At a recent career fair, Shae’la Scott found herself drawn to the number of women who approached her interested in construction.

Scott herself is a woman in construction, a human resources coordinator in charge of talent acquisition at Baker Group. She’s been with the company since May 2021, trying to attract the best workers for every job opening.

“There were some young female students at that career fair interested in welding and other things,” Scott says. “It’s great to see women being exposed to different industries like construction. I think it’s awesome.”

Although Scott’s background isn’t in construction, being part of the field as a woman is something she’s become proud to represent.

She also sees every day around Baker Group that women certainly are a major part of the company and its success.

“It’s nice to have a different opportunity and be part of the small percentage doing something different,” Scott says. “I like to go to our shop and see women out there doing their thing. I think that’s awesome.”

Scott knows a thing or two about being one of the small percentage doing something others aren’t. She spent six years in the Iowa Army National Guard at Camp Dodge in Johnston.

She was a supply specialist, managing receipts, storage and issuance of warehouse inventory. She also was attending college, first at Des Moines Area Community College and then at Drake University. She graduated from Drake in 2019 with a degree in business management and a minor in human resources.

Scott interned in the HR department with Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority and then landed her first job as an HR assistant with United Way of Central Iowa.

“I went hard for myself, graduating from high school straight to boot camp and to college,” Scott says. “I’ve been able to reach a lot of my goals.”

Scott has goals with Baker Group, too. At the top of the list is thinking and looking outside the box when adding talent to the company.

“We have so many positions open, and I’m always screening for applicants,” Scott says. “The market is a little bit different with recruiting now, so we need to look at different methods. Whether we’re hiring someone older or younger, hiring more diverse candidates or maybe attracting people from out of state, that’s the track we need to be on. It’s about being open-minded. Everyone here seems open to that.”