Buchanan Search Interview Questions & Answers

The interview took place in a relatively relaxed atmosphere; one on one chat around a small table overlooking the sights of London.
Went through my past experiences and was briefed on the 3 main competences of working in recruitment for which I then had to describe how I matched each competency, giving examples from previous experience. Other questions involved why I wanted to work in recruitment and factors that motivated me personally and why.
The interview lasted around 45mins.

The most difficult aspect of the interview was trying to use a range of different examples from previous experience to describe how you demonstrated resilience in a working environment, as it is likely you will experience a number of drawbacks throughout your time in recruitment which you need to be able to pick yourself up from and come back stronger.

Make sure you present yourself immaculately, both the way you dress and the way you speak; clearly, confidently and concisely.
Make sure you have a very good idea on what the company actually does and why you personally want to work in recruitment compared to other areas of work you have already experienced.

The interview was simply me and the interviewer sitting around a small table discussing my competences in relation to the job role for roughly 45mins.

Applied online by sending my CV, about three days later I received a call and had a telephone interview. I was asked questions such as why I applied for this particular position, and what I had been doing since I graduated in June. I was also asked to describe a time where I demonstrated a strong work ethic and resilience as these are key characteristics of someone suitable for this role. At the end of the telephone call I was told that Buchanan Sachs didn’t hold assessment centre days and that I was invited to attend a face-to-face interview which would be two days after.

The face-to-face interview was very interesting and lasted about an hour and a half. I was surprised that I was not asked about my knowledge of the company at all, mainly about what other jobs I have applied to and whether I was competitive or not. I was also asked to describe what I would do in certain situations that I may find myself in, such as trying to get through to a director of a potential client on the phone. I was told from the onset that none of the other jobs I had applied to would be able to compete with the commission structure offered by this role. My interviewer was also trying to convince me that I would be more suited to a recruitment consultant role rather than an executive search consultant role – to which I disagreed as all my previous work experience was in fact in research (I wasn’t sure if they were only looking for recruitment consultants). The commissions structure of the company was also explained to me and I also discovered that the basic salary advertised was a lot higher than the one I would be offered.

The meeting concluded with an offer of arranging interviews with 4/5 directors of companies that same week for a recruitment consultant role not for an executive search consultant role. I was told that I had two hours to decide whether to proceed or not. I was also advised that these directors would try to deter me from wanting to be a recruitment consultant which I thought was rather strange. I decided not to take up the offer as there were some inconsistencies in the interview and I didn’t want to lie about wanting to become a recruitment consultant as this was not the role I wanted or applied for.

Why haven't you found a full time job yet as you graduated in June?

You have to be extremely money motived - basically you're sole reason for applying for such a role and talk about this throughout the entire interview.
Also have to be prepared to have a low basic salary and rely on commission.

There was no assessment centre - was told that the company didn't run an assessment day as it becomes more of a "shouting match".

The interview was conducted over the phone. The company responded to my job application on the date that the application was sent. The individual that I spoke to was very useful because they were very supportive throughout the application process and also went through my CV. They were attentive to my needs, for example the fact that I was working over the summer and they replied immediately after the phone call to arrange a meeting for the interview.

Where do you see yourself in the future, say in two to three years.

Phone interview, make sure that before you send a job application that you research the company, so that you know exactly what you're signing up for. This may sound stupid, but make sure that you know that you want this job because it gives you more of an incentive to work for the role.

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