Michael Page reviews

3.9

81% would recommend to a friend

(2,067 total reviews)

Nicholas Kirk

87% approve of CEO

57% positive business outlook

Michael Page has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 2,067 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Michael Page employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Human Resources & Staffing industry (3.8 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews
1.0
Feb 20, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very very few. While it is easy to work out what they want and how to survive, its nothing more than a place to lie low for a year or 18 months and leverage it into a better company. The training they all talk about is just box-ticking. If you have never done sales before, it might seem like some wonderful insight. However, it's nothing more than very basic client and candidate management. None of the things the Regional MD who keeps responding to on this site are what they sound. They are merely more of the usual box ticking this company does to please the shareholders and try to look good. Yeah, long vacation allowances, kids and women at work and family time and all that sound nice, but there is NO CHANCE you are touching any of this stuff in reality. Even mentioning it to your manager will get actual laughter in response.

Cons

As has been mentioned over 400 times on this site, this is pure hard sales and nothing else. There is no relationship management, nothing strategic. As its such a huge company they a one-size-fits-all approach. Unfortunately for anyone working here, that one size is so brutal, so old fashioned and so unpleasant that unless you get lucky and hit a purple patch or are stunningly attractive and can woo the management with flirtation, you will last 89 days exactly (at 90 days they have to lock in your benefits so they fire most people on day 89. So dignified). Otherwise, its just grind. Mindless KPI's, public humiliation, treated like a prisoner. My first day out of training I tried to, you know, do something normal like go to the bathroom. My manager said where do you think you're going. I said to the bathroom. He said not so fast, and came around to see how many of the people on my list I had called. He checked through and said ok, but dont take too long. Seriously??? I'm 29 years old. This is nothing out of the ordinary. Lunch, leaving before 8pm, taking an emergency call from your kid's school, any of these things you practically have to take a scolding like a 5 year old/ What's so pathetic is that every one of these negative reviews is what they want. They dont want career people, they dont want smart people with ideas, they want desperate people who will take this abuse and pain and will learn how to grind it out of others. Anyone with a decent college degree or what has worked in industry will read these and stay away. Desperate people who have watched Boiler Room or Glengary Glen Ross (seriously, if I hear those films quoted once and then have to watch two 50 year old men chest bump each other to celebrate how "alpha" they are......) too many times and think they can take the pressure are the ones they want. They see these places described and rush to join. Let me burst the bubble though. There are high pressure places where in return for the pressure you get paid immense sums of money. Page is not one of them. In return for enduring the misery, you get a meager salary, and usually a very weak bonus if you manage to scrounge together enough fees to get into bonus. There is always a story why they couldnt pay out a big one, but "just show corporate you are consistent and they'll reward you". 3 consecutive times I have been told this story, and this time I am out. I am leaving. The ones who survive and make it through are more miserable than me. Their offers of career make me actually depressed. This has been a sad chapter in life. I take no pleasure in their business' condition. Online platforms are dominating contingency, and their retained offering is not even close to the top flight retained firms.

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Michael Page Response
10y
Having read your review, I am extremely disappointed to hear that you have had such a negative experience during your time at Page. I don’t enjoy reading reviews like this, but it’s important for us to welcome all feedback. My responses are not intended to be part of a ‘PR exercise’. I read the reviews to understand what we need to do as an organization to retain our staff and to improve. I understand that you’re keen to move on in your career, but if you’d like to speak to me directly before you leave please get in touch. Richard.
1.0
Aug 3, 2018

BEWARE FAKE REVIEWS

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I have nothing positive to say

Cons

Our director had the audacity to ask several of us to create fake accounts and post positive reviews to combat the negative review left by someone yesterday (8/2/18). THESE POSITIVE REVIEWS ARE FAKE!!! Hard to stand by a company that will stoop down to this level of creating fake reviews. LISTEN TO THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS!!! THEY ARE ALL TRUE!!!!

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Michael Page Response
7y
In most cases, our employees solely take it upon themselves to detail their experiences and opinions of our organization. While we invite and encourage everyone to share their honest feedback in a public domain such as Glassdoor, we by no means promote the dishonest activity you describe. Ultimately, our ability to welcome constructive criticism while simultaneously taking pride in the positive reviews received is a testament to the professionalism and open-mindedness prevalent throughout the company. I am more than happy to make the time to discuss this further with you should you wish. Sean Rogerson, Managing Director, Boston.
1.0
Jun 17, 2018

Associate Consultant

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Honestly there is not much, except that they will create fake reviews on sites like this to boost up their reputation.

Cons

If you are interested in this company I would like you consider three things: 1. Are you ready to work 60+ hours a week? 2. Are you ready to let your "managers" take your clients? 3. Do you like a culture with EXTREMELY high turn over rate? 1. At this company they work you like a horse, they don't give you anything but a 2-3 week training and expect you to hop on the phones and start building *your business*, which really is not your business because the management has free rain on how they want to steal your business. In order to do this you will have to create your own data base that would lag on you every 20 minutes. In order to do well you will be expected to work from 7:30AM to 7:30PM everyday. 2. As a consultant at this firm, within the first two and a half months I helped the company make $25,000 in revenue, because there was a director there that help guided me towards that direction. After two months of being there the Director quit and immediately after the new management decide to cut my client pool by over 2/3's. The manager that was only at the company for less then two years, would then go and take a client from me and a candidate to help herself make money. Go around and tell me that "it was for my own good". After putting in over 60+ hours a week I decided that this company is not a good environment to be in. After having a limited client pool and creating great traction for the company, I helped the company make over 60K within 2 weeks and they decided that my client was too good for only me to have and the result they wanted to take my client again. This time I fought back and was fired as a result. Success in this company is not determined by performance as they claim but is determined by the amount of brown nosing you do to the higher ups. 3. Just to give you some insight: Since working there they have lost an average of 1-2 people every two weeks. Within the first month of working their my starting class of 4, shrunk to two. After about another two weeks the highest biller in the office making the company about 1 million dollars in revenue quit, two weeks after that a recruiter that has been their for almost two years quit, then the next day the head director of two departments quit, then 2 more associates decided to follow, and finally they decided that they did not want any more turn over to happen so the result was, firings started to happen. Just as reference, in a team of 60+ people, they average a little over 10% of employees being at the company for longer than a year. At the end of the month meeting in April out of 60 people only about 7 people raised their hand for being their for over a year, majority of them were from out of state working under their working visa. Good Luck joining a company willing to throw you under the bus for their bottomline and having managers that would take your clients as they please.

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Michael Page Response
8y
Thank you for sharing such extensive feedback, but there are several details I would like to address. Our hours of operation are standard, not only within the recruitment space, but in comparison to most corporations across the US. Additionally, PageGroup is a performance-based culture – which is an ideal environment for those who are driven by accomplishment. If a Consultant hits his or her targets, he or she is encouraged to leave early, come in later, etc. This is fundamental and practiced throughout our offices globally. Contrary to your comments on training, PageGroup invests heavily in employee learning and development in addition to many other support functions. Our formal training program is world class, and we pride ourselves on the level of on-the-desk training offered on a consistent basis. If a new starter has any questions, our management team and accomplished trainers are readily available to assist. Our management team is comprised of market experts whose careers, truth be told, benefit when their Consultants are successful and thrive in unity. While each individual is responsible for developing his or her own book of business, PageGroup believes collaborative group efforts yield the most fruitful results. Thus the significance of a positive intra-team dynamic. It is in management’s best interest to guide and foster their direct reports so eventually these reports can build their acumen and track records to get promoted and lead teams of their own. By implementing this model, we are ensuring our business continues to be prolific. Finally, not everyone is well-suited to a sales environment, therefore turnover can occur within any area of the sales industry. Many people have a passion for and excel in a results-driven environment such as recruitment, and these are the people we seek to onboard at PageGroup. Thank you. Maxime Masraff, Managing Director, Los Angeles
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