Delivery Recruitment Consultant Review

I enjoyed the professional atmosphere and getting to know the role and the work. Working in the financial heart of London meant that we had the opportunity to get to know one another in a social capacity which helped us enjoy the day to day more. In time I became confident in my abilities and understanding enough that I was able to work with little instruction which allowed me to work to my own standards where appropriate.

Colleagues and co-workers were quick to welcome us students into the fold and there was little division between the placement students and the full time staff. Any suggestions or ways of working that I might have proposed were taken seriously by the team which was refreshing. When I had achieved a goal or made a placement it was celebrated like anyone else's - this made it clear that I was viewed as part of the team.

Management was typically quite supportive and usually ensured that I had all the necessary tools and training to get on with what I was asked to do. When I was instructed to take on the responsibility of being the sole consultant on a specific role on our team I was told who in the office to speak to in order to develop my understanding further, which enabled me to understand the work better and consequently succeed.

I found that sometimes I was in a position that required me to effectively do more than one thing at once in order to adhere to what were often firm deadlines. This was not everyday but it did prove to be a challenge when there were multiple tasks that needed doing and it came down to a matter of prioritisation. Inversely, sometimes there was just not enough roles that needed to be worked which meant we could work on housekeeping and general admin tasks, which was welcome.

I was responsible initially to help reintroduce an account to our team. In this capacity I worked a number of roles and succeeded in placing many candidates into jobs, which helped grow both the account and the interest in this from my colleagues. The success of this was mainly due to my own efforts, and as more co-workers began to help out I was asked to coach them in the details of the account in order to keep it successful.

The skills and qualities I developed were focused with recruitment in mind, but I am confident that they can be applied to studying my degree and whatever I do in the future. The reason for this is that I have come away from this placement more familiar with a professional environment and more confident in asserting myself in a workplace and with co-workers and external contacts (e.g. suppliers and clients). A lot of the skills needed to attract prospective candidates can be applied in a PR/sales setting also, should this be needed.

The general atmosphere was typically quite positive. It was often equated to that of a sales environment, where people are loud and encouraging of one another. Being able to hear and see colleagues dealing with candidates and clients definitely means that we were able to pick up on methods and ways of doing things that helped us with our own contacts. The managers ensured that the whole office was rewarded when we had a good week, which kept morale high.

It was organised fairly well, much of what we needed was prepared before we arrived in July which meant we could hit the ground running without having to wait for any resources or tools to be sorted. A full time colleague acted as our go-to person for any queries in the beginning when we some of us worked on the same account - it was helpful having a dedicated colleague to go to as this allowed us to form a relationship and understand the work better.

The company sent every placement student in the country to their head office for two days in September to learn what was expected of us and how best to do our respective jobs. The trainers here knew our different roles and tailored the sessions to us respectively. We also had occasional meetings with a member of senior staff in the office who's role it was to meet with us and discuss our progress and development.

Despite not being told officially, I am confident that I will be invited to return after I complete my degree. It has been mentioned a number of times by a couple of managers so it is nice to know that students who come here for a placement are invited to come back. A few other students have also been told this so future prospects are looking positive. It is reassuring to know that this is a consideration.

The social scene was very good - this was my main concern going into a new role and I was relieved to find that the other students were easy to get on with and we became friends. We quickly got in the habit of going out after work and meeting up on weekends for events. I'm confident that I will remain in touch and hopefully friends with the majority during my time in final year.

It was generally quite expensive but that is of course no secret in London. I was lucky enough to live at home so I got to pay the minimum, but other students I know decided to share a house - these were not dissimilar from uni houses but the cost of living was slightly more than. Socialising was also significantly more expensive than it might have been at university but this was to be expected and a cheap night can be found at the right venue.

Working in the centre of London has always been attractive to me and a large part of this was due to the renowned nightlife. We typically went to bars in the area (of which there were many) but sometimes preferred a pub which is usually more relaxed. It can be expensive in London for those who grew up elsewhere but we got used to this quickly as many of us came from the surrounding areas anyway.

There were a couple of opportunities but there was not always a great deal. Most activities in this sense were informal drinks somewhere nearby where anyone was welcome to attend and often many people did. Our office had an annual rounders game at a nearby park followed by drinks which we all attended, this provided a good place for us to get to know our colleagues and managers at what was an early point in the placement.