Pros
Where does Inkerman beat the competition, you ask? Highest staff turnover rate of any workplace I have ever experienced. Inkerman excels at taking in highly motivated and talented young graduates and turning them into disillusioned shells of their former selves (normally in the space of a few weeks) with a consistency that is, frankly, quite impressive. Bonus points for making them relocate to Ashford first. The driving cause of this phenomenon, the senior leadership and their trademark blend of incompetence and malice, also need to be commended for their unparalleled lack of self awareness.
Cons
This company is in a state of terminal decline and has been for some time now. A cursory glance over the books on Companies House reveals an enterprise with an implausibly large debtor balance in relation to profit, cash, and net assets. Despite this substantial debtor book exceeding £1 million, cash has collapsed from hundreds of thousands to almost nothing and net assets have barely moved in years. No doubt the CEO has a reasonable explanation for this, just as he has been able to explain the missing employee pension contributions on repeated occasions. And the frequent expectations of unpaid overtime. Those willing to look beyond these irregularities will find themselves in an environment disappointingly devoid of the expertise that was promised during the interview process. A prolonged lack of meaningful reinvestment into the business and abysmal knowledge retention has led to a steady decline in the quality of products and services and an ailing client base, as evidenced by the balance sheets on Companies House. Over the years, many hard-working and capable individuals have tried their utmost to implement some degree of reform at Inkerman. Ultimately, all have been thwarted by the hubris of its senior leadership, and the company has continued in its death spiral (for clarity, the senior leadership consists of the CEO, and for some reason, despite a workforce of approximately only a dozen individuals and more empty desks than full time employees, the part time head of HR…). Aspirational industry entrants might be tempted to ignore the obvious warning signs to gain a start in their careers, but I’d urge anyone reading this to learn from the misfortunes of others and steer well clear of this farcical circus. There’s nothing to be gained here other than below-industry-standard pay, high cortisol levels, and a masterclass in how not to do things. In the end, you’ll never forgive yourself for working for people who hold you in such disdain.