Mission: We are a leading provider of IT infrastructure to the corporate and public sectors. We care passionately about two things: outstanding employee satisfaction and world-class customer service. We believe the former drives the latter.
At Softcat we've developed a winning formula for business success, based on happy, motivated employees delivering outstanding customer service. As we continue to grow we now need talented, bright and ambitious people to join our programme.
We're one of the UK's leading and fastest growing providers of IT services, and every day our teams work with thousands of customers across the country. Our culture is definitely ''work hard play hard'' as we prove that a fulfilled and motivated workforce makes for very satisfied customers.
Put simply we think our staff are the best and the biggest differentiator for Softcat. Why? Because they have the drive, energy and enthusiasm to succeed. Success doesn’t come easy though and passion alone isn’t enough – inter-personal skills, flexibility, discipline and a very strong work ethic are all found in abundance at Softcat.
We believe these attributes help make us friendly and easy to deal with, and as a result we're regularly commended for our outstanding customer service.
We’re extremely proud of the 1,000+ strong team we have assembled. We go to great lengths to find and recruit our people, including our beacon Graduate Programme. Once on board we ensure we look after them, which in turn engenders outstanding loyalty and exceedingly low attrition.
Our experienced national management team strive to embody our core values and support the 1,000+ employee strong company as a whole, reinforcing our infamously warm and friendly culture, motivating our workforce for success, and driving customer satisfaction. Between the people featured on this page, there is a combined 130 years of experience at Softcat. Many of the individuals below started their careers at Softcat and rose through the ranks. We think both those facts speak volumes for the company.
We consider our social commitments a critical component to the culture we have fostered at Softcat.
We split this responsibility into three distinct areas:
Charitable activity
Since we began nominating an annual charity in 2007 we have raised over £1.5m for good causes including:
During one of our recent sales incentive to Cambodia and Vietnam we visited the Sra Srang Elementary School in the Sra Srang province of Cambodia who prior to the trip had received a £20,000 donation from Softcat. The money was used to begin construction on a new school library and fund several scholarships. During the two days we spent at the school, 35 of the Softcat team had the privilege of spending time with the pupils whilst helping finish the library and renovate six classrooms. Our people are encouraged to take an active role in charitable work and participate fully in the fund raising we undertake.
Environmental activity
Our “green team”, managed by our CEO, is responsible for raising the green agenda across the company. We have a duty to act responsibly towards customers, staff, suppliers and the public with regard to the effect that business operations may have on the environment.
We take nothing for granted and have examined all elements of the operation, implementing practices as wide ranging as recycling our tea bags in the office ‘wormery’ for compost to choosing the most fuel efficient pool cars. Our efforts have even featured positively on a Channel 4 documentary covering green credentials of UK businesses.
Looking after our people
The culture at Softcat is one in which we take much pride. A huge amount of effort goes into making sure employees are happy with their working lifestyle. Our MD personally conducts an annual employee survey, the results of which shape the decisions we take. Our open plan office reflects our open culture. With every member of the Director team available and visible, information flow and team spirit is second to none, and issues are dealt with and resolved quickly. We recognise the achievements of all and are keen to give praise both informally and formally through company awardsWe believe that recruiting the right people and then working as hard as we do to retain them directly correlates with the levels of commitment and service we then show our customers.
Why work for Softcat? #lovesoftcat
I have been working at Softcat full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
If you work hard, amazing potential to do be very successful early on.
Cons
Not really anything to change, the culture and people first mentality is what has made Softcat so successful
Application
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Softcat (Leeds, England).
Interview
First, a simple telephone interview to assess your skills and abilities. If accepted, you are put through to the assessment day. The assessment day lasted around 3-4 hours. We had to do a simple english and maths test, pretty easy. We then listened to a 30 minute presentation on the company, make sure you take note of the core values. We were asked what we knew about the company, this is where you have to really stick your neck out and make sure you stand out, there were a lot of people attending the assessment day so it was quite hard to show off. We then split into groups and had to do a quick task. This involved creating a perfect holiday for a member of staff, asking them lots of questions. Make sure they are relevant, i.e not beer they like the best, but rather what they are willing to spend and what climate they prefer etc and go from there. Last of all, we had to do a 1 minute presentation on why we are suitable for the role. A little nerve wracking but a very good experience. I would recommend adding a structure to this so the audience can follow easily. I was informed the same day that I got through to the three panel interview stage (which is a bit like Dragon's Den). I was interviewed by three men, very welcoming and friendly, however pressure is immediately put on you to see if you crack. My only criticism would be that it would be nice to see a woman there as well. Be prepared to have your CV critically examined. Also, be VERY prepared with knowledge on the company. I was asked to do a role-play scenario, i.e I had to sell software to the management team, this was quite hard but good experience. I was asked about my goals, it is obvious that the company is very financially driven. You have to show that you have real passion for the role. After that, the final stage is a telephone interview with the Sales Director. This was a good experience, my tip would be to show your personality as well as core skills. I asked what I could have done better at the end of the interview and I was told that there was a lack of connection as I was just describing my skills and what I have achieved. I forgot to show my personality and I got too caught up in trying to demonstrate how great I am. We had an additional ten minute informal chat at then ended the interview where I got to talk about my passions outside of work and other random things which was really nice. Overall, it went really well and I was offered the job! A very quick interview process, friendly staff, great culture vibe in the office. I look forward to joining the company.
Interview Questions
