​Yesterday was ‘National Write Down Your Story Day’, so here is mine.

In November 2016, I was approached on LinkedIn about a job in a recruitment agency. My initial thoughts were ABSOLUTELY NOT! I had been working at a gym for three years – a slightly different industry, and I was reluctant to make the switch back into the ‘professional’ working world.

I knew nothing about the recruitment industry.  For some reason, The Wolf of Wall Street was the first thing that came into my mind. Images of flashy suits, busy/loud offices, shouting, music, ringing bells, illicit drugs and people throwing dollar bills everywhere. Whilst some of the above may be true (I won’t tell you which), curiosity got the better of me and I began to do some research into Mason Alexander.

My first stop was their social media pages.

The first things I noticed:

-It looked fun & social. There were lots of pictures of staff out having drinks together, at events, away on trips together, playing table tennis, tag rugby, celebrating each other’s birthdays, BBQs etc.

-Rob Kearney was on the Board of Directors. From someone who didn’t know much about recruitment agencies, I was impressed to see a well-known Irish sports figure associated with the brand.

-They had an office puppy! I had always wanted to work in an office that allowed dogs!

After doing my research, I agreed to meet with the team to find out more. I liked what I had to see/ hear.  The offices were bright and modern, in an ideal location; the team were young, outgoing and friendly.   What I learnt about Mason Alexander –

The Fun Stuff – 

Mason Alexander are a group of young and ambitious individuals, it seemed liked a fun place to work – they finish work at 4.30pm on Fridays to have beers in the office, when teams hit their targets they get to go on trips away (including the administrative staff which isn’t always the way in a recruitment agency).

The Serious Stuff – 

Mason Alexander is a fast-growing company. There are lots of opportunities for progression. There are good benefits, pension scheme etc. Mason Alexander pride themselves on providing employees with autonomy.  They like new ideas and are happy to run with them unlike some larger companies where one can often be restricted with red tape and long standing protocols.   There is no micro management. It is not a KPI based model like other recruitment agencies.

Fast forward a year, and here I am.

One of my first memories of Mason Alexander is finding out about the morning hand shake ritual. When you arrive in the morning there is a tradition that you must shake everyone’s hands and greet them. For my first month I was convinced everyone in the company was playing a practical joke on me.  I have grown to learn the benefits to this system. It means you interact with every staff member, every day, even if they are not on your team and who you might not regularly interact with. It creates a great bond between all employees within the company.

Working at Mason Alexander is not what I had expected from the recruitment agency rumours I had both heard and experienced as a candidate.

I’m very glad that Lucy reached out with that initial message on LinkedIn.   Our Managing Director, Andrew has created a great culture within Mason Alexander and a place where we all want to come to work every day.  No Sunday Fear is a topic regularly mentioned about working at Mason Alexander. I genuinely enjoy getting up in the mornings to go to work. Every day is exciting and different, each day bringing with it new and stimulating daily challenges.

If anyone is wondering what it is exactly that I do at Mason Alexander, I will leave that for another blog!

We are always looking for new talent at Mason Alexander. Get in touch if you think Mason Alexander sounds like a place you want to work.

Jenny Kinmonth – Office Manager, Mason Alexander
j.kinmonth@masonalexander.ie