Recruitment Consultant Review

Hays is a fantastic company to work for. They are always looking for ways to incentivise and motivate their employees and this came through in Staff parties, events, office treats etc. The role was good, I was treated as if I was an associate, however recruitment comes with setbacks and it is a tough industry to be in. I found the initial few months of my placement very tough due to trying to understand how I fit into the office dynamic and learnt to be a corporate employee rather than a student. Hence why I have scored my enjoyment as a 7/10.

When I first started I found it difficult to get along with my colleagues as I was trying too hard to fit in; which in a Sales environment doesn't go well as everyone is able to see through fake personas. However, once I stopped trying to please/impress people and focused just on the job and my self development I saw that results and in turn friendship followed. I now get on very well with all of my colleagues and see us as a family. I often receive positive compliments on the work I produce from various team members.

I received lots of training whilst on placement. The reason I have scored it an 8/10 was because when I first started I didn't receive as much training as other new starters. This was due to there being 2 new starters in my team; with the other new starter taking up too much time. This meant that I didn't receive as much initial training as I would have liked, however there was plenty more training provided once this new starter had left, and further more throughout the year.

It varied from day to day. Sometimes I was too busy to even think, which I enjoyed. Other times I could be struggling to find work to do. In these times where I was struggling to find work, I was responsible for trying to generate new business through building client relations.

I was given the exact same responsibility as if I was a full employee. The only difference was I didn't get the same salary or benefits which could be frustrating at times. I had the same expectations, KPIs and tasks as an associate, and would be given full reign to develop my desk in the way I thought would be most beneficial.

I have learnt to manage my time more effectively, to over come rejection/set back and most importantly, I have learnt lots about myself and how to behave in a corporate environment. I am excited to go back to uni and study my course, and believe that the skills I have learnt this year will hugely benefit me in my future studies.

The general office atmosphere was one of work hard play hard. You were left to get on with and manage your Work In Progress (WIP). You were free to talk to colleagues, laugh and joke so long as you were doing what is expected of you. I will miss the office environment.

Very well organised. The internal recruitment process was seamless and I had everything sorted for when I first started.

They provided a four day induction course on my first week of placement talking about the business and the different nuances of the role. This was followed up with online training sessions I had to complete which discussed the business further, my role more deeply as well as different legislation I needed to be aware of. I also went on a 3 day sales training course within the first 2 months of starting and received constant training and tips for improvement from my managers.

Due to my performance for this year I have been told that I would receive a golden reference to work within any of the company offices across the UK (108 in total). I have also been invited to sit down with my manager to discuss my plans after uni as well as having managers of other teams asking if I would be interested in joining them as a graduate.

Very often after work people would go for drinks in the pub below us which built a great social atmosphere. There were also office/team nights out as well as a Christmas party. The business would also do Charity events in order to raise money and even organised a football match against other regions.

It's Leeds so it wasn't too expensive. It all depends on where you go for your night out. Due to the nature of recruitment and the amount of money people can earn we would often go to expensive places, however I was also able to go to student nights out as well. Just depends.

Leeds is voted the best night life in the UK.

There was weekly football which was organised later on, and then a wide variety of charity events however the most frequent out of work activity would often be nights out or going to the pub. The activities would be more self organised within the team. Most Fridays everyone goes for drinks downstairs after work.