25 Years in Recruitment

 2nd Apr 2026

To celebrate Director, Laura Buchanan Owen's, 25 years in recruitment, we took to asking her our most pressing questions about how she's found her career to date!

 

In 25 years, who has been your best colleague and why?

Wow – this is tough, I have had so many amazing colleagues over the years and many who have become friends. I guess the easiest for me now would be Graeme Bruce. Graeme was not only a colleague for 11 years at Hudson, but we've become good friends. We've both supported each other through some difficult personal times.

He did leave me at Hudson, but redeemed himself by bringing me to W&A! To be working with him again, and have him in my life as a friend and a colleague feels special. Even if he did fall asleep at 8pm at my wedding!

 

What’s been your funniest moment in recruitment?

Genuinely far too many to mention, so I will go with my first ever funny moment.

At Hays, we were targeted heavily on KPIs, meetings, calls etc, so I was told no matter who was on the end of the line - ask for a meeting. So I did, and the office cheered with celebration as I secured my first visit! Driving out to my first meeting seemed odd. As I drove through a housing estate, shall we say, in a certain area of Glasgow - where I landed sat in the living room of a sole business owner with zero staff! Not much recruitment needs I gathered 😉

 

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on a CV?

Oooh not getting drawn into that one!

Candidates take time to pull their CVs together, everything on there is important to them. However, for anyone pulling a CV together - maybe keep an eye on the email account name you create. Client’s see this nowadays with teams interviews! Can cause some red faces... 😉

 

How many candidates do you think you have registered? 

Oft... genuinely, by my calculations - over 10,000!

 

How many jobs do you think you have filled?

 Actually no idea – hurting my head even thinking about it!

 

How many times have you smiled when you didn’t want to? 

Honestly, not that many! Its easy to smile and laugh in this job. We bring joy to people’s lives and we have fun together along the way.

 

What has been your favourite year? Why? 

This is a good one. I don’t think I can pinpoint one single year. However, I would say the years 2013 – 2019 were pretty special. I'd had my family and was able to put some more focus on my own personal development and gained a number of promotions. I won several awards and went on some insane trips in this time - trips of a life time that will never be beaten!

The market was buoyant, past the credit crunch and pre-Covid. Recruitment didn’t feel as tough as it does now. These were good times. Fond, fond memories 😊

 

What would you do if you didn’t do recruitment? 

I ask myself this quite often, as I fell into recruitment. Not many people choose recruitment, you fall into it. I would absolutely be in a people job! What that would look like - I honestly don’t know.

 

Best excuse for pulling out of an interview?

How long have you got? I have heard it all! From your 4^th granny falling down the stairs again, to calling me literally from the loo telling me how unwell you were...

 

What advice would you give to yourself if you were a new joiner? How would that advice change 5, 10, 20 years in? 

I don’t think my advice would change much, to be honest, from years ago to now. To be successful in recruitment you need to be passionate about what you do. If you are not, your clients and candidates will see this. You need to be very hard working (this isn’t a 9-5 job ), resilient – this job continually knocks you back, and you need to get up and go again. Most importantly if you don’t enjoy it, get out, you won’t survive.

 

Highest point? 

Too many high points! They would have to be around all team events, trips and nights out. From train parties, white water rafting, sledging, All Bar One, Iceland party food to fine dining. The banter, the laughs - I have so so many memories that I just need to think about and can make me laugh out loud!

 

Lowest point?

Would be Covid. Having to make people redundant / furloughed / reduced salaries this was awful ☹. For me, I was fortunate enough to keep my job. However, this was hard working in a market with reduced staff and being fully remote,  while trying to home school my two boys. Not a time I would like to revisit.

 

Best Christmas party? 

Airth Castle

 

Congratulations, Laura, on 25 years in recruitment! Wishing you many more successful years to come. We are so lucky to have you!