It’s always special dealing with and chatting with the ladies of Highland Recruitment.
Everything to do with their business is quintessentially them – from the style and class of the office to the values and grace with which they do business through to the expert local knowledge that is hard to find elsewhere – something instilled in the bones of the business by Founder, Lynn Watson and now living through the walk and talk of new owner, Margherita Colley.
And when we say new owner, Margherita has actually been at the helm of Highland Recruitment for nearly a year now and of course, many locals would have known her as an integral part of the business for thirteen years before that.
We caught up with Margherita to chat about her own career pathway and how it led to becoming a Southern Highlands business owner.
1 :: Let’s start with how it all began for you, Margherita. Did you find recruitment or did it find you?
A bit of both, actually!
I was working in the cosmetic industry as an Executive Account Manager for David Jones and Myer for a high end cosmetic and fragrance company.
It was a tough industry and I decided to leave that then thought you know what? I’d like to give recruitment a go.
I’d done some recruitment in the customer service space at David Jones prior to working in the cosmetic industry and that’s the only experience I had.
But that didn’t stop me. I rang up a recruitment agency I’d heard of, was asked to come in and meet them and had a job the next day!
That was 30 years ago and I’ve been in recruitment ever since.
2 :: Now, that was in the wild and woolly landscape of the Sydney recruitment biz which is a little different to here in the Highlands, right?
Yes, that’s right. I started recruiting basic administrative roles, progressing through to legal recruitment and finally specialising in financial recruitment.
It was all very competitive in that environment at that time [probably more so now!] but I always acted with integrity and was led by my own strong moral compass, building relationships rather than risking them, and was always honest with clients and candidates alike.
And I still operate that way.
I’ll never change my approach because that’s not my makeup.
3 :: So when did you move to the Southern Highlands, and why?
I moved here 21 years ago, doing the commute and remote work juggle for a little while until I had my first baby.
I grew up visiting the Highlands with my family and my husband is from Broken Hill, so he was always keen to move away from the city.
I love having the best of both worlds, being so close to Sydney but living in the country….so the Southern Highlands became our home based on that!
4 :: How and when did you start working for Highland Recruitment?
I was fortunate enough to be able to stay home with my kids for about five years and then when I was ready to head back to work, I approached Lynn at Highland Recruitment.
Lynn is incredibly supportive of working mothers and offered me the work life balance I needed as my children grew up.
That was 13 years ago and I just love being part of this team.
5 :: How amazing to work with Lynn and have her as a mentor.
Lynn is a beautiful woman. The day I walked into her office and asked her for a job turned out to be one of the best things I ever did.
My job was to support her and help her build Highland Recruitment and I treated it like my own business.
6 :: And it actually became your own business! How did that happen?
Lynn floated the idea a few years ago but I wasn’t quite ready at that time.
Just over a year ago we chatted about it again.
My children are at a stage where they don’t need me as much – one has left school and another is just about to – so I felt it was the right time to turn my focus onto becoming a business owner.
Lynn has helped me with turning my mindset and approach from employee to owner and helping me come to terms with having the financial responsibility of a business on my shoulders.
It’s been a big step for me but it’s good to do things that challenge you!
Highland Recruitment is an established business and has such a wonderful reputation in the region and I knew I could continue that on.
It’s been wonderful so far and I hope it continues to grow.
7 :: How many are on the team and what do you think contributes to the success of the business?
There’s four of us in the office and we have an accounting team and talented copywriter that works remotely.
We’ve continued with Lynn’s vision of providing work life balance with all of us working 9am-3pm most days.
I feel that’s contributed to our success. Being able to combine the roles of parenting and working is so important for our mental, emotional and physical health, as well as the commitment we have to the business.
Honesty, integrity, the relationships we have with our clients, local knowledge and our extensive database have been the other contributing factors.
It’s how we’ve always operated and how we’ll continue to operate.
Being able to communicate effectively with our clients has led to really strong relationships.
It’s a very challenging environment out there at the moment – in the past, you’d get 50+ applicants for say an admin role. Now, you’re lucky if you get 5 – 10.
So managing our client’s expectations is really important and also truly understanding who would be the right fit for their business.
We need to get it right because there aren’t many applicants to fall back on if we don’t.
8 :: What would you say to local businesses doing their own recruitment in this environment?
It can be costly – both in advertising and in time invested in recruiting – to do it yourself, especially when there are less applicants than ever before.
That’s where our database comes in incredibly handy and also our experience in matching candidates to local businesses and vice versa.
Employing the wrong person in your business can be a very expensive mistake to make.
Highland Recruitment minimise that risk with our experience, knowledge and reach.
9 :: So, what do you do away from Highland Recruitment?
I love interiors so I’m always scouting around for bits of furniture to restore.
My home is full of items I’ve found on the side of the road, in an op shop or in an antiques store that I’ve done up or restored.
I’m constantly moving the furniture and items around in the house. It drives my husband nuts!
I also love music and dancing. If there’s music on, I’ll probably be dancing along to it.
10 :: This office is so beautiful and actually looks more like a stylish home than an office!
Yes, it’s an extension of our lives at home.
There’s beautiful plants in here, we have fresh flowers, candles burning…it really is a welcoming environment.
It’s the opposite of the sterile, grey cubicles where I spent the early part of my recruitment career.
We’re here for a good chunk of our day so it’s about making the space as beautiful and comfortable as possible for us, our candidates and our clients.
11 :: What do you love about living and working in the Highlands as a local business owner?
It’s a privilege to work in such a lovely small community and to help so many local businesses grow and thrive over the last 13 years.
I really enjoy learning about all the different businesses and industries, and getting to know the employers and the candidates too. There are some very talented people in this region!
As for what makes me the happiest? Running into people when I’m out and about and chatting to them about the fact they’re still at their job we placed them in years later and they love it.
Or having a local business owner tap me on the shoulder when I’m at the supermarket or at the local shops to let me know their business is thriving and the people we placed within that business are still there and part of that growth.
I love that.
I love that Highland Recruitment has helped so many people and businesses over so many years, and for many more years to come.
Highland Recruitment is a boutique agency making the recruitment process as smooth and stress-free as possible for clients and candidates alike! For many years, Highland Recruitment’s experienced team has helped clients in the Southern Highlands create happy workplace environments by finding them the best possible employees. Find out more about this awesome local business here.
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