I had a telephone screening the same day as I applied, this involved some questions about why I was interested in recruitment and Hays. After the call, I was invited to a face-to-face interview. I was asked questions about my CV and, again, why I felt I would do well in recruitment and Hays specifically. As well as this, I was asked to do some role play business development calls which were challenging but definitely give you a feel for the calls you will be making in the job. I was told there and then that I had been successful and that I was through to the assessment day, which was held a couple of days later. It lasted for about 3 hours and there was a group of 7 of us. It started with an introduction from one of the internal recruiters and the MD about the company followed by 3 exercises; a business development call, writing a job advert and selling a candidate. They also gave us a tour of the office. Although it was challenging, I thoroughly enjoyed the day and it really helps you decide if the job is for you. The final round of interviews was with a director and 2 managers. I could tell they were putting the pressure on to see if I had any doubts and if I was right for the job. They asked some difficult questions but as this is the last round of interviewing they are trying to make sure you can handle the job. Overall, it was a really thorough but quick interview process and it is obvious that they put a lot of effort into making sure they are hiring the right people. Everyone that I spoke to or met during the process was lovely.

The pre-screening session felt quite rushed, and I didn’t really have the opportunity to fully introduce my background as the interviewer often moved on before I could finish my responses. This made the conversation feel one-sided. Unfortunately, it also gave me a less positive impression of the interview culture, and I decided not to proceed with the second round.