Huge turnover rate - Recruitment Consultant Harnham Employee Review

1.0
Apr 22, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Will stay friends with my coworkers for a long time. The trauma-bonding is real.

Cons

Recruitment is a cut-throat industry. They hire naive, fresh grads, and take advantage of them. Low pay, long hours, impossible promotion criteria. Very mentally draining to see all of my peers outside of this field be promoted while you can be stuck in this job over a year in and 0% closer to promotion. They do not value you as an independent person. You are truly a cog in the machine. At this firm specifically, management looks out for their own self interests, takes credit for others work, and plays favorites. I would specifically steer clear if you are a woman -- the management at this firm highly favors the men at this job! Be prepared for constantly being told 'no' by clients. It can be mentally draining and is a huge part of why the turnover rate is so high in recruitment. During my time here (less than a year) I saw 13 people leave.

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Harnham Response
2y
Thank you for feedback and for taking the time to write a review. We review all feedback and comments as a leadership team. As you have alluded to already, recruitment can be a tough industry and we are sorry you didn’t enjoy your time with Harnham or in recruitment. As others have highlighted in previous reviews, recruitment isn’t always a 9-5 given the nature of the role and job. We made some changes to our promotion criteria last year to reflect the tougher than normal market conditions and this was benchmarked externally with like for like competitors. We work really hard to ensure we have an inclusive environment, so I would welcome the opportunity to understand more about your experiences. As such please do get in contact with me (details below) or the HR team directly. laurendiventura@harnham.com We wish you all the best for the future.

Explore other reviews about Harnham

5.0
Jun 12, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

With Harnham for almost 2 years as a contract employee. Hiring process was very easy. Was approached on LinkedIn, had a phone interview with the recruiter, then a phone and onsite interview with the contracting organization. Time from contact to hire was 3 weeks. My recruiter secured a higher hourly rate for me than my initial ask, which was in their best interest, but was a welcome bonus. Recruiter remains my main contact at the organization, and has always been easy to deal with, helpful as can be. They offer some benefits to contractors. The health insurance is super expensive and I skipped it. They offer a 4% match without vesting as long as you contribute at least that much - which was completely unexpected. There is also another match that is vested over time, but you'd need to work there for a handful of years to benefit.

Cons

Expensive health insurance, with no HSA option

2.0
Aug 19, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Occasionally strong commission potential if you're lucky enough to get support or leads Some colleagues are great, but most don’t stay long enough to make a difference

Cons

Blatant favoritism. Management clearly chooses favorites and gives them better opportunities, resources, and visibility. If you’re not part of the inner circle, you’re overlooked. KPI-driven to the extreme. Everything revolves around hitting short-term targets. If you fall behind, there’s no support — just pressure until you're pushed out. No development or training. The company eliminated its entire Learning & Development function. You're thrown in with unrealistic expectations and no real path to improve or grow. Promotion is based purely on revenue. Hard work, consistency, or long-term potential don’t matter. If you're not making big money fast, forget about moving up. Cut-throat and demoralizing environment. The culture is toxic, and management often tears people down instead of building them up. Morale is consistently low. Insane turnover. Over 20 people left in just six months, including senior managers and the Head of Office. That level of attrition is a serious red flag. Misleading reviews. Be aware that many of the overly positive reviews on here are written internally or encouraged by management. They do not reflect the real day-to-day experience for most employees.

6
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Harnham Response
8mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re sorry to hear that you left feeling this way, but we also want to provide some context as things may look different today. It’s true that our New York office went through a period of change. Part of that was addressing behaviours and ways of working that weren’t healthy for the team, which naturally meant some turnover. Since then, we’ve been intentional about rebuilding with the right people who recognise and thrive in a sales environment. The team today is leaner but stronger, and the culture is in a much healthier place. We also want to clarify a few points. Our Learning & Development function as a whole was not eliminated, we currently have two full-time trainers, one of whom spends hours every month supporting the New York team. While L&D is currently delivered from the UK, the office receives regular training and this will continue to evolve as we grow. Similarly, promotions are not based on revenue alone. Revenue is, of course, central to any sales role, but our criteria also include business development activity and broader performance goals to ensure a fair and balanced approach. On KPIs, we know recruitment is a numbers-driven business, and we track activity because it directly links to results. That said, KPIs aren’t the whole story. When deals aren’t happening, we use metrics as a way of identifying where support or coaching is needed. Our intention is always to help people succeed, not simply to apply pressure. We’re taking feedback like this seriously and are focused on building a transparent, supportive culture in New York. There’s still work to do, but the changes made over the past few months in particular have set a stronger foundation, and we’re excited about the direction the team is heading. We do appreciate you sharing your perspective, and we hope it’s clear that we’re focused on building a stronger future for the team. If you’d like to share more specific feedback, you’re always welcome to reach out to me directly - Charlie Waterman Head of People
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