s needs. We support flexible start and finish times. For instance, parents like myself have time to take their children to school without panicking against the clock. As long as weekly hours are met and is communicated with managers, we support an employees’ work-life balance if needed.

Our office space is open plan, we don’t operate a closed-door office scenario. The senior team leaders, including our CEO Steve Gardener sit in the same open plan office as the rest of our employees.

What kind of professional growth would an employee expect?

At this stage, I think they'll be the opportunity for everybody who joins to step into something more senior in the future. I tell candidates that we are currently building the foundations of Petalite, creating the ‘DNA’ to grow and establish. They could have the opportunity to inspire the next generation of Petalite employees as their role and responsibilities progress.

What do you think makes Petalite an appealing place to work?

This year we have grown by 85%. When we survey the team, the top positive answer is ‘people support one another’ - this shows the true teamwork and strong relationships that have formed between our new and existing employees. There is a strong ‘we can do this’ mindset because people care about the sector we operate in. We all want to make a positive difference in our careers and wider world. That’s the glue that keeps us together and drives Petalite forward.

Are you looking forward to the future of Petalite?

I'm really looking forward to seeing us succeed! In particular, I love seeing the candidates I've placed doing great, seeing them settled in and become comfortable. I always say, “you'll be part of the furniture within three months, you will feel like you've been here a few years”.

At Petalite, you're not new for long.