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I worked at Penguin Recruitment full-time (Less than a year)
Pros
Good incentives, fun office/social,
Cons
Its recruitment: cut throat, long hours, cold calling
Helpful (4)
I have been working at Penguin Recruitment full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
-The company offer internal and external training to develop us
-I feel the commission scheme is strong. I like that it increases with time in employment and performance
-Pay rises based on performance and merit
-The staff. We have a great team and lots of fun
-Promotions on performance/merit
-Excellent incentives. I have won a Michelin star meal, spa retreat, an Ipad, champagne, GoPro and more
-The company offer early finishes based on team/company targets being achieved
-2 hour sporting lunches that encourages fitness and well-being
-Regular company team building activities (White water rafting, paint balling, bowling, kayaking etc.)
-Seaside location. You can get an ice cream for lunch!
Cons
-Recruitment can be long hours, but that's the nature of recruitment
-Lack of parking on site
-The roller-coaster of sales can be tough but you learn to develop thick skin quickly
Advice to Management
Overall a great place to work in my opinion. I'm in my third year and am still enjoying it. The incentives are great and keep me interested to push each month.
Helpful (11)
I worked at Penguin Recruitment full-time
Pros
Good people (members of staff) and a good working environment.
Some of the incentives are good, others are not so.
The managers within the business are fair
Cons
The commission structure is not all as it seems and is evidently not that great.
Sometimes you are treated like children with the lack of autonomy
Helpful (8)
I worked at Penguin Recruitment full-time
Pros
The staff- resilient despite the madness and always offering support to each other, had some great times with them in the office and outside.
The 'pod skippers' - calling these people managers would lead you to thinking they actually manage, but this is done from the top. However, the managers I had the pleasure of working with were superb characters and a big help day-to-day.
Some incentives worth praising, notably at Christmas and the 'raffles' - it's just a shame that they don't go far enough though.
Good launch pad for a recruitment career elsewhere - you learn the hard way.
The ping pong table.
Cons
Micromanagement from the top - the managers have little influence, you know everything comes from above them and the frequent 'business updates' leave you little time to recruit.
Being called Penguins repeatedly.
Lack of career progression.
Advice to Management
Allow your managers to actually manage and the teams might grow.
Helpful (10)
I worked at Penguin Recruitment full-time
Pros
Due to the 360 nature of the job Penguin is actually a great place to cut your recruitment teeth - you have to do everything bar chasing payments - so you learn quickly how to do advertising campaigns, searches, the interview process, offer management, Canvassing for business etc... It sets you up well for your next job in recruitment.
There are decent team incentives - days out, sporting events, Lavish Meals, go-karting etc.
A good place to make friends.
Cons
There was a culture of checking / micromanagement which came from the very top. Regular 'business updates', internal emails being monitored etc
Being a smallish firm it's a very flat structure and with a settled management team in place it is hard to progress beyond being a good billing consultant.
I was often distracted by petty battles amongst management as to which radio station was playing, whether doors windows were open or closed, whether food stuffs were in the office bin rather than the kitchen bin etc
Advice to Management
Treat people like adults. Referring to consultants as 'Penguins' and running interview countdowns based on e.g. 'your favourite Disney character' just gave the impression sometimes that we were working in a school rather than a professional sales office.
Helpful (8)
I worked at Penguin Recruitment full-time
Pros
The staff on the work floor make this place - always tried to remain positive and upbeat day-to-day.
Cons
Micromanaged! Constant 'business updates' and emails meant your focus was taken away from doing your job effectively. You would then be put under more pressure for not hitting target.
Managers have little influence - no breathing space to run your teams properly and get the best out of each member of staff due to constant and often unnecessary pressure from the top.
The Monday afternoon 'business update' when you would have to shout out your figures from the week before against target - The lower/newer members of staff would be left red faced and ashamed if their figures were not on par with members of staff for instance who had been there a lot longer (nothing was said or done to encourage after this ordeal). Managers were also expected to shout out figures and were treated on the same level as someone who had been there for a week.
Constantly being referred to as 'Penguins'.
Advice to Management
Give your team room to breath and they will flourish. Keep on the same track and you will only lose more long-serving members of staff.
Helpful (8)
I worked at Penguin Recruitment full-time
Pros
The people who work at Penguin are good fun
Some managers were good. Although most were not managers
Some incentives were good
Cons
Often treated like a child
Micromanaged from the top down
No career progression. Financially only benefits the two directors. Even those next on the ladder seem to be a million miles away. What is there to aim for?
Advice to Management
Listen to what motivates people
Stop micromanaging and let the managers manage
Give your staff something to aim for
Helpful (8)
Pros
Good summer and winter incentives
Cons
Going to play on a trampoline or bowling doesnt provide motivation for an adult billing in access of £100k. Can be treated quite childlike at times. No reason to want to become a team leader / manager.
Advice to Management
Listen to what motivates staff
I have been working at Penguin Recruitment full-time (More than 8 years)
Pros
Great earning potential with generous rewards. They say a workplace is nothing without good people and this place certainly has some of the best people I've had the pleasure of working with.
Also the directors have made a big push forward to grow individual's career prospects as well as business through continual money and time investment!
Cons
Long working hours, however this is made better by the early finishes, end of month incentives and late starts we are regularly rewarded with.
Advice to Management
Keep up the good work...
Helpful (2)
I have been working at Penguin Recruitment full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
Penguin offer exciting team building activities, substantial bonus scheme and great incentives! Most recently team building activities have included trampolining, white water rafting and climbing. Penguin also offer monthly incentives which really pushes you to hit targets! This weekend I am going to watch an Autumn International Rugby Game in the Millennium Stadium courtesy of Penguin Recruitment and I have previous had 2 Jeroboams of Champagne and a new TV!! The team are also really friendly and supportive!
Cons
Sales targets do not appeal to everyone but I love a challenge!!
Advice to Management
Please keep up the incentives they are fun and push me to exceed targets.
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Penguin Recruitment Response
30 May 2018 – Owner
Many thanks for your review and I am delighted you consider us a “A good company for recruitment!”
From your brief comments - I don’t believe you left this calendar year but if you had been here I think you would have found our social events have hit a new high with The Charity Quiz, Go Ape, It’s a Knockout, The Swansea Bier Festival and next month we are going for a VIP fast pass trip to Thorpe Park. And of course in July we have the New and Improved Sports Day with Beach Party in the evening. Similarly our monthly prizes have been generating some phenomenal results with people winning Jeroboams of Champagne, new outfits for work , new shoes, perfume and this month – a prize of your choice! You choose it, you hit target – you win it!
As for the downsides, it’s recruitment – we know it doesn’t suit everyone. We always explain at interview - it is a really tough telephone based job. The rewards are still fabulous – but you need a powerful engine and considerable staying power to get you through your first year and into a genuine career in recruitment .
Cut throat ? This I can’t understand – we encourage healthy competition – but at Penguin integrity and fair play always prevail. If the author of the review would like to elaborate I will investigate this with a matter of urgency.
Long hours – It can be, the nature of recruitment is we need to speak to candidates before and after work, however we do offer the opportunity for consultants to leave early up to three times a week. We do offer flexible working plus a “Sporting lunch” once a week for consultants to get involved in a sporting activity of their choice - eg surfing or the gym at lunch time. In fact today we are having shower facilities fitted so that lunch time runs and volleyball games can be more strenuous !
Cold Calling: It exists. The job does involve business development, but recruitment is a sales role . We are however very specialist which means that each consultant only speaks to one niche sector of clients and our conversations are about candidates who only work in that sector. As such if industry knowledge is used wisely, each call should be at least warm.
If anyone reading this is interested in a career in recruitment, please get in touch or pop into the office. We will be more than happy to show you round, you can chat to the new recruits and if you are lucky and move quickly you could find yourself on the bus to Thorpe Park!... MoreLess