Life at Wilson | Kelly's career journey

My name is Kelly Scarpenter and I'm an account director here at Wilson. And in my role, I essentially act as the bridge between strategy and execution. So working with a number of different clients across the globe and ensuring that those TA strategies are delivered operationally on the ground.

It was 14 years ago now, my first role here at Wilson. And I remember being so excited and nervous in equal measure. But I started as a TAS, so a talent attraction specialist. And I joined quite a large team. I was on site back then at a telecoms company. And I remember just being surrounded by very experienced, knowledgeable people who were great at what they did. But equally, they were so passionate about helping me to develop as well, and provided a lot of opportunities for growth. I came from an agency background, so RPO was new for me. So to go into a team like that where everybody was so highly skilled, but also keen to develop. The newer team members was amazing. But yes, 14 years ago, so going back a while now.

So I was working in agency recruitment in the West End of London and I loved it. But it was the people aspect of my role that I enjoyed the most. Loved working with clients, loved working with candidates and finding that dream position for a candidate and the ideal candidate for the client. And what I wasn't so keen on was the business development side of that and the cold calling and the hard sales targets. And I actually had a colleague who had made the jump from agency to RPO and to Wilson specifically. And they called me up and they said, you know, you can get the best of both worlds. And, you know, in RPO, you get involved in the strategy and with the people and finding solutions, but without that hard sales target. So I made the jump and I never look back.

I started out as a TAS back in late 2012. I progressed from that role fairly quickly and probably as a result of the opportunities that that team provided me with. And not long after that, I stepped into the role of a recruiter, which I still had the candidate engagement and candidate generation element of that role, but I also got to work with the clients and I absolutely loved that working with stakeholders and hiring managers and I learned a huge amount in making that jump to the recruiter role. Shortly afterwards, I moved to a different account and over time that account grew, we got busier, we were doing a really good job and we added to that team and as a result of that, a team lead opportunity arose, which I then stepped into and for me, it was great because it felt like things were starting to come full circle, know, going from that TAS where my team were developing me, I was then able to do that for somebody else. So that was great. And then shortly after that, I stepped into the role of recruitment operations manager, which gave me more strategic responsibility and oversight of a portfolio of different accounts. I did that for a good few years, absolutely loved it. Within that, I then became a parent and my role at Wilson changed somewhat. And I voluntarily stepped back into a recruiter role, which was the right thing for me at that point in time with family commitments and the nature of the recruitment operations manager role. And then when I was ready, I stepped into the role of account director, which is where I am today.

I think for me, it's been taking that step when you're not quite ready. So having, you know, stepped into all of those different positions has been amazing. I've loved all of those opportunities, but I think you have to push yourself forward sometimes and do those things a little bit before you're quite ready. And I think it's in those moments that you really see that growth for sure.

We underestimate feedback and sort of look at feedback as a bit of a superpower. And it's so incredibly valuable, whether it's positive, whether it's got a development focus to it. And also wherever that feedback comes from, right, you know, it could be your leaders, it could be your peers, it could be your team. I think it can be really uncomfortable sometimes to have those conversations, but I think to go and seek out that feedback and to ask for it, I think again, that's the moment where you do start to see that real growth in knowing where you can develop, taking that on board, acting upon it. I can recall some conversations that were tough where I received feedback, but I then put that into action and I then look back and feel 10 feet tall because you've acted upon it.

I love the people that I work with. I love the clients that I partner with. And I honestly believe it's the people that make this organization. I think another thing is the diversity of work that we do in all roles. And when I look back over the years, the industries that I've gotten to be a part of and the exposure that I've received over that time has been phenomenal. And yeah, no day's the same and it keeps me on my toes that's for sure."

I think you've got to drive it, ask for the support where you need it. I think to really know where you're going and know what you want to do and really propel yourself forward. And when I think back to the steps that I've taken, absolutely, the support and the opportunity has been there, but on most occasions, I've pushed that independently in the first instance and opened up those conversations and thought creatively. And I would encourage anybody else just starting out to do the same.

We are incredibly people focused. We strike the balance of being incredibly supportive, but allowing you that freedom and independence at the same time and being able to do my job knowing that the support is there if I need it, but equally I'm independent to make those decisions and operate within my own rhythm, in my own way is really empowering. And I think that feeds through into all roles and all functions and it's what makes us who we are.

When I look back and I think back to that day that I started out, you know, being new to RPO recruitment and not knowing too much about this industry having come from agency. And then I compare that to today where, you know, we're sat here, I'm in an account director role. And I look at that journey and you sort of weave into that journey the fact that, you know, I became a parent in that time. There were a lot of, you know, life changes in that time, a lot's happened. And to be able to continue to progress that career throughout that period of time, think, I don't think about it often, but, you know, when I do look back, I think, yeah, that's something that I'm pretty proud of.

Had such brilliant experiences over this time and more recently have delved into the world of early careers. Something that I'm really passionate about, that early in career hiring, that first step that generation is taking into the workplace. I do a lot of work within that field at the moment and I would love to expand that to other clients globally and continue to build on that service offering.