Candidate Consultant Review

I found this placement really useful, and i really did learn a lot whilst I was there. I was not just making the teas and coffees, I had a vitally important role within the team. I had lots of targets to work towards which were a great motivator for me.

I was responsible for leading a new style of working within the team. It became my responsibility to source candidates for the team to interview - whereas they would have done the whole process on their own before. Therefore I was an integral part of the team. I also built strong personal connections with them.

I was given a thorough plan of training when I first started. All the way from centrally mandated online training, to meeting and shadowing people on the team. I even got sent to head office for a comprehensive induction. For my first 6 months, i was also provided with a probation plan which focused my efforts.

At some periods I was less busy than I would have liked. This was due to the seasonal availability of candidates which was out of our control. However, when I was given extra work to do I often felt there were not enough hours in the day. Between these times, I had ample work to be doing.

If I didn't find any candidates for the team to interview the whole process would have come to a halt. Which is one thing I really valued about the role. As i did not expect to have that level of responsibility in what is essentially and entry level role in the company.

My degree is not necessarily related to recruitment or HR. Additonally, my degree provides more of an international focus. Therefore the day to day skills are not really something I plan to apply in a future career. However, the softer skills of working in an office environment will undoubtedly prove to be curcial.

Everyone in the office were really friendly and welcoming, especially those who I worked with. The pool table in the kitchen was great too. However, some teams did feel a little insular and there are some people (what is quite a small office) that I barely recognise the face of.

I was provided with thorough training and skills to complete my job. However, I was not put forward for the full internal training programme (which only takes a year to complete). Being part of that training would have given me a solid grounding in the company and possibly cemented my future there.

It has never been confirmed about my future with the organisation, and I don't know anyone who has returned after doing a placement. This is despite some previous placement employees being spoken of highly. I also plan to work in a company with a more international focus than the very nationalistic nature of this work.

There were only a handful of placement students in the business, and we were all spread out across different areas. I did work on the same team as another placement student, but her work mirrored mine for a different department, which meant we rarely spoke. However many in the business are young enough to hold a conversation.

Living in the north is always going to be cheaper than anywhere down south. However, Manchester city centre is similar to London, and many place's prices reflect this. If you are looking for quality accommodation, that won't break the bank you will need to travel from well outside the city centre though.

Manchester is a student city, and the nightlife definitely reflects that. With more bars and night clubs than you could possibly ever visit in a year. Despite it being fairly quiet in the summer months, it really kicks off when the student population floods back into the pubs, bars and clubs across the city.

There was the option to do some charity work. But to qualify for this you had to have worked with the company for 2 years. I would also have liked some more activities to be suggested for employee groups to go to. I had mates that went out for bowling or basketball regularly, this wasn't the case here.