 Pawlett was brought up in Aberdeen from a young age and made his Aberdeen debut in February 2009, coming on as a substitute in a 5–0 Scottish Cup victory over East Fife.He made his SPL debut for Aberdeen as a substitute in a 3–1 loss to Celtic on 2 May 2009, and he made his first league start in a 2–1 loss to Rangers two weeks later.On 7 November 2009, Pawlett set up the first goal for Sone Aluko in a 2–1 win over St Johnstone.