Aspire Academy Brochure

|achievingmoretogether www.weareaspire.com
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Our vision is to be a global network of
leading specialist recruiters

Introduction from the Chairman
“Only when all parties are truly committed do you get the best result”
This sums up what we call ‘More Together’ the words that define
our values as an organisation and if you join us you will have
demonstrated these during the selection process and expand
them further as you develop your career with us.
We are part of a sector that generates over £130b per year
globally and without the recruitment industry many economies
across the world would falter.
Aspire’s vision is to be a ‘global network of leading specialist
recruiters’. Initially established as Phee Farrer Jones in 1992
we rebranded to Aspire in May 2014, joining together our
five brands PFJ, The Graduate Recruitment Company, Periscope, RPCushing and Aspire Global
Network Asia.
We now employ over 100 people in three offices across two continents, Europe and Asia.
We have a work environment that reflects the markets we serve, strong brands, a state of the art
CRM and some of the best training and development programmes you can find.
As always, we are only as good as our people which is why we focus on recruiting and selecting
the best possible talent and to providing a genuine career path. What sets us apart from the
crowd is our bespoke career development programme - Aspire. So good we named the company
after it!
Whatever your role, you can develop your career according to your ambition, skills and
competencies. As a result in the UK we hold the Investors in People Gold Award.
We are a Sunday Times Best 100 Company to Work For, are accredited with the international
quality standard ISO 9001 and are winners of multiple recruitment awards including Agency of the
Year.
We have a lot of flexibility towards work and also try and make sure that it is not all about
recruitment which is why we hold regular events that enable everyone to socialise out of the
office.
But it’s not all about us, we donate £12,000 a year to Charity and many of our people are
supported running, swimming, climbing and even baking for charity.
In a crowded market I believe we have something genuinely special and different to offer.
Paul Farrer, Chairman, Aspire

About Aspire
We are a specialist digital, media and marketing communications recruiter with offices in the West-end
of London, Manchester, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Established in 1992, we previously traded as a number of specialist recruitment brands – pfj (Phee
Farrer Jones), The Graduate Recruitment Company, RP Cushing, Periscope and Aspire Global Network
Asia. In 2014 – we unified under one brand: Aspire.
Our clients are diverse, from large corporates to global media and creative agencies to small exciting
tech start-ups and many more besides. With our wide network (65% of our candidates come to us
directly) and world class sourcing capability, we meet and interview over 11,000 candidates every year,
securing the best digital, media and marketing talent for our clients.
4 Locations: Hong Kong, London, Manchester and Singapore
£8.4m net fee income
£11m annual turnover
20% we place 1 in 5 candidates
65% of our candidates come to us via our own sources/channels
120 new jobs every week (over 6,000 per year)
100+ employees
180 interim candidates placed every day
220 candidates interviewed and processed every week - over 11,000 a year
185k professionals on our candidate database

Becoming a 360˚Consultant
We know that the secret of success is our people and this is why if you join Aspire, we will take your
training and development seriously. Here’s what you can expect…
The Aspire Academy
A key part of being a Recruitment Consultant is nurturing existing client relationships and developing
new business.
As a Trainee Consultant you will start in the Aspire Academy on a 6 week intensive business develop-
ment course where you’ll focus on developing your market understanding and ability to lead credible
and consultative business conversations.
This programme will take a blended approach combining classroom training with practical hands on
sessions. By the end of this six weeks you will:
• Have a solid understanding of the markets in which we operate
• Know how to develop new business with credible and consultative client conversations
• Know how to nurture and grow key client relationships
• Discuss the significance of recruitment to clients
Your ‘Aspire’ bespoke development plan
After the Aspire Academy, you will continue your training through your Aspire bespoke development
plan. You will continue to practice your Business Development skills and learn all the basics of candidate
sourcing and management – from making the most of social media tools, to writing a brilliant job advert.
You will graduate to a 360 degree Recruitment Consultant joining one of our 9 specialist teams:
• Digital Marketing
• Content
• Creative Design
• Graduate
• Events
• Digital, Media and Ad Operations
• Media, Planning and Buying
• Research and Insight
• Creative and Technology
“There are clear strategies in
place to ensure that staff across
the organisation are equipped
with the necessary knowledge,
skills and behaviours they require
to deliver the organisation’s aims
and objectives.”
“People believe that the
company’s flexible approaches
to learning anddevelopment has
helped them individually and as a
team as a whole.”
IIP Gold Report

Achieving More Together
More Together is a set of values that drive
how we work at Aspire.
Commitment at all these levels engenders better relationships with our clients, our staff and our
candidates.
The 4 behaviours:
Flexibility
Consider the options, look for solutions, be adaptable and embrace change
Accountability
Do what you say you will do. Be honest about what you can and can’t do. Take responsibility for
your actions. Take a consultative approach
Performance
Satisfy the needs of your customers, work to a fast pace, be commercially aware of your decisions
Communication
Listen to and inform your stakeholders (clients, candidates and colleagues)

Achieving More Together
Bonus Scheme - you won’t earn less than
30% guaranteed.
As a recruitment consultant we know that money is important to you. With the help of our Non
Executive Director John O’Sullivan and much benchmarking with fellow recruiters, we feel we have
come up with a generous and regularly rewarding scheme.
In addition to this, the top biller each quarter receives an extra £500 bonus.
In the last year, Aspire has paid their employees £1.25 million in bonuses.
Aspire spends on average £7,500 in addition per head on benefits.
Our financial year runs from May 1st to April 30th.
Salaries range from £22,000 to £50,000 basic based on competency, proven previous
billings and strong track records.
Monthly Bonus
Once you hit £7,200 you can calculate your bonus as follows:
Revenue Bonus Amount:
First £7,200 5% = £360
£7,201 - 15,500 10% = £830
£15,501 - 20,500 15% = £750
£20,501 - 25,500 20% = £1000
£25,001 + 25% = uncapped
Basically you earn the percentage in each band and then add it up. For example, if you
invoiced £18,000 in a month the scheme would work as follows:
First £7,200 5% of 8,000 = £360
£7,201 - 15,500 10% of 7,500 + £830
£15,501 - 18,000 15% of 2,500 + £375
Total Bonus = £1,565
On top of this a 6 month reconciliation (in October) will offer a guaranteed remuneration of 30%
OTE of your billings. A 12 month reconciliation will be applied in April which is also guaranteed.
My Reconciliation
We will guarantee you will not earn less than the following amounts:
NDR levels OTE
Up to £140,000 30% £42,000
£140,001 - £150,000 31% £43,400.00 - £46,500
£150,001 - £160,000 32% £48,000.00 - £51,200
£160,001 - £220,000 33% £52,800.00 - £72,600
£220,001 - £249,999 34% £74,800.00 - £85,000
£250,000 - £279,999 35% £87,500.00 - £98,00
>£280,000 36% £100,800.00

Benefits
Mobile phone
You will benefit from a smart phone for work purposes.
Holiday leave (runs January to December)
When you first join you have a minimum of 23.5 days (of which 3.5 days must be taken at Christ-
mas as agreed in the business). After one year’s service this rises to 25 days and after 2 years it is
increased to 28.5 days.
Holiday Extravaganza
Achieve 130% or more of your revenue target for the month, you will gain an extra day’s holiday -
potential for an extra 12 days holiday a year!
Flexible Working
Aspire offers all staff the chance to manage their own hours through flexible working. If you start
at 8am you can finish at 5pm – or have a lie in, start at 9.30am and finish at 6.30pm. At Executive
Consultant and Manager level there is the option to work some days from home.
Duvet days
You can enjoy one duvet day per quarter, which will be taken from your holiday allowance.
Sabbaticals
After 4 years’ service you will have the opportunity to take a career break for up to 3 months, at
50% pay.
Relaxed Dress Code
Our sector is not a suited and booted environment so we have a dress code to match!
Travelcard loan
On passing your probation you’re entitled to an interest free loan to pay for an annual travel card,
deducted from your pay in equal instalments.
Life Assurance
4x base salary – entitled from the first day of employment.
Pension plan
Employees will be automatically enrolled in the Aspire pension scheme after completing three
months of employment. Aspire will contribute 2% of your basic salary and you will contribute 1%.
After 12 month’s service, your pension can increase to the following:
Job Grade Employee Contribution Aspire Contribution
Grade A 3% 3%
Grade B and C 5% 5%
Grade D and E 8% 8%
Private health cover
Grade A After 2 years Individual
Grade B After 12 months Individual
Grade C After passing probation Individual
Grade D and above After passing probation Individual and Family option

Benefits

Free Flu Jabs
We provide a free vaccination service every year for those who would like to protect themselves
against flu.
Free Breakfast and Fruit
In addition to our own café style kitchen where you have access to free hot and cold drinks all day,
we also offer free breakfast (cereals & toast) and free fruit.
Voucher scheme
If you have children, Aspire is in partnership with the childcare voucher scheme - Edenred www.
edenred.co.uk. This means that you can pay their childcare provision via a voucher scheme. Aspire
gives an additional contribution to working parents by giving a pro rata contribution of up to £243
per child.
Massage
Every month you are entitled to a free monthly 20 minute back and shoulder massage in our offices.
Bike to Work scheme
You can purchase a bike tax and NI free. All you need to do is go to a cycle shop that is part of the
scheme, choose your bike and helmet etc and then they will invoice Aspire. You will then repay the
cost of the bike over 12 months with an interest free loan.
Healthshield Annual Cash back benefit scheme
Benefit Amount Annually
Dental £50
Optical £50
Physio, chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture,
homeopathy
£150
Specialist consultation £200
Chiropody £50
Health and wellbeing £70
Health screening £100
Discounted Gym Membership
Provided by LA Fitness at a discounted rate. You can hand pick one of the membership types to
suit your needs and you also have the opportunity to try before you buy with one of our free gym
passes.
Bonnie’s Bootcamp
Taking place every week and instructed by our very own Executive Consultant Bonnie, a group of
attendees are subjected to a challenging yet extremely rewarding one hour work out! And it’s free
for anyone to attend.
Showers
For those that cycle or run in or for any other reason we have showers available for all staff.
Book Club
For those who already enjoy or want to get into the habit of reading, our Book Club meet on a
monthly basis to discuss the hot topics of their latest chosen title.
Leah’s Good Vibe Tribe
The free to attend sessions take place twice a month and are led by our very own Senior Manager
Leah. They are designed to help attendees to relieve stress, make positive changes to behaviour, in-
crease energy levels and much more! The sessions may include Emotional Freedom Technique; NLP
Coaching; Hypnotherapy; Reiki and TFH Kinesiology – all of which Leah holds qualifications for.

Benefits
Ministry of Fun
Our Ministry of Fun team ensures we are constantly entertained!
We’ve enjoyed Brazilian themed parties, summer rounders, quiz
nights and much more... there’s always something going on at
Aspire!
Give as You Earn scheme
This is brilliant for those that have a standing order or a direct debit to a charity. The scheme en-
ables you to pay from your gross salary pre tax.
Boardroom Bucks
This is the opportunity for anyone in the business to get an
Aspire bursary towards something to do with your own personal
growth. It is held twice a year – March and September and in a
year there is £2,500 up for grabs.
Club Wembley
Whatever the entertainment from sport to music, there are opportunities to attend in our own
Club Wembley seats.
Prizes and Awards
We have Quarterly Prizes for top biller, Monthly Cups, Millionaires Club and various incentives run-
ning throughout the year.
Long Service Awards
We reward staff members with long service awards. At 5 years of service you will receive £500
and at 10 years you will receive £1,000.
Millionaires Club
All those that accumulate £1million in billings receive a special
trophy!
Managers Club
An annual all expenses paid night out for the best performing
managers over target.
Club Aspire
Is open to all fee earners in all offices who achieve £200k or more in the 12 months to end of April
2016. In London, Club Aspire will depart on the evening of Thursday 9th June 2016 and fly to Bar-
celona for the weekend. The main event will be on the Friday with the weekend at your leisure.
Achievers’ Club
This is a bi-Annual event taking place on 14th August 2015 and 19th February 2016. To be in the
Achievers’ Club you need to be annualising at £140k or more on 31st July 2015 and/or 31st January
2016. Annualising is your total revenue for the 12 months up to those two trigger dates.

Wellbeing Months
Aspire takes an active interest in the Wellbeing of our employees – happy and healthy staff with a
good work life balance are more productive.
As well as the monthly massage, Healthshield membership and free daily fruit for all of our
employees, we also run quarterly Wellbeing months. This involves fresh fruit juice or smoothies for
breakfast and healthy afternoon snacks provided.
We have an on site reflexologist for appointments, as well as a doctor for full health MOTs.
Weather permitting, we also hold outdoor activities such as running club, rounders in the park and
boot camp sessions.
80% of employees rated our last Wellbeing week as being either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’.

Ministry of Fun
The Ministry of Fun is Aspire’s social committee who
organise regular company events for the whole company
to enjoy.
Recent events that the Ministry of Fun have put on
include our Brazilian themed company conference party,
summer rounders in the park, high school prom themed
annual company party and awards night Christmas party.
The committee is changed on an annual basis so anyone that wishes to be can get involved!
Aspire Sports day
Summer in the City
conference party
Awards Christmas party

“A clear learning and development
strategy based around the ‘aspire’
performance management and
development process; this process
provides a clear and structured
development plan for individuals.”
“People across the organisation
talk very positively about their
experiences of the ‘Aspire’ process
and how it has helped to improve
both their performance and
develop their skills and
knowledge.”
IIP Gold Report
Your Aspire
Aspire is a bespoke career progression programme, based on both performance and competency,
in the form of six monthly appraisals.
Aspire shows you where you fit into the business and gives you clear objectives to progress your
career here with us. Aspire will assist you with your personal development plan and it really gives
you the choice of where your career goes.
At Aspire there are three paths to choose from, each enabling you to move up the career ladder.
We invest heavily in our most committed staff to make this happen.
Aspire to consult
At Aspire we recognise that not all successful fee earners want to become managers but they do
want to enhance their career. With the ‘Aspire to consult’ route you can move through the ranks
as a successful biller to director level, developing your key account management skills.
Aspire to manage
You have been a successful biller and now you want to develop and nurture a team. Again at
Aspire you can work towards becoming a director on this route.
Aspire to support
You are in a support or functional role but are just as interested in progressing your
career with us. With this route you can explore your options and again work towards
becoming a director.
You will be given a full introduction to Aspire once you have passed your probation with us.

Training
Aspire has held the Investors in People Award since 2000 and were awarded a Gold award in
2012. We are also a Sunday Times Top 100 Best Small Company to work for, in recognition of our
people centered culture and the importance we place in training and development.
The more skilled our people, the better our performance. The better our development plans, the
easier it is to retain talent. All our management staff have been trained to train which enables us
to deliver training across the business on a continuous basis as the demand arises. We also use
external trainers for developing our skills in areas that are new to us. Recently, our external train-
er Jackie Handy has provided our staff with NLP training and the Directors have led one-to-one
coaching sessions with those who have requested it. We also offer our staff the option to take the
APSCo RPS recruitment qualification which provides recognition for their recruitment knowledge.
Upon joining Aspire, you will be enrolled on a three month induction course where we will demon-
strate to you the key skills to do the job. There is a lot to learn and it lays down the foundations for
the future. After induction training you will receive ongoing training and development, delivered
as and when requested. Needless to say, those that put the training into practice seem to do the
best. All our training is evaluated by each delegate and the delegates are evaluated by the trainer.
This way we can constantly improve the quality of the training we deliver.
Early on in your career with us you will be given a clear set of objectives to achieve in your initial
three months. This enables you to keep track of your own progress and is used as a reference for
discussion in your weekly one to one sessions with your line manager. Out of those meetings,
training and development issues will be raised that we can then address. We also have regular
morning meetings for each team, and company wide meetings on a Friday afternoon.
Consultants are also given the opportunity to develop themselves and can access further training
modules on the intranet. We also hold optional Masterclass sessions, run by our own top consul-
tants.
“The Graduate Trainee Scheme
really enhanced my development as
a consultant. I grew in confidence
through the training provided and felt
fully supported through my first few
months at Aspire.”
Katie Edwards

Testimonials
“The extensive training through Aspire’s graduate trainee
programme forms a great foundation to start a career within
recruitment. Covering all aspects of both candidate and client
engagement, it allows those with little or no experience in
recruitment to hit the ground running as a fully competent
biller and 360 consultant. The graduate trainee programme
is brilliantly tailored to Aspire as a business, representing its
success and values as a business. I would definitely
recommend to those seeking a career in recruitment.”
Rhys Lloyd
“Joining Aspire through the graduate trainee programme
has been a brilliant experience for me. You instantly get the
opportunity to make new friends within the group, and ac-
cess to the best possible training and facilities. The team at
Aspire are fun, friendly and extremely supportive, with man-
agers working closely with everyone to ensure that they
are not only performing to the best of their abilities, but
are also happy while doing so. As well as the great earning
potential and opportunities for progression at Aspire, they
also run regular, achievable incentives with prizes ranging
from nights out and football tickets, to extra money and
holiday vouchers. All of the above coupled with Aspire’s
“More Together” values and benefits such as flexible work-
ing hours, company mobile and free breakfast make Aspire
a truly awesome place to work!” Aaron Hooper
“I was really impressed with the interview process here at
Aspire. The initial meeting I had with Charlotte was a great
introduction to the company as she was warm and
personable but also detailed and thorough in her
questioning. I felt that she really got to know me and
understand my skillset and what I was looking for in my
next role. Following this I was successful in gaining a second
interview with two of the Directors in the company. I was
required to do a presentation which gave me the opportuni-
ty to research a sector that I was considering working within
and was given some valuable and encouraging feedback. I
also took part in a role play, which whilst challenging gave
me a good insight into the expectations and way of working
within Aspire. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to join
the company and the processes they follow in securing the
right people for Aspire.” Laura Perks

Testimonials
“I work within the Content Team; it’s a constantly evolving
market which means that you can never stand still and no
two days are the same!
The training programme consisted of a mixture of classroom
sessions and desk coaching, which, blended together, gave
me all the necessary tools to hit the ground running. Aspire
ensures that our personal and professional goals are con-
stantly reviewed so that we work to our maximum level and
get the most out of each and every day.
The environment is fun, vibrant and the office itself is bright,
colourful and situated in a great location in the West End.
The company also looks after its staff and there are a host
of benefits that Aspire employees receive, including free
breakfast; discounted gym membership; flexible working;
travelcard loan to name a few! To anyone thinking of joining
Aspire, I couldn’t recommend the company highly enough!”
” Robbie Pringle
“The Graduate Trainee Scheme really enhanced my
development as a consultant. I grew in confidence through
the training provided and felt fully supported through my
first few months at Aspire.” Katie Edwards
“What appealed to me about the Graduate Trainee Scheme
is the training and support that Aspire invests into each
employee. The training that I received has been invaluable,
helping me to thoroughly understand the role and has really
enabled me establish myself as a recruiter.
I specialise in digital marketing; my team work with the top
20 network media and digital agencies and have established
strong relationships with these clients.
I enjoy the variety of the role, which means that every day is
different and it keeps you on your toes. Plus the earning po-
tential is really up to you, which you can’t really say for most
jobs!” Daniela Mamica
Average 1st year earnings for a Graduate Trainee is £40,000 per annum

Corporate Social Responsibility
We are proud to give back.
Here at Aspire, we know we can achieve more when we work together. Not just for our clients and
candidates – but for the communities in which we operate too. That’s why every single one of us is
committed to reducing our impact on the environment and making sure we do our bit to support
our communities around the globe. Here’s how:
Environment
We’re passionate about reducing our impact on the environment. Day-to-day, we take active steps
to improve our carbon footprint. For instance, all of our offices have recycling facilities to reduce
waste, not to mention video conferencing equipment to minimise unnecessary travel. Wherever
possible, our people are actively encouraged to take public transport. And our technology is set
up to turn off at night.
Community
It gives us great pride to support a number of brilliant charities. Shooting Star Chase Hospice and
Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research are causes that are close to our hearts, and an employee ran
the London marathon to raise money for this fantastic establishment. We also hold bi-monthly
bake off’s, have staffed their shops on a Saturday for their Apprentice Challenge event and do-
nated items to sell. At Christmas time, we collect gifts for Barnardo’s children as well as delivering
food packs to the homeless in conjunction with Feed the Homeless.
But it’s not just special occasions that see us playing our part to raise money for good causes – we
also take part in just about every charity day going, from Wear it Pink to Red Nose Day. And we
have plenty of fun doing it!
Outside of the UK, we organise the payroll for the Village education project in Tanzania.

Our Recruitment Process
The recruitment process to join Aspire is as streamlined as we can make it when allowing for the
element of thoroughness that career decisions deserve. After an initial conversation where you
declare an interest in Aspire, you will be able to assess us and we can assess you in a 2-3 stage
process. The first interview will be with HR. Your second interview will be with an Aspire manager
and director and will include role plays and a Q&A.
We may then ask you to do some work shadowing or have drinks with the team.
Best of luck!

Aspire Academy Brochure

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