Why join? Why now?

We know exactly where we want to go, and we know exactly how we are going to get there... but we need the right kind of people to do it. We have a two-year and five-year business plan, that introduces brand new roles, opportunities to all our people, including fast progression and personal development plans. By joining us now, you will be a big part of a big success story.

It's not all about the Benjamins!

Money aside, we offer some great benefits here, these are based on what our teams want so we are constantly looking for new ideas and asking them what’s important to them. Here's a few things; - 3pm finish on a Friday during the summer (4pm otherwise). - 2 company incentive trips every year. - Lunch Clubs every month. - Learning & Development plan put together and implemented by industry expert Elizabeth Ewan. - Perkbox. - No micromanagement, we treat our staff like adults (not technically a "benefit" but definitely a benefit!). - "Golden Hello" - Significant number of shares given to you if you start as a Principle Consultant or above (plus the opportunity to earn more over the next few years). - Free laptop!

What do we look for?

When hiring we look for three things: Drive is the most important characteristic – you will be tenacious, hungry, and passionate, with a background of wanting to be the best. You will set yourself challenging goals and will do what it takes and don't like to fail! How you interact with others is also important. You will be persuasive, you like to influence, convince, cajole, and don't take ‘no’ for an answer. You thrive when building relationships and you are a great team player. Self Management needs to be high – you will always meet commitments, you are well planned, organised, with high integrity and very reliable.

Who are we?

We are a team of energetic and vivacious business people who happen to work in recruitment and absolutely love it. Don't believe us? Ask any one of our 40 people (soon to be 50!). Yes, we know it's a massive jump, but the industry is exploding and we have the foundations in place to not only facilitate a growth of this size, but to flourish. "How?" we hear you cry... We have hired the best possible people to support our core values - care, commitment and collaboration and have a solid business plan in place to support them. Having been described as: "a breath of fresh air" by both candidates and clients alike, we are a in a unique situation where we are actually liked... a rarity in recruitment.

Here come the girls...

As founding members of Women in Recruitment, recruiting, developing and actively promoting women within the business is really important. We want to have a balanced management team with a strong and confident female presence. This mindset has created a respectful company culture where the female voice carries equal weight and diversity of opinion is celebrated! We made a pledge to have two female board members within two years, we achieved this within one, and we are committed to being rated within the top 50 employers of women. Make no mistake, it's exceptional talent that rises through our ranks. Not tenure and gender, but your attitude and performance.

Why our people stay at Cognitive

Our culture is one of the main reasons people state for joining and staying within the business. It’s highly supportive and collaborative, but with freedom for you to make the role your own, and bring your style to how things are achieved - including flexi-time working to ensure your professional life compliments your real life!

High performance coaching

You will be enrolled in a continuous and personalised training programme that will result in you billing 48% higher than the industry average. Yes, really! We take training seriously at Cognitive and we mean it.. You won't be trained by ‘Dave’ who learned his trade donkey’s years ago and is full of out of date stories! 'Telling' you how you should do your job. But rather, last years, yes, only last years, £1m biller who has moved into a dedicated training role because he believes he can train you to be even better than him. If you have ever thought about billing over £500k, not only do we have the formula but someone who is now in a dedicated training and performance role, helping you master the art. As always, you've got a choice, do what you've always done. Or maybe it's time to up your game?

Culture - the heart of our business.

It's probably easier to tell you what our culture isn't like! We don't have an old school approach, we won't micromanage you, we won't make you work ridiculous hours and we won't make you feel stupid, ever. What we will do is offer you support, care, collaboration and an ear whenever you need one. You will feel included, valued, recognised and respected.

We like to break the rules for exceptional people

We have seen back to back promotions, double promotions, jump a-grade promotions and this makes us really happy. Your career and how fast you progress is ultimately down to you. We will offer all the tools, support, training and a dynamic environment that you need to succeed.

It's not me, it's you...

Aka: "The ME Programme" This is a 12 month forward planning programme where you set yourself personal and professional goals that are really important to YOU and will make a huge impact on YOUR life. You will have training, support and regular catch ups with your manager to ensure you are on track to achieving what you really want; from weddings and houses to that big promotion... all goals are supported and encouraged!

Mentoring at Cognitive

Our recently launched mentoring programme has the goal of ensuring you feel happier inside and outside of work and more successful in your career and personal life. We put all our employees at the heart of everything we do, we want you to feel good about yourself and your achievements and remind you of how great you are when you might forget!

Meet Our Internal Team

Liz looks after our internal recruitment function, they are responsible for all things culture and fun! We are the first point of contact you have with Cognitive (Note: easily persuaded with wine or chocolate so feel free to bring these along to interview!). On a serious note, our goal is to ensure you have the best experience from start to finish, to feel as relaxed and possible and to make sure the dreams we sell, do come true!

Awards and Recognition

This year we have been shortlisted for a number of awards including: APSCo - Diversity and Inclusion 2017 Recruiter Investing in Talent - Best IT Company to Work For 2017 Recruiter Investing in Talent Best Personal Development Programme 2017

Why are we here and what is our purpose?

We have two WHY's; Become the most recommended international Microsoft Staffing business. We want to empower our teams, understand their purpose and passions and give them a career that leaves them happier and more successful by working with us.

The Impact we have made on some of our team

I was promoted five times in 2 years! This helped me grow my confidence and my bank balance! - Chris I've developed my leadership skills and impacted my team in a really positive way - Zak I purchased my first home and paid for my wedding :) - Liz The relationships with Microsoft have meant we have more buy-in with clients and candidates, making what can be a challenging job at times a lot easier! - James I feel like I have become a better version of myself in just 6 months and I love coming to work! - Effi I am constantly challenged and put out of my comfort zone, that has helped me grow as a person - David feel like I have learned more here than I ever have, and I'm a better recruiter - Chris I multiplied my billings x5 working here and had the autonomy to choose my market focus with a lot of support - Dave

Diversity and Inclusion

We are proud to lead on Dynamics does Diversity - partnering with Microsoft on their diversity plans. We always look for the best candidate for the job but encourage diversity wherever we can. Our most recent event at the Shard was the biggest yet with a great turn out!

What our clients say about us...

What our candidates say about us...

What our people say about us...

Glassdoor Reviews

We have a 4.6 star rating on Glassdoor. Let's face it, that's rare in recruitment! https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Reviews/Cognitive-Group-Reviews-E1278349.htm