Assocaite Recruitment Consultant Review

I went through a steep learning curve from the very beginning of my placement. It was much harder and more challenging than I thought it would be. After I settled down and got the ropes, it became more of a fun challenge rather than a stressful one as it was a target-based job and I had to work hard every month to achieve my KPIs.

My team dynamic was great and I absolutely loved working with them everyday. We were a great support system to each other and I always felt genuinely cared for. I knew that if I every needed help or was stuck in a challenging situation, my colleagues would not hesitate to step in a help out.

As an intern at Hays, you are treated like any other recruitment consultant working there. I was given intensive training in the first 4-6 weeks of my placement which really helped me learn quickly about my job role and how to become an expert in what I had to do. My colleagues always stepped in help me when I asked for any guidance.

My desk was extremely busy during the first 5/6 months of my placement (summer months) and it was even more challenging to handle because I was just learning about my job role and how to use the systems, etc. I struggled a lot with time-management and completing my tasks on time as there was simply too much to do. however, after I became more comfortable and gained control over my desk, although there were busy times I was able to handle it well and work through it quickly and efficiently.

I was given a lot more responsibility then I thought I would be doing. I was not a support system to my team but rather a full employee doing exactly what most employees in my office were doing. I was running my own desk the way I wanted and working each month to achieve my KPIs set for me by my manager.

With the steep learning curve in this placement, what I learned and experienced is invaluable and something I will probably take with me for the rest of my life, including in university and my degree. Apart from particular technical skills I learned, I also learned time-management, working under immense pressure, meeting deadlines, handling challenging situations calmly, confidence, control and staying positive and resilient.

I was lucky to be in an extremely friendly and fun working environment where I sat amongst all the different teams and got to know them as well as learn about their specialism to learn about the different teams and got along. The office was always buzzing with energy and most people had a work hard-play hard mind - set which I soon adopted as well.

Most interns get offered a graduate job at the end of their placement, depending on their performance throughout the year. There's a real opportunity to grow and quickly climb the ladder in this job role, you just need to work hard and prove yourself.