Karen Scott (Managing Director, Hudson)
Interviewed by Colin Cardwell © s1jobs
Originally published: 14.06.2007
In the world of recruitment consultancy, the NASDAQ-quoted Hudson is one of the giants, with 3,600 employees in more than 20 countries and 12 offices and 825 employees UK & Ireland.
Karen Scott, Hudson's Glasgow-based managing director is one of several women to have reached the top rung in Scottish recruitment consultancy and heads up a staff of 130 in recruitment and 79 in shared services.
Despite the company's impressive size, she describes the work carried out in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen as "very sector focused."
"We are very specific and have separate consultants for different sectors – plus talent management with assessment," she says. Above all, we aim to add value to the client's business."
In Scotland, the company is targeting areas such as the financial services, private and life sciences sectors, plus a significant slice of public sector work – which accounts for some 20% of business – with bodies such as Scottish Enterprise.
However, Scott also points out that there is a misconception that the Scottish manufacturing industry has all but disappeared. "In fact, there's a lot of important work to do there – and also in areas like power and energy, which Scotland is internationally renowned for."
Clients themselves, she says are increasingly more focused – and are demanding more from their advisers. "If you have skills in the growth areas in the economy, as we do, you can then build up the important relationships with clients that take the business a step further," says Scott,
Her own background was initially in electronics and telecoms, which has, she says, given her an appreciation of the kind of specialist areas a consultant must offer. "People, whether clients or candidates, want to know the person they are talking to really knows what they are talking about."
Scott agrees that there has sometimes been a view that business is client generated, simply because the client pays the fees, but believes that has changed – and for the good. "You have to rise above the job thing," she says, "and realise that candidates are our capital."
She adds that, when someone turns to a recruitment consultant, they may well be going through one of the most traumatic periods in their entire career path.
"When someone lifts the phone to talk to a consultant they could have been made redundant or lost their business that week," Scott says. "We're dealing with real people in real situations and have to be very sensitive to that. We realise that candidates are the key differentiators - we have to treat them well and maintain contact on a personal level."
Another significant factor that will impact the industry, she believes, is the demographic trend. "Business has woken up to the growing need to recruit people with experience," she says.
This already goes beyond well-publicised examples such as B&Q's policy of hiring experience. "The financial services sector, which frequently finds it very difficult to get hold of the right candidate, is asking itself: 'Do we always have to automatically hire a graduate?'"
"Sectors such as FS have woken up to the facts and there are now major Edinburgh-based FS companies putting the training behind it."
Training is one of Scott's recurring themes. Hudson in Scotland, she says, conducts its own internal training. "We get industry professionals to conduct seminars to ensure that our people have a very sound knowledge of the sector they are operating in.
"We need to think about best utilising our staff skills, opening up the frontiers and applying that training."
The international marketplace is, she believes, an exciting one in which Hudson in Scotland is well placed to operate. "We do a lot of international work including in the legal, financial and education areas," she explains
"We're dealing with global companies who want offers from the best in the world, from wherever the centres of excellence exist for that sector."
Future plans, Scott says, are to grow organically in line with growth in the economy. And, in a business not noted for holding on to its staff in the long term, to keep the people it already has.
"We have done a good job in retention and try to establish a good ratio between managers and employees – and we like to hire people with other experience," she says. "It's crucial for maintaining these relationships."
