MT Magazine March/April 2025

FEATURE STORY

MARCH/APRIL 2025

17

welfare benefits. It may look good to them, but it may not be valued by the workers.

says having “hard skills” within a discipline – proficiency in a particular domain (think equipment operation or CAD software) – is important now and always will be. But something is changing: “What is apparent today is that softer skills are becoming harder: Critical thinking, problem-solving, empathy, interpersonal communication, agility, resilience – those are the skills more attractive today. We need those softer skills more than the technical, harder skills.” This is not a contradiction vis-a-vis having domain expertise. Rather, as changes in technology accelerate – AI, automation, etc. – the need for people to understand and adapt to those changes grows. The ability to deal with changing demands and needs is becoming increasingly important. Resilience trumps rigidity.

Create a Talent Architecture While “demographics or archetypes or personas of the workforce” may sound rather complex, if not convoluted, having a deeper understanding of their people is highly beneficial to a company. PwC recommends that companies build a talent architecture that organizes the skills and abilities of its workforce. This is extremely useful for training and developing personnel to meet current and future needs: If someone has an aptitude in one area (such as IT), that person may be better suited for training in a particular area (like AI) than someone without that orientation. Know the Discipline — and Critical Thinking What are important attributes for someone looking for a job, whether it is at an entry level or a lateral move? Abbatiello A few days before we spoke with Alisyn Malek, General Motors laid off dozens of workers in an assessment that was going to run for weeks. Last November, the company laid off about 1,000 salaried and hourly employees. In August, it laid off more than 1,000 people in its software and services organization. Malek began her career at GM as a design release engineer and vehicle systems engineer for advanced charging systems. She later did a stint at the corporation’s venture capital arm, GM Ventures. In 2017 she co-founded May Mobility, a company developing and deploying autonomous vehicle tech. May Mobility’s investors include Toyota and BMW. She went on to found Middle Third, a company dedicated to helping startups in the mobility space and early and mid-career professionals who venture into the startup sphere. Reflecting on the GM announcement, Malek, who is working to attract talent to Michigan, describes it as “frustrating.” Malek says, “They couched it as ‘performance reviews.’ I know that when I was at GM, I had at least two leaders who would have liked to have ‘performance reviewed’ me right out of there.” It is worth noting that Malek has attained accolades, including being named a Top Ten Female Innovator to Watch by Smithsonian Magazine and an Automotive News All-Star – clearly the sort of person you’d want in your organization. Given the churn happening in large corporations like GM, where people are being let go for these companies to cut costs in a major way, Malek says an alternative for some people may be to go work at a startup. Although many startups are associated with developing software programs and apps, Malek points out that plenty are working on what she refers to as “hard tech.”

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Gary at vasilash@gmail.com.

CONSIDER THE STARTUP ALTERNATIVE

“There is a ton of attention in the manufacturing space.” While people who have recently graduated or have decades of experience may think going to a startup is risky and prefer getting into a larger company or staying in one, she notes, “People used to consider big companies because they were stable, that your job was guaranteed.” Clearly, that’s changed. Big or small, established or newly launched, “It’s all risky at this point.” But she thinks that there are great opportunities in the startup route. For one thing, these small companies are looking for self-starters who want to get things done. This can be particularly valuable for those who are pigeonholed in their current job. “You don’t have someone looking over your shoulder all the time,” she says. While there might be some concern about benefits, she says that a startup that has raised outside investments or has signed up a good customer typically provides a package that includes benefits like health insurance and vacation. What is typically not included is a 401K. Instead, employees often receive an equity grant so they can buy into the company they’re helping to create. How does one find a startup opportunity? Simply Googling for startup meetings in your city is a good way to start. Cities and states are increasingly interested in having startup companies in their locales, so you may be surprised at the available resources. One thing to consider about finding a job with a startup versus a big corporation: According to Resume Builder, 82% of larger companies use AI to review resumes. But, if you’re at a meetup for startups, you can probably talk with someone that you may go on to work with.