Robert Walters Employee Reviews about "long hours"

Pros

Great place to start a recruiting career from the beginning or refine your recruiting skills and learn from people who have been in the recruiting industries for many years! Prior to joining RW, I had 3 years of inside sales experience and found RW as a great opportunity to make a career switch into a field driven by relationships & networking in person. It gave me exposure to a wide variety of business industries, helped me learn how startups are typically structured and broadened my business acumen. HIGHLIGHTS: - the types of clients RW partners with in the SF office are venture backed tech startups primarily so there is a wide variety of industries to learn about, you get to meet with founders/CEOs/VPs/VC Firm Partners in an ever growing and hot candidate market in Silicon Valley where generally candidates are very opportunistic and open to speaking with recruiters. - Team oriented environment leads to a really strong internal culture. This is not a boiler room/ cold-calling old school recruitment style environment, rather you are incentivized to work collaboratively as a team, helping your teammates as well as helping your clients & candidates find the perfect match which just feels like a win/win all around. - on the culture note... ONE OF THE BEST! The office is large enough to have a variety of personalities for a diverse mix of thought but small enough that you really get to know your coworkers. Lots of people hang out together outside of work, quarterly offsites are always fun and planned with unique activities around the Bay Area and all around you’re guaranteed to laugh with supportive coworkers who genuinely care about each other. Plus they just moved the SF office into a snazzy new building that is really modern and has some of the classic tech startup perks (standup desks, snacks, coffee, ping pong, comfy chairs etc) - there is more of an emphasis on being strategic with your clients/candidates, if you are a people person who values face to face coffees/lunches/meetings, you will do well here as leadership understands the value of getting out in front of clients/candidates in person. - opportunity for transfers internationally or to other domestic offices is very real, RW is one of the few companies I know that make it easy and encourage any interest to work abroad with other offices (~60 office worldwide to choose from as well) - Incredible philanthropic opportunities within the company like Charity Days & Fundraisers/Donations... I was lucky enough to go on a company sponsored volunteer trip to Kenya, Africa in partnership with a charity RW works closely with which was life-changing. - Leadership will invest time in you, just take the initiative to show that you hustle and want to learn and it will pay off. Lots of upward growth potential and career promotions available as well.

Cons

- Long hours but truly it’s a sales job (and compensated accordingly which is nice) so that’s not anything outside of what you’d expect with other similar jobs - the harder you work, the more it pays off. - It’s a bit of a learn by doing type of job, you will mess up at some point but be open to feedback with management and learn from mistakes. - Tech platforms weren't the latest and greatest as you'd expect being in the Bay Area but recently before I left there was upgrades happening and leadership would ensure tech/tools that were needed (we did get Macbook laptops approved for example).

Pros

Robert Walters has an impressive track record of identifying incredible people from diverse backgrounds. They provide excellent training and support while getting ramped up, whether you arrive with prior recruitment experience or not. Robert Walters has a culture of promoting from within and the leadership cares deeply about helping you develop personally and professionally. There is a strong performance-based culture, but if you put in the time and effort, you will be recognized for your hard work and rewarded financially. Management in San Francisco leads by example and goes above and beyond to provide opportunities for success and development. Advice to anyone who is considering a role here: be prepared to work hard and leave your ego at the door. The office is made up of a group people who have amazing work ethics, remarkable achievements, and a lot of humility too – a “your success is my success” type of environment. PROS Autonomy: space to work independently and manage your own day, but lots of support as and when you need it Growth: clear KPIs and path to promotion with achievable targets Collaboration: everyone is truly invested in each other's success Exposure: access to leading VC's, start-up founders / entrepreneurs, and the Bay Area’s top talent People: the people at RW are diverse, self-driven, motivating, inspiring, and fun! Work hard and management will continue to open doors for you Culture: performance-driven and fun. This office takes time to celebrate each other's success often and partakes in quarterly off-sites & plenty of informal happy hours Recognition: strong culture of recognizing individual achievements, authentically

Cons

Long hours, especially in the early days. That’s sales though, so not unique to RW Firm hours where you need to be in the office / lack of flexibility, but improvements have been made in this regard and I expect this will continue to evolve Outdated technology

Pros

As a former long term employee, having started at RW as a Consultant, I have seen the company more than double in size, to the current point in time where the company is the most successful it has ever been. A key element of that growth is the company policy to not make acquisitions in order to grow. The growth is organic, with Consultants being promoted internally and trusted to start new teams / offices / countries which means you can have a fantastic, long-term career with RW, with international opportunities should you wish. It's a genuinely stable company with exceptional training and plenty of support for those new to the recruitment industry, including a large back office to allow you to get on with your job. Due to the organic growth model, there's a brilliant culture which is carefully nurtured - It's team based which means it's a nice place to work and it's highly likely you'll make life-long friends here, as the vast majority are like-minded positive, ambitious people which is infectious. The offices are stunning, there's lots of incentives and recognition for a job well-done and you can earn good money too, while being involved in Corporate Social Responsibility activities. Prior to leaving RW, there was a focus on mental health and flexible working practices which was most welcome.

Cons

Robert Walters isn't perfect (I don't believe any company is), but it's run by good people so while there may be frustrations at times, it's important to trust that the company will have your best interests at heart and to go with the flow and stay positive. Those who have a negative attitude won't succeed at RW. In order to have a career at RW, you're going to need to work hard and long hours may be involved. This isn't a 'con' specific to RW, it applies to the recruitment industry as a whole as it's highly competitive and it's an industry where whatever you put in, you get out.

Pros

Initial training program sets you up for success Great culture, has significantly improved over the past 18 months Support from management to have autonomy, but also help where needed Always opportunities to move to one of 30 countries

Cons

Long hours, but is essential in recruitment