Pareto Law- www.pareto.co.uk

RUN A MILE

Utterly awful! They market themselves as an end to end recruitment and retention company - assessment; recruitment; training - with an average retention rate of 92% after 2 years. They then tie you up in a contract that is not clear, provides them with 100% rights and you with 0%. They presented me with a chap who, on day one, had blue hair was homeless, had a drink issue and did not attend their training. The candidate's contract was terminated accordingly. So poor was the Pareto process that I could not stomach dealing with them again. 4 Years later they sued me for breach of contract.

The worst recruitment company I have ever had dealings with!

I had reservations about Pareto Law when they called me, as I had given up with them 6 months prior due to NEVER getting a call back. However, this consultant was friendly and helpful. I was called pretty much when I was expecting and it was all good. This friendly consultant told me how great my CV was and how I should attend an assessment centre. It was 100 miles away, but as I was promised so much I thought I would go for it.

WHAT A MISTAKE.

I drove 100 miles each way, sat through a 6 hour assesment and got interviewed by a consultant who had been with the company 1 WEEK!! I was one of the few in my group to pass the assessment. I had great feedback from all people involved and thought it was great.

I was expecting loads of calls as promised. However, not a thing. Not even this friendly consultant got back to me.(Turns out once you have passed the assessment you are not there responsibility anymore, just a stat, as they get commission for the amount of people they get through the day) I was confused because of the great feedback I had received. So I sent an email to them, asking for some help. True to form, I heard nothing.

I eventually got a call from another consultant telling me about a job that I had already said no too before the assessment, and then a couple more telesales roles that were not even close to what I told them I wanted.

I have been so let down by Pareto and I would recommend not bothering with them. You dont actually meet with the consultants who work with you, they dont listen to what you are looking for, and they dont get back to you.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. They trick you into going along to an assessment centre and then dont bother with you once you pass.

I write this review in urge that potential graduates looking for work read the reviews prior to attending their " assessment day" which is only supposed to be a group of 10 however 30 students were there. It was a day filled with very inflated egos considering they are essentially middle men with tarted up job titles to deter from the fact they are recruiters, i recieved a call from a "graduate manager" who less of backbone than a jellyfish, who invited me to this exclusive assessment day that only a select few make it. I traveled to their Winslow office to attend. It is sold as this dynamic process, when in fact it is, a glorified seminar of how Pareto discover electrify and walked on the moon ... then to be judged by a group of 22 years old with inflated egos who have "set the world a blaze" If you Outspoken very obnioxious and full of business cliche you will make the cut. Having attended whilst currently in the role of telesales at my current job for 10 months told sales doesn't seem right for you. In essence save your time and apply directly to employers don't waste your time and money to sit in from of arrogant middle man looking to massage his ego .

I was sceptical of this agency at first after reading other reviews, but decided to give it a chance. I can say with the utmost certainty the negative reviews are right.

Initially I received a phone call from a "graduate manager", who without really asking me any questions invited me to assessment. He also scheduled a call to take place two days after the initial call, but this never happened. I had to chase for information on the assessment two days prior to the event, due to the lack of communication from Pareto.

The assessment was even worse, I expected 20 people tops, however the number was closer to 60, probably even more. The event started late, and much of the day we were just sat around with no idea as to what was going on.

The employee operating the event was, by far, the most egotistical human I have ever had the displeasure of meeting, ranting and raving about his own achievements, as if to elevate himself above the room full of undergrads before him.

A typical - and professional - assessment day would comprise of at least 2 group exercises, however Pareto operated just one, whereby a celebrity we said we were inspired by, among others, were trapped on a boat and half had to be kicked off. Despite the pleas of the event coordinator stating it was not a shouting match, it most definitely was. The only guaranteed way to not get kicked off the boat is to choose bear grylls, and most certainly not a sporting figure.

Following this, a three minute presentation ensued, whereby you presented why you want to work in sales, and why they should pick you. The graduate manager on the phone will tell you to script what you aim to say, much to the detriment of individuals who feel more comfortable free styling so as not to panic during their presentation. Considering the nature of sales, and the fact thinking on your feet and reacting quickly is an important skill, I find it bizzare to be marked down for demonstrating such ability.

As one of the last people selected to present, I had to wait a significant time, and while I was presenting, other candidates were offered food, which I unfortunately missed out on thanks to the poor organisation and scheduling skills of the assessment staff. The food however, according to fellow candidates consisted of crisps and biscuits, so not appropriate for all diets.

After this was more waiting around until finally, the candidates are split apart, with the successful being removed from the room, and the unsuccessful receiving a very brief and abrupt farewell. We were also asked not to write reviews like this.

In summary, if you are good at shouting and forcing opinions on other people, then Pareto is great for you. But if you are a civilised human, no matter how skilled you are, a Pareto assessment simply gives insufficient to showcase your abilities.

Avoid this place like the plague, you are much better served spending your time finding jobs elsewhere!

From the beginning, I was offered a lot of support by the recruiters. They found me a well-paying job very quickly and offered a lot of help through the interview process. Since then I've been given very useful training and my recruitment agent has been in contact through the whole process. I really do feel as though this has kickstarted my career and I am very grateful for this.

Even the assessment day was nowhere near as gruelling as others I've attended and, in contrast to some of these more negative reviews, nothing about my current role was misrepresented.

Nightmare from start to finish..The assessment day involved a mass of people shouting over one another..I'd written on my cv that I was in a choir and i was asked to sing infront of the entire room of people (approx 50 people) and was marked down because I declined..The man leading the day was very arrogant and rude..

I found the whole thing quite degrading and embarassing to be quite honest and i cant quite believe that companies operate in this way..

I'm a confident person but i do not feel comfortable shouting over others to be heard or humiliating people for the sake of a job!!

STAY AWAY!!!

I had a really good experience with Pareto. They have managed to find me the perfect role. I would definitely recommend.

I cannot articulate strongly enough how much I would not recommend Pareto. They are unethical, and possibly very damaging to your career.

I gave up a secure, if boring, job where I was treated incredibly well, to take on something new and more challenging. I wanted something that was intellectually more interesting than my previous job.

After passing the assessment day with Pareto, I was placed into a role that 'fitted all my requirements' ...

I wanted something Monday-Friday. Commutable from home and that did not involve much travelling, and with some flexibility of hours to ensure a good work/life balance.

I wanted something consultative, where I could build relationships and genuinely help clients. I am especially passionate about young people/education so something that linked to that, ideally.

I made all of this clear to Pareto.

They told me they had the perfect role...

The company I was placed with told us in the induction that they were consultative in their sales and cared about their customer service. We were told they took time to train each new employee, that we would be given support, development and training.

In the actual job I was to be placing young people into employment, which sounded, from what they told us, perfect for me.

They told me they valued doing the right thing above all else.

They lied.

I was repeatedly forced into pushing clients to make the wrong decisions, so that my manager would get her commission.

I was told to make young people take jobs they didn't want, so that my manager would meet target.

I was told that profit was more important than the future of a young person.

We spent 99% of the time cold-calling, which was never in the job description, and were micro-managed constantly. We had our calls monitored and criticised. Being stuck in traffic for an hour and a half on the way to work was not an acceptable excuse for being 5 minutes late, but we were expected to work through lunch and stay late in the evening.

We were sent all over the country for 'training' with little notice, and I was often forced to travel on a Sunday to stay overnight.

We didn't even get paid sick days.

Meanwhile Pareto didn't deliver any of the promised training. When I raised some of my concerns with them during a standard feedback call I was told, 'that's just sales.' -- all they cared about was meeting their own targets and making a profit for themselves.

4 months in to the job, whilst I was actually meeting targets, I asked my manager about the possiblility of moving to a different (non-sales) role that suited my skills better - I was immediately forced to resign.

I don't know what kind of person succeeds in these jobs, but morally, they're not all there. I am happier to be unemployed.

I had a very positive experience with a recruiter from Pareto Law about a specific graduate position. A very positive approach, very willing to help and checked on the progress of my application.

Pareto Law offered me an opportunity into sales, which I would not have gone into otherwise. Offering great training with an entertaining delivery made learning the ropes fun and has set me up for a promising future. The speed in which I got a job through Pareto came as a brilliant surprise.