Mission: Our approach is to deliver straightforward and effective recruitment solutions to our clients and candidates. Bound by our strong team approach and professionalism we are proud to provide an honest and consultative service.
I have been working at James Andrews Recruitment Solutions full-time (More than 8 years)
Pros
I have been working at James Andrews for almost 9 years now, having joined in a graduate capacity in our Birmingham office.
Over the course of my career here I have been able to develop from a trainee to a member of the senior management team and have been tasked with the set up of our London office. I have been given the opportunity to set up and manage multiple teams, demonstrating the career progression on offer to all.
The flexible hours on offer and working incentives allow me to maintain a work life balance in an industry that traditionally involves long hours.
Working as part of a team, and the excellent (non compulsory) social events create a fantastic working environment. You are driven on and supported by your colleagues - even after 9 years I need the occasional boost!
If you are ambitious and money driven, but also want to work in a “work hard, play hard” environment then James Andrews will definitely be a good match.
Cons
The main challenge I faced at JARS was when I relocated to London, realising the hard work it took to set up and office and new teams whilst moving to a new city. However the owner and Managing Director were nothing but supportive and understanding.
In the first few months, candidate reliability can be frustrating but as soon as you realise it isn’t personal and it’s a reflection on the candidate not you, the easier your life will be.
Advice to Management
Keep listening to the staff as we grow and develop as a company.
Helpful (5)
Application
I applied through other source. The process took a week. I interviewed at James Andrews Recruitment Solutions (Birmingham, England) in March 2017.
Interview
I was contacted directly by James Andrews as they had come across my CV online. I was invited in for an interview, and did a fair amount of research about the company itself. I also had to dress in corporate wear rather than just office wear. This is quite a minor point, but very much sets the tone for what was to come - in the first interview, they didn't offer me a drink, which I thought was a bit rude and inhospitable as every interview I have ever had, this is one of the first things they normally ask. The first interview was okay, and not difficult. There was a lot of regurgitation of what the company is about etc and then questions about my CV and me personally. I was asked immediately to come back for the second stage.
The second interview was with a more senior consultant. These were more competency based questions, for example "when was the last time you were disappointed at your performance", "name two strengths and two weaknesses" etc, but also they asked again about what I knew about the company. I was invited back for two trail days after this interview.
During the trial days, I was very much left to my own devices. Having limited experience in recruitment, this was quite difficult, and I was lumped with different teams. I also had to complete two online tests. One was a spelling test, and the other was a word meaning test. During the trial, I found one team manager was extremely helpful and nice and made sure I knew exactly what I was doing and that I felt comfortable. Unfortunately the others were not so much and I was left on occasions twiddling my thumbs about what to do next. The trial day was beneficial for me as it made me realise that this wasn't the kind of environment I was looking to work in.
What ruined the overall experience for me, was that at the end, they vaguely offered me a role over the telephone. However, the more I chased up finalising this, they just fobbed me off. Not really in line with their policy of honesty! This lowered my opinion of JARS massively, as I'm sure anyone would appreciate a rejection more than being strung along not knowing what is going to happen and when.
Interview Questions
