Hi Katie, Please tell us, why were you looking to leave your previous role?
I wasn’t actively looking, a colleague of mine came to meet with you, recommended you to me on the basis that it would be a more suited environment for me as opposed to where I was working at the time.
She told me that you guys loved to have the radio on, she liked the feel of the office, she hyped about all the buzz around your plans of company growth, in cooperating a new chillout area and the opportunity to work alongside like-minded people.
What was the culture like in your previous company, how does it differ to us?
There was a culture there but my views and conversation topics just didn’t quite gel with theirs, I didn’t find myself engaging with the people there as much as I would have liked. I like the fact that you allow music to be played in the office, you get to choose your own deal song which I find goes down a hit!
I wasn’t completely unhappy but I realised that there were better opportunities out there and I liked the sound of what Recruit Uk had to offer.
So when you came across to be interviewed, how would you say we sold it to you?
One of the things that I particularly liked was the fact that you are given full reign on particular areas be it financial planners or back office staff to across the board, you know whatever you want to go after can be totally yours so that autonomy is really good. Obviously you mentioned the incentives that you guys provide, which I think are really great and also the bonus scheme is better, it’s realistic and it’s very achievable because of the fact that you do it in quarters as opposed to monthly as I found with monthly, you can earn it but it gives you less time and the added pressure to achieve.
And when we were in that interview with you, would you say that we oversold it?
No, no, not at all you have shown me the competency of framework, visually of what you need to achieve XYZ, so you know what the expectations are already within that, the incentives are very clear and also I think it’s good that you do it through booked business as opposed to invoiced, I find this motivates me more.
How would you describe your first few months here at Recruit UK?
Really enjoyable, the team are great, everyone is really welcoming, I feel like I can approach anyone in the office, you have a great culture here. I have had great financial advice training from Sam and I have learnt a lot, way more then I ever have done, mainly because in my previous role, I only worked back office, I wasn’t given free rein.
Here you have given me well knowledgeable classroom-based training around the areas that you didn’t understand. I feel that as a person, I have grown, my confidence has grown, my knowledge and my skill set has grown. I have moved from a company that is in the same market as you ( Recruit UK ) but you have allowed me to grow and thrive in my job better.
If you were to recommend somebody to come and work for us who were working in the same market but for a different company, how would you go about that?
Erm, I would definitely say that flexibility is key and you guys live up to your word on that. I believe It’s really important for a company to have trust in its employees to be able to do that. It fits in well with your work life culture, something that resonates with me wholeheartedly. Everything is cloud based so you have the opportunity to work from home/coffee shop if required. I would also say that management is very good at adapting to the style in which you would like to be trained. For example, I don’t work well under micromanagement, I find it more useful for me to be trained and left to my own devices until I need and want to request help. I would say that not many companies would be willing to do that.
So if you recommended somebody to join you in your team for example, what would you say?
Again I would explain about the opportunity to have flexibility. Of course, I would mention the incentives scheme, how well everyone gets on in their teams and as a team as a whole and I would talk about the bonus structure, unlike other companies, the bonus structure is transparent and achievable.
Were you nervous about changing over to from one recruitment company to another?
I wasn’t nervous about leaving the company due to both directors Sam and Stuart putting my mind at ease, that I could either stay where I was for 3 years or move over to Recruit UK and earn more with a better support system in place. I would say that my only concern was over my cv, it came across like I had hopped from job to job but I had substantial reasons for this and they made me aware that there was nothing to worry about. I am very happy I made the decision to move across.
So how do you feel about your future here, where do you see yourself in say the next 6, 12 to 24 months?
Looking at the competency framework here at Recruit UK I can see that the promotional steps aren’t too far for me to reach, so I see myself stepping up the promotional ladder. I am keen at some point to step up to a management role but right now my focus is on billing, increasing my overall earnings and building my own market.
Would you say it was the right move to come and work for us here at Recruit UK?
Yes, great move! I like the fact that is personable in here, it’s a great dynamic. I can work the way I want to work, great autonomy. I prefer the working hours 8-5 and as I previously mentioned, given the opportunity for flexibility if it’s needed.
What you are going to find, is that next year we are going to be bringing in more flexibility, like a 4-day working week, how would this sit with you?
I think that that is a really good idea, to be able to also have access to all systems from home makes things a lot easier to be able to work anywhere. This means that I will be able to get the things done in the home that I wouldn’t normally be able to do as easily. The trust and autonomy from you guys will enable me to get on with my job at the same time too so all in all I think it’s a healthy balance to the work-life culture that you are wanting to portray.
So overall a good decision to join us here at Recruit UK.
Yes, I have no regrets.
