Recruiting the recruiters

A significant increase in demand for qualified HR professionals poses interesting challenges for those charged with recruiting them, according to Scotlandís leading recruitment specialists, Search Consultancy.

Kai McCabe, Managing Director of Search, says ìThese are the very people who wrote the rule book on interview techniques. They know their rights; know best practice and have probably been there, bought the T-shirt and done it all beforeî.

For HR professionals on the other side of the fence however, the situation is not much easier. ìItís like sitting a driving test when you have been driving for yearsî Kai says. ìThe challenge for HR candidates is not to become complacent. Like any other candidate they need to show their talents and not merely assume that their achievements will speak for themselves.

ìYou might assume that itís easier for a seasoned HR professional to get through an interview but our experience shows they suffer from nerves just like anyone else. If someone really wants a particular job then the pressure is on, whether you are an experienced selector yourself, or not.î

The reason these issues have been brought into particularly sharp focus of late is a very healthy recruitment market for HR staff across Scotland. Search Consultants have seen around 20% growth in demand for HR professionals over the last three years, across a very broad range of industries.

The reasons for this rise are many, but increasingly tough employment legislation is a big factor. Not only do employers have heavier responsibilities to shoulder in relation to their employeesí working lives and conditions, but with relatively low unemployment, employers are also aware that they cannot fall foul of the law if they want to attract and retain the best talent.

Eilidh Wiseman, Employment law partner at Dundas & Wilson adds, ìIt often comes as a surprise to employers that they can face legal action even from people who have never been employees.

ìSex, race and disability discrimination issues require to be addressed along with the relatively new legislation on sexual orientation and religious discrimination even before the recruitment process begins. Employers need to be entirely sure that their candidate selection criteria are discrimination-free if they want to be sure of avoiding legal challengeî.

Eilidh adds, ìItís often said that a companyís greatest asset is its people, but they also pose a substantial potential liability for the unwary employer who falls foul of employment legislation.î

All this is good news for HR careers however. At the same time as this challenging legal background, creative HR strategies such as flexible benefits schemes and family friendly work practices have become more commonplace, with the overall effect of pushing the role of the HR professional substantially up the corporate tree.

Kai McCabe says, îThere has been a growing demand for HR skills over the last few years; pushing the HR Director up there on a par with the Finance Director or Sales Director in terms of remuneration and power within the company.

ìThis is a welcome change from ten or fifteen years ago, when ìpersonnelî was often viewed as a glorified admin post. Now thereís a fast track to Board level for the best people, although it would be fair to say that thereís still not a lot of movement at the very top levels.

ìThe consultancy sector has undoubtedly also benefited from HR being pushed up the agenda and Search has seen a greatly increased demand for outsourced services in HR. Where the HR challenge simply gets too much for the in-house team, an increasing number of companies are opting to take this route.î

From consultancy to Boardroom, Search argues, the HR function is growing in tandem with the knowledge economy. Where people really are a companyís primary resource, managing them effectively cannot be viewed as anything other than a core activity.

Issued by the BIG partnership on behalf of Search Consultancy.
For further information, please contact;

Marjorie Calder
the BIG partnership - 0141 333 9585

Jillian Galloway
the BIG partnership - 0141 333 9585