Undergraduate Recruitment Consultant Review

I loved my placement year! Every day was different, and at times the role could be extremely challenging. Over the course of the year I continually developed myself as an individual, building on existing skills whilst also developing expertise in new areas. The year has provided me with fantastic work experience for when I leave University.

At an intern at Hays, you are seen as a valued member of the team from the day you join. You are given large amounts of responsibility from day one, and providing you take advantage of this, you will see the results of your work. Hays are excellent at celebrating each individuals success, whether you're a senior consultant or an intern.

In my role I had a manager, and also a 'mentor' that I worked closely with in the team. Both were excellent at providing help when needed. I always felt comfortable to ask a question if I wasn't sure about something, which really made a difference when I was getting to grips with things. Further to my asking questions, they were also great at giving constructive feedback. Furthermore, they were great at celebrating my success which gave me the extra drive to succeed.

I was always really busy, which I enjoyed! At Hays you are given the responsibility to run your own desk, and therefore build your own business to determine your success. If you complete all your tasks, then you must take the initiative to do something constructive. It's a demanding and challenging environment so my work ethic definitely improved!

I was given loads of responsibility from the day I joined. You are treated as a normal consultant that is joining on a permanent basis, rather than as an intern that is joining for one year. Consequently Hays invest their time heavily in your individual training and development, enabling each person to manage the large amount of responsibility that they are given.

I think that the most important thing I will take away is my improved work ethic. I've learned to manage my time more effectively, and learnt to prioritise what needs doing. Hopefully when I return to University these skills will be able to aid my academic work. In addition, my presentation skills have improved massively. On a daily basis I will have to present to internal managers on my market, or pitch to clients. This will be hugely beneficial when I return to University.

The atmosphere was great! There are continual incentives and games that run throughout the week, pushing consultants to strive and do their best. Everyone is very competitive which drives the fun atmosphere, though also there is a really strong sense of teamwork. Consultants are always happy to help each other out if needed.

Hays have spent time and effort on developing an excellent programme for interns. There is an excellent 12 week training programme that you receive upon joining the business, as well as offsite training courses and regular reviews. These all aid in your development to ensure that you are getting the most out of your placement year. Furthermore, at your regular reviews the managers are continually asking about their performance, and about extra ways that they could improve our experience. This conscientious approach towards their interns was amazing!

Hugely - Hays are an extremely conscientious employer that are willing to invest much of their own time to develop each placement student. Over the year, you receive on the job training as well as offsite training in a classroom environment. The onsite training is given by different consultants from across the business, providing different insights into how they run their teams. Whilst the offsite training is delivered by expert trainers. The training offered at Hays is second to none for the recruitment industry!

Very - throughout the year the managers regularly speak with you about returning to Hays once you graduate. As you are able to rejoin the company with one years experience under your belt, Hays are able to accelerate your internal progression (providing that you perform and hit the targets set)! As Hays are industry leaders and operate on an international scale, they are able to offer internal movement if that is what you are looking for! This flexibility and opportunity will play a large part in my choosing of career following graduating.

At Hays there is a massive intern community that offers a great social scene. There are regular meet ups for the interns over the year, specifically the 'Intern Conference' where we all got to know each other early on. Having a large group of people that are all experiencing the same journey makes the experience a lot more fun!

Luckily for me, I was able to live at home over the year meaning that I avoided the cost of rent. This meant that I was able to save a lot of my pay, whilst also enjoy the social scene that London had to offer. The bars and pubs around the City are definitely not cheap, though are still manageable if you choose the right places. I'm definitely glad that I completed my placement in London, and tried to take advantage of all that it has to offer!

The night life was great! My office was in the middle of the City, therefore there were plenty of good spots to go out after work. The team would regularly organise nights out, which meant that often we got good deals on drinks. Whether you do this or just go out on a whim, you don't have to go far for a good bar.

Over the year you definitely have to seek out activities to get involved in. As work can be tiring it's easy to head home each evening, and not get involved in all that London has to offer. I'm a big tennis fan, so in my own time I joined an after work tennis squad. As well as this, over the winter period I helped out at a soup kitchen. Over the weekends there are loads of different 'pop-up' events that you can also go to!