Asssociate Consultant Review

There were many elements of my placement that I enjoyed, however a placement with Hays is not like doing a normal internship. You become an actual employee and do the same job as other consultants, meaning you work the same 50 hours per week and experience the same high pressure, target driven working environment. Compared to my friends who did placements for other companies, the difference between mine and theirs has been huge. I know that mine has been far more beneficial, but at the same time sometimes I was envious of their less stressful years.

My colleagues have all been extremely supportive and friendly. They have always made me feel part of the team and have included me in any work related events / meals. I have even found the Director in my office very approachable and understanding, and would never hesitate to approach him with a problem.

My experience was quite varied. The initial training with Hays is amazing and you attend fully paid for training at several locations across the country. This clarifies your role and makes your feel assured about your position. Following this, every intern has a direct line manager and mine changed from one lady, to another lady, about 7 months into my internship. The impact a different line manager can have on your experience is huge and since my manager changed in month 7, my experience has been so much better. I feel far more supported and at ease, and just generally much happier! Had I had my second manager from the beginning I am sure I would be giving this rating 10/10.

In recruitment, you are never not busy. There is no end to the amount of work you can do and your targets are always set to really stretch your ability. As an intern, I always left at half 5 pm, but notably I was the only person who did this. The work load is huge but the days completely fly by and I never find myself bored or wondering what to do. Whereas my friends who are working for other companies want their placement to end because they are so bored, I cant ever imagine feeling like that at work!

Whilst you can always approach management for assistance, you had full responsibility of your own desk and temp workers. Your manager will be running their own recruitment desk, so you don't want to hassle them with queries. You have immense responsibility, from tracking that your workers will be paid, to negotiating on fee percentages with clients. This placement will push you completely out of your comfort zone and will give you a taste of actual working life.

This internship has been invaluable in shaping my future progress. My perspective has completely changed and I am positive I will excel when I return to University. Although I don't think recruitment is necessarily for me following my graduation, it has given me the drive to try so much harder. The training has been brilliant, as has experiencing working under a large amount of pressure.

High pressure. Really great buzz amongst all of the consultants. Lots of laughs and celebrating wins. Public score boards so you do feel constantly watched and under pressure to achieve, but that's the atmosphere in any sales environment. The office is decorated regularly for theme days and there are lots of prizes and incentives.

Very well organised. Month plans each month to set your targets. Days are even broken down into times to do specific tasks. Introductory training is all well organised. Regular reviews mean that your progress is consistently tracked. One criticism is that interns are moved positions if needed, without any prior warning.. and as actual consultants rarely move positions, so they don't have full understanding of the pressures of moving, adjusting can be quite difficult and stressful.

Hays highly invest in all of their new recruits. Several training academies which involve overnight stays in various cities across the UK - all paid for. Lots of assessments to ensure that you are all at the same level. Regular feedback on where you can improve. Large review every 3 months where you have to present to management on your progress - which is daunting but very beneficial.

There is always lots of opportunity to progress quickly within Hays, as long as you perform and reach your targets. If you are a highly driven, confident and resilient person, who has a natural sales ability, you can be extremely successful within this company. There is no limit to how well you can do, if you continue to perform. Management are supportive and want you to succeed. The job in general is however very high pressure and the hours are long - but if you're highly money motived, you will be successful.

Very good social scene as an office. But, as you are placed in a local office, you are only likely to ever see one or two other interns following your initial training. So there isn't really an intern social scene at all. You don't feel like an intern, you become a full employee. The social scene amongst all of the consultants however is very good. So as long as you don't mind being the baby of the group, which also has its perks, you will have lots of good nights with your colleagues.

Not too expensive. My rent was much higher as I have been living in the city centre, but in general it's not been much more expensive than university living. Lots of interns lived at home throughout the year - which means they must have saved so much! If I had had relatives nearby I would have definitely taken up the opportunity to live with them.

Really good night life. Liverpool has so many good places to go out.

Always lots of fun things going on in the office. We all celebrate everyone's birthdays with nice meals and the themed incentive days really brighten up office life!