Staff Profiles - Amoria Bond

We caught up with Matthias Günther who works in the Engineering division in the Koln office and

Q1. How did you get into Recruitment?
A1. Elena (Internal Recruiter in Germany) proactively approached me on Xing and caught my interest. After this initial approach I also applied for roles at several other recruitment companies, but Amoria Bond was always the leading consultancy in terms of benefits and opportunities.

Q2. What were your ambitions when you were growing up?
A2. I always wanted to be a professional football player when I was a little kid, but once this was not an option anymore, I wanted to have a job where I could earn good money. I wasn’t certain what kind of role would allow me to achieve this, but in general I always wanted to be “a manager”.

Q3. What did you/do you plan to achieve in your career?
A3. I did not map out my whole life and never will. Of course I had certain dreams and goals, but I did not connect this to a specific age. Certainly I wanted to be successful in whatever I would be doing at the age of 30. I wanted to be independent, with both feet on the ground and happy with my life and previous decisions in general.

Q4. How close are you to having achieved what you want in your career?
A4. I am really happy with all aspects of my life right now. I can say that I don’t regret any of the career decisions that I have made to date.

Q5. How has Amoria Bond helped you to achieve those ambitions?
A5. Amoria Bond gave me the chance to climb up the career ladder very quick as well as giving me the opportunity to earn a lot of money. This gives me a kind of freedom I never experienced before in life. The work environment at the office of Amoria Bond here in my hometown of Cologne suits my current personal preferences and lifestyle just perfectly.

Q6. What are your goals for the next 5 years?
A6. Stay successful with Amoria Bond and continuing climbing up the career ladder here in order to become a Director one day. In my private life, I would love to get married, become a dad and build a house within the next five years.

Q7. How have your achievements whilst working for Amoria Bond impacted your overall lifestyle?
A7. I was totally unaware about the potential earnings I could achieve at Amoria Bond. My first two years were really amazing, and meant that I could travel to so many places and finance a nice apartment in downtown Cologne. As I was a student for a long time, the ability of being able to spend money on whatever I want it to spend on without thinking too much is just great. I definitely achieved financial independence through Amoria Bond.

Q8. Has the career progression plan (10 Steps Programme) helped to set out what you can achieve with Amoria Bond?
A8. The 10 Steps Programme definitely gives me a good idea of what I can and want to achieve with Amoria Bond. When talking to new rookies it is great to give them an idea of what everyone can achieve here if you are ambitious, hard working and resilient.

Q9. Which aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?
A9. Being a leader / mentor for my own team and having the opportunity to grow my own Business Unit is very exciting at the moment. Seeing people grow with you and becoming successful is very fulfilling.

Q10. What do you like the most about working at Amoria Bond?
A10. My colleagues and corporate culture here in Cologne combined with the chance to earn really good money makes Amoria Bond the ideal employer to me right now.

Q11. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
A11. Make sure you are ready to put everything you have into this job. If you are willing to sacrifice, especially in the beginning of your career, some leisure time for this job – the sky is the limit of what you can achieve! This job is hard, often disappointing and not for people who do not want to focus 100% on their career. But if you have clear goals and are willing to work hard to achieve them, Amoria Bond is the right place.

Ask Matthias a question

Q1. How did you get into Recruitment?
A1. During my Business Administration studies in the Netherlands I was contacted by Elena Longen, who offered me an interesting role as a Trainee Recruitment Consultant which caught my interest. Since I was still a student and needed to write my Bachelor Thesis I asked for a Bachelor internship. I went through the interview process successfully and was offered that role. After writing my thesis and completing my studies, I got the chance to work full time at Amoria Bond in Koln. I had been working on one market whilst completing my internship and I had built a customer base in the SAP market.

Q2. What were your ambitions when you were growing up?
A2. My ambition when growing up was to become a cameraman because I wanted to watch every soccer game possible in the stadium instead of watching games on TV. Unfortunately, I changed my plans when I realised what the salary was for a cameraman! I realised that I wanted a higher standard of living than was offered by this job and therefore I needed to realign my plans as a teenager. From then my choice of subjects and my studies have reflected this aim of wanting to land a well paying job and my job at Amoria Bond has been the perfect match!

Q3. What did you/do you plan to achieve in your career?
A3. On the one hand I like planning; on the other hand I like to do something new and extraordinary. At Amoria Bond I knew what I can achieve in a certain time-frame if I worked hard and set myself ambitious goals. I write an annual business plan to set out my plans and goals for the short-, medium- and long-term perspective and therefore I know what I would like to achieve within the next year and how I can achieve it. This planning process means that I am positive about the future and what it holds.

Q4. How close are you to having achieved what you want in your career?
A4. I really appreciate the opportunity Amoria Bond gave me and I am pleased with the progress in my career to date. I became Senior Consultant in the summer of 2017 and my target is to become a Principal Consultant at some point in 2018. If someone has asked me two years ago, whether I would be happy with these achievements then I would have said definitely yes!

Q5. How has Amoria Bond helped you to achieve those ambitions?
A5. Amoria Bond gave me the chance to develop and progress and become what I am now from a career perspective. I find my work really interesting and rewarding as I meet really interesting people within the SAP sector, learn a lot about the job and earn significantly more than the average for my age. The office environment and the work culture at the Koln office of Amoria Bond is also a tremendous help. The training and development is excellent and the office atmosphere is good –you’re expected to work hard but there is time to unwind too with a beer or two after work.

Q6. What are your goals for the next 5 years?
A6. Progression is my main driver as I would like to become Associate Director in five years time. This is an ambitious goal but reachable at Amoria Bond! In addition to that I want to grow my team and lead it successfully. I am open to achieving this in Germany or in the other interesting countries where we already have offices and I am really keen to find out when and where Amoria Bond are planning to open new ones.

Q7. How have your achievements whilst working for Amoria Bond impacted your overall lifestyle?
A7. My achievements at Amoria Bond have totally changed my personal lifestyle! I am able to afford a nice flat in Cologne, I am able do whatever I want within reason, travel to nice places and don’t need to worry about whether or not, I should spend my money. I am able to afford a comfortable lifestyle and I now have the opportunity to give something back. My parents paid for my holidays in the past and just recently I have booked a nice holiday in Rome for them, my brother as well as myself and we plan to have a nice time together.

Q8. Has the career progression plan (10 Steps Programme) helped to set out what you can achieve with Amoria Bond?
A8. The 10 Steps Programme clearly sets the specific targets for progression within the business and gives a complete overview of what you can achieve by reaching a particular target. This is completely open, honest and equal for everyone and that’s one of the factors that makes it so special. Progression is down to an objective attainment of a target – if you are good and reach your fixed targets, you step up the progression plan!

Q9. Which aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?
A9. Sounds strange, but it is the feeling of success which is addictive. I am sure that for everyone success means something different but if you are doing a good job at Amoria Bond, you get the recognition from your peers and line manager as well as the financial rewards.

Q10. What do you like the most about working at Amoria Bond?
A10. The aspect that I like the most about working at Amoria Bond is my colleagues. I really like the way that we treat each other. It is a great mix of professionalism and fun.

Q11. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
A11. Be aware that it can be a tough first year and you probably won’t see your results coming through straight away. However if you are resilient, and you are willing to go the extra mile as well as follow the training and development plan that Amoria Bond will put together for you, you will succeed. You will get back twice as much you put in.

Ask Mariano a question

Q1. How did you get into Recruitment?
A1. After failing miserably to get onto the West End when I graduated, I took a job working in a rather questionable call centre in Manchester. I really loved the challenge of selling, but felt that there must be a more dynamic environment for me. I put my CV online and a graduate recruitment company found it. I wanted them to find me a job, but they hired me as a recruitment consultant instead!

Q2. What were your ambitions when you were growing up?
A2. I really wanted to make an impact, but my ambitions evolved over the years. First a lollipop lady, then a writer, then a singer, then a performer, then I wanted to work in the corporate world in a really smart suit! I was always bright at school but very communicative too. It turns out that recruitment allows me to use both sides of my personality.

Q3. What did you/do you plan to achieve with your career?
A3. I hadn’t set that many goals before I joined Amoria Bond if I’m honest. I always wanted a city centre apartment – very Carrie Bradshaw, but having achieved that through hard work within recruitment, Amoria Bond helped me set new goals. I wanted to visit Asia, manage a successful team, get engaged, learn a new language and buy a mercedes.

Q4. How close are you to having achieved what you want with your career?
A4. I’ve actually achieved most of the goals I put on my vision board, thanks to Amoria Bond. Amoria Bond sent me to Singapore to deliver onboarding training, I now manage a team, I’m saving for my wedding right now and I also own a Mercedes C-class. I do, however, need to set some time aside to get into my French books again!

Q5. How has Amoria Bond helped you to achieve those ambitions?
A5. Through support with vision boards, goal setting, positive thinking and positive people. The opportunity I have been give to develop my own dreams at Amoria Bond is unbelievable. Everyone wants to aim high within the business and being surrounded by such people improves your mindset and capabilities. Being given structured training on how to achieve your own goals ins’t something I’ve come across within the recruitment industry, but it’s one of the most valuable things I’ve learned in all my years as a recruiter.

Q6. What are your goals for the next 5 years?
A6. I’d like to become a director, to buy a second home, to be able to use my recruitment skills for a charitable project and to get that second language finally learned!

Q7. How have your achievements whilst working for Amoria Bond impacted your overall lifestyle?
A7. My career so far at Amoria Bond has given me fantastic skills, great opportunities and has really enabled me to progress my own life. I feel I have had as much reward and recognition as the main revenue producers in the business, which for a sales based company is rare and unusual. I joined Amoria Bond as an internal recruiter for the UK, however within my first year I had already supported the businesses international growth by sourcing staff for the new Singapore division and I was lucky enough to have been sent across to Singapore to train a new starter. During this first year, I achieved numerous incentives so attending company trips to Marrakesh, Marbella and Las Vegas and also won the company wide award ‘Most Profes’ for living the company values. Across the next few years I supported growth of the new Germany office, so picked up some basic German language skills (!) which was a great challenge and made me feel confident that the business really believed I could achieve anything. I was promoted to senior consultant and given the opportunity to provide knowledge and support to my colleagues within internal recruitment. I was included in external training session ran by some of the leading sales training practitioners, such as Mike Walmsley and Chimp Management. Even though I don’t work in a sales capacity, Amoria Bond provided me with this training to help me communicate, negotiate and promote the business well. Amoria Bond is a very inclusive company, so as well as being involved in these training sessions, I also attended monthly lunch clubs with the team celebrating our success, and attended industry award ceremonies too. The most memorable awards I attended were the Global Recruiter Awards in 2015 where we were named Best Medium Sized Business and Best UK Overseas Operation, and also the 2016 Recruiter Investing in Talent Awards, where we won Best Pay and Benefits Strategy and Best Professional Development. Receiving this industry recognition was so motivational and made us all feel extremely proud of the business we were contributing to. The companywide incentives have allowed me to have a better work life balance – the early finish Friday’s and duvet days are a really convenient way of me managing my job and also taking time when I need it. When my partner changed careers, we needed to relocate from Manchester to London and as Amoria Bond don’t have offices in London I thought this would be the end of my career. Amoria Bond, however, adapted my role to allow me to work remotely and therefore, stay with the company!! Amoria Bond has invested in video phones, which means I’m still a part of the team, included in office meetings and team training sessions, even though I’m sitting in my living room! My earning potential has increased over the years, so I’m in a position where along with my partner we can save for and pay for our dream wedding, without sacrificing too much of my social life. This year I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of the Amoria Bond team that ventured to Peru. This is an ongoing project that the founders of Amoria Bond started 6 years ago – it was a pledge to build 100 homes in the shanty town within Las Laderas. The trip involved staying in a children’s orphanage with 50 young children and building homes for impoverished families up in the stone mountains. This was something ordinarily so far out of my comfort zone, that I might not have felt capable of such a mentally and physically challenging project in the past. Working for a business like Amoria Bond is incredibly empowering and having grown in confidence throughout my career with the business, I knew I wanted to take the chance to really impact on other people’s lives. Having the opportunity to make such a difference to so many people was incredibly humbling and meeting so many positive, happy and proud families was a great reminder of what is important and everything we have to be grateful for. It was also a great opportunity to bond with my colleagues and see a different side of them in a very different environment.

Q8. Has the career progression plan (10 Steps Programme) helped to set out what you can achieve with Amoria Bond?
A8. Absolutely. Last year, I was promoted to Global Head of Internal Recruitment, which was a career opportunity that I never thought I would have when I think back to my early recruitment career.

Q9. Which aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?
A9. I love seeing my team achieve their goals and targets. To see how well they are developing as recruiters and as individuals really motivates me. I also really enjoy seeing the teams that I recruit for grow; when someone my team has brought into the business gets really successful we all feel incredibly proud to have been a part of helping that individual get a career at Amoria Bond.

Q10. What do you like the most about working at Amoria Bond?
A10. I like the fact that I have made friends for life and that the journey isn’t over yet. We are all still learning together how to build a successful business and to be part of that with people who I can call friends is very special and something you don’t see every day.

Q11. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
A11. If you work hard now, I promise it will all be worth it. People often give up too easily, or look for short cuts that require less work. Nothing good was ever easy, so stay resilient and don’t give up.

Ask Abi a question

When I was at Uni I knew I was competitive and I enjoyed meeting targets, so I made sure I got involved in lots of extra curricular activities – sports, promotions and pro-active part time work. I had a lot of transferable skills to offer employers when I graduated, which made my CV more attractive so I was fortunate enough to have a lot of interviews. I chose to join Amoria Bond because I was money motivated and they had the best commission structure I had come across. As I was new to recruitment, I also wanted a lot of support and not many recruitment companies were able to provide this. I was put through the Training Programme which allowed me to see easily how my recruitment skills were developing over time. The mix of coaching, mentoring and classroom style training meant that I worked regularly with a Performance Coach and had monthly meetings with our Director. I worked on a business plan which allowed me to set annual objectives and Amoria Bond even offered us Personal Goal Setting sessions. That was 4 years ago.

Since then, I’ve been working my way through the Amoria Bond 10 step progression plan and I’ve had 4 promotions which means I’m just 2 steps away from Directorship. I’m currently managing a team of 5 people and continuing to grow my team. I’ve had some incredible experiences that I wouldn’t have had anywhere else. I’ve been on 5 star Sales Conferences to Marrakech, Marbella, Rome, Barcelona, Las Vegas, France and Portugal to name a few and am earning more than my university peers. This has allowed me to visit places such as Miami, Dubai, the Bahamas, Las Vegas, New York & Mexico as well as saving up for a deposit for a house. In addition to all of that, I have just received my new company car.

I have had the honour of speaking at our Annual General Meeting in Amsterdam which very few people have done and have been awarded “Most Improved” for 2 years in a row. Last year my team were highly commended for Team of the Year and I was also the Top Performer in the UK .

I’ve definitely still got my competitive nature so the all the internal incentives and competitions really motivate me. I’ve set new personal goals and the business is helping me to keep pushing for my next promotion. The great thing is that 4 years in, the training hasn’t stopped; only now, it’s geared towards management and leadership.

Ask Amy a question

We recently spoke to one of the team managers in our Amsterdam office, Chris Charlemagne about how he got into Recruitment and what he would still like to achieve.

Q1. How did you get into Recruitment?
A1. My previous job was selling gym memberships, but I was bored with that so I decided to go on the internet and I just happen to come across recruitment.

Q2. What were your ambitions when you were growing up?
A2. I always wanted to have a job where I wore a suit because when I was a little kid, my father (when he was still in the picture) went to work in a suit. Later in my teenage years when I was doing casual work, I saw people in suits that seemed to have everything that I was looking to achieve.

Life was also pretty tough for my mother, who raised me and my sibling, as a single parent. She was constantly stressed out because of bills coming in and making payments. I was also conscious that nobody in my family had an university degree and that too was something that I wanted to achieve.

So my ambitions were to earn enough money to never have to worry about paying the bills when I started my own family and also to gain Bachelor and Master degrees. More recently my ambitions have been to become a Manager as well as be the number one in my chosen field of work.

Q3. What did you/do you plan to achieve before you turn 30?
A3. I wanted to progress as far as I could

Q4. How close are you to having achieved what you want before 40?
A4. I have achieved pretty much all what I wanted. I have a bachelor and a master degree as well as being successful within my office and my field of work. I recently got married in Italy and we had an unforgettable wedding. My aim for the coming years is to get a promotion to Business Manager and to start a family with my wife…after that I can call myself successful!!

Q5. How has Amoria Bond helped you to achieve those ambitions?
A5. The team at Amoria Bond have helped me immensely and in particular I was helped by Jorn, Timon, Ian and Nick. They have mentored and guided me to help me achieve the things that I have wanted to. Jorn helped me to get to the Senior Consultant level. Timon helps me to organise and to work with my team members. Ian gave me guidance to help me get to be a team manager in the office and Nick supported me all the way.

Q6. What are your goals for the next 5 years?
A6. I want to progress in the company and achieve the next promotions on the 10 Steps Programme. By the end of 2018 I want to be at the Business Manager level, by the end of 2019 become an Associate Director and by 2020 become a full Director of the business.

Q7. How have your achievements whilst working for Amoria Bond impacted your overall lifestyle?
A7. My achievements have given me a high degree of financial freedom for me personally and for my wider family. I am able to help my family whenever they are low on money and I don’t have to worry about money when I am out for a meal or shopping. I don’t have to scared that there isn’t any money in my bank account!

Q8. Has the career progression plan (10 Steps Programme) helped to set out what you can achieve with Amoria Bond?
A8. The programme has helped me and I’ve always kept an eye on it.

Q9. Which aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?
A9. I really like managing my team and coaching them to develop themselves so that they become successful consultants too. I still get enormous satisfaction when I complete a deal too or help one of my team complete theirs.

Q10. What do you like the most about working at Amoria Bond?
A10. It has changed my lifestyle and continues to do so. Working at Amoria Bond has helped me to be the best ‘ME’ that I can be and I feel that I am achieving my maximum potential.

Q11. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
A11. Make sure you have a goal and you are up for it (whatever it takes) because working at Amoria Bond is like a Champions League/Olympics competition. You have to be in it to win it!

Ask Chris a question

Q1. How did you get into Recruitment?
A1. I didn’t really set out to have a career in recruitment but after graduation I met with a head-hunter to discuss my career options. However the result was that I found myself being actually more interested in his job rather than the other roles we were discussing.

Q2. What were your ambitions when you were growing up?
A2. I didn’t really have any specific career goals when I was growing up, but I always was a competitive guy and I always wanted to be successful. I am driven to succeed.

Q3. What did you/do you plan to achieve in your career?
A3. I don’t really have a fixed plan of what I’d like to achieve in my career long term. I do have some short term goals that are fixed, but my medium and long term plans are a bit more fluid! I do want to be the best that I can be and therefore I am fully committed in every task that I do. What I have learnt is that if I fully commit myself to a task then the result will be usually positive and successful.

Q4. How close are you to having achieved what you want in your career?
A4. I’d say that I’m a good way on toward achieving my life goals. Last year I hit all my personal short term targets that I had set myself in the previous year. This year, I have set myself some new short term aims and I’m focusing on achieving these this year. I am also still striving for my medium/long term goals.

Q5. How has Amoria Bond helped you to achieve those ambitions?
A5. There are a number of ways in which Amoria Bond have helped me achieve my ambitions. The training programme allowed me to develop my commercial skills very quickly after coming into the business with limited prior work experience. The financial benefits of working for Amoria Bond have given me a great deal of freedom. The overall approach of Amoria Bond means that I am in direct control of the outcomes affecting me. The harder I work, the more successful in my job I am and the closer I get to my personal goals.

Q6. What are your goals for the next 5 years?
A6. In the next 5 years I want to buy my own house in Germany, and I’d love to have the opportunity to live abroad and lead a team/open an office for Amoria Bond in a new country.

Q7. How have your achievements whilst working for Amoria Bond impacted your overall lifestyle?
A7. The financial benefits that Amoria Bond offer has means that my lifestyle is continually getting better. The salary and commission scheme means that if I want to buy something expensive or go on an exotic holiday then I can without worrying too much! I find that my efforts are directly rewarded with the commission that I earn.

Q8. Has the career progression plan (10 Steps Programme) helped to set out what you can achieve with Amoria Bond?
A8. The career progression plan has really helped me to focus on my career goals. The frame work clearly sets out the next stage of progression and what is required to achieve that promotion. Therefore I’m always aware of the targets which I need to hit to get promoted.

Q9. Which aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?
A9. I really like working with people and I’m always in contact with people. I also really enjoy finding out about the latest development in the industry sector that I recruit for. Over the years, I have come to know a lot about the automotive industry and it is now a “hobby” for me. I also enjoy working in the office environment as a lot of my colleges are a similar age to me and therefore there is often lots of social activity going on.

Q10. What do you like the most about working at Amoria Bond?
A10. There are lots of aspects to working at Amoria Bond that I enjoy. I particularly like the fact that your efforts and hard work are recognised by the management team both in terms of the financial rewards as well as simple verbal acknowledgement in team meetings. I also really like the company trips that we do a few times every year!

Q11. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
A11. You should always be motivated by your personal goals whether they are big or small. I think that you should be constantly striving to improve and you should never be happy what you got because you always can do better! I think that it is also vital that you enjoy the victories and achievements but without dwelling on them! You’ll need to focus on the new targets. If being rewarded well for your direct efforts and working with people appeals to you, then this is a fantastic industry to work in.

Ask Daniel a question

Elena Longen is our Senior Internal Recruiter based within Cologne. Since joining Amoria Bond she has single handily grown the office to over 30 team members. She specialises in interview preparation, guidance and support and her experience over the last 3 years has allowed her to progress within the business and achieve a number of her own personal and professional goals.

Q1. When did you join Amoria Bond

A1. I joined Amoria Bond in August 2014.

Q2. What were you doing before?

A2. After I graduated with a Master’s degree in HRM from the Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2011, I started working as a Sales Support Administrator and Internal Recruiter for an online job board for IT and SAP Specialists. At this time the job board was part of a big international recruitment consultancy – that’s how I got into the industry. I built up the team in Frankfurt from 4 Sales Consultants to a team of 12 within 2 years. I was promoted to Senior Operations Executive within 2 years and responsible for the Sales Support team in Frankfurt, the account management for all Media Agency clients and the link between the marketing department in London and Frankfurt.

Q3. What’s happened with your career so far at AB?

A3. When I joined Amoria Bond in Cologne there were about 10 people working in that office with 3 guys from the Automotive team from Manchester moving to Cologne shortly after I started.
Since then I single-handed grew the office to 30 people now with 5 of my former rookies already being in positions growing their own teams.
We had to move from our office in the old town of Cologne to a much bigger one on Schildergasse in May 2016.
In the last 3 years the consultants I hired contributed significantly to the success of the business in terms of turnover and Cologne as an office does not need to shy away from the longer established teams at Amoria Bond.
We are very much looking forward to what 2018 will bring.

Q4. What’s been your career highlight?

A4. It is difficult to highlight one particular point as I had many. Every time a consultant is being promoted I feel very proud of them as not only the interview process is tough but also the job itself has it’s challenges.
It is amazing to see people progressing from a Trainee to Lead Consultant starting growing their own teams.
2017 has been a great year for my career at Amoria Bond because I hit the company Incentive trip and was able to go to Dubai with some great people I hired for the business. But my promotion to Senior Internal Recruiter in 2016 was also a big highlight for me only being in the business for 2 years.

Q5. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

A5. Outside of Amoria Bond I love travelling – especially to the UK and Ireland. I also have loads of destinations on my vision board I want to travel to soon; my commission from Amoria Bond helps me reach these goals. My biggest goal is travelling to New Zealand. I enjoy meeting up with friends, going out for good food and just have some quality time with them. I love to cook for my friends and working on improving my cooking skills by trying new recipes.

Q6. What advice do you have for someone joining the Amoria bond team in Cologne?

A6. My advice for someone joining the team is first of all have a willingness to learn and to take feedback. Everyone here wants the best for you and help you grow. Taking advice from successful consultants will help YOU to become successful as well.
A positive environment is very important to us, so we want to you to feel welcome and become an integrated part of the team as quickly as possible. You should also bring in a positive attitude and the desire to become the best version of yourself.

Ask Elena a question

We grab 5 minutes with Josephine Elliott who is a senior recruitment consultant in our Engineering team in the Manchester office.

Q. How did you get into Recruitment?
A. I have close friends who do recruitment and saw them doing well and enjoying the job, then one of them referred me to a recruitment to recruitment agent who introduced me to multiple companies.

Q. What were your ambitions when you were growing up?
A. I have always been very ambitious and career driven. Growing up I was sometimes unsure what I wanted to do however I was always willing to work hard to be successful and wanted to make sure I was able to provide for myself and my family without relying on anyone else.

Q. What did you/do you plan to achieve before you turn 30?
A. Before I turn 30 I want to have a team of people working for me, own a property in the UK and still be working for Amoria Bond but in another country.

Q. How close are you to having achieved what you want before 30?
A. I am already making steps towards building a team, and I am saving for a deposit on a house and have my eye on a particular development that I’m aiming to reserve a property within the next 6 months.

Q. How has Amoria Bond helped you to achieve those ambitions?
A. Amoria Bond have provided me with training and support which is unrivalled by any other company I’ve worked for in the past. The culture of the company means that I am surrounded by like minded people, and even though we work hard, we always have incentives running and targets to hit whereby we are rewarded with company holidays and a fantastic company car scheme.

Q. What are your goals for the next 5 years?
A. My goals are to have been promoted to Director and be running a successful team in another country such as America. I would like to own 2 properties that I rent out and also be involved in charity work too. I’ve just been to Peru with the Amoria Bond Charitable Trust to build houses for people in a shanty town called Las Laderas. The experience was massively rewarding and has made me keen to continue with this kind of thing!

Q. How have your achievements whilst working for Amoria Bond impacted your overall lifestyle?
A. Since I joined Amoria Bond in May 2016 my lifestyle has improved dramatically. I have my own apartment in Didsbury, drive a BMW 3 series, have hit every company holiday and been to places such as Dubai, Kitzbuhel and Lisbon, have been promoted twice and feel like I’m on track to hit my goals. I am also part of an amazing team and feel like a valued employee, with the help and support around me to progress and stay with the company for a long time.

Q. Has the career progression plan (10 Steps Programme) helped to set out what you can achieve with Amoria Bond?
A. Most definitely – I know what I’m working towards and know what I need to do to hit my next promotion. I was promoted from trainee to consultant within 6 months, and to senior in just over 12. I am now working towards Principal and am on track to be promoted again by the end of the year.

Q. Which aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?
A. I enjoy the fact that I always know what I’m working towards, and feel like I’m running my own business within Amoria Bond. We are constantly analysing our results and looking at what we can do to improve. We are also involved in regular training so I always feel like I am improving and developing my skills.

Q. What do you like the most about working at Amoria Bond?
A. It’s got to be the culture of the company and the investment in building a positive and ambitious team. Everyone gets on with each other and although we work hard and put the hours in we have a lot of fun!

Q. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
A. My advice would be to think about what’s most important to you – if you’re not afraid to work long hours and be prepared to have to pick yourself up after a fall, but are keen for self development and progression, the chance to earn good money and be rewarded with brilliant company benefits then I would say recruitment could be a good option for you!

Ask Josephine a question

We grab 5 minutes with UK Performance Coach, Leah Brown to find out how Amoria Bond invest in getting the best from you.

Q1: Tell me about your role at Amoria?

A: As a Senior Performance Coach, I am responsible for training and development at Amoria Bond to help our team members meet their full potential. We do this through a variety of activities; from class based learning to role play sessions. Working closely with our recruitment consultants, we aim to identify areas of strength to help evolve a good skill-set to a great one and also look at weaknesses where we really sharpen those skills. It’s about enabling our people to perform at their very best. It’s also about getting people to reach their full potential quicker, upskilling so they can increase placements, hit targets and benefit from the success of doing so. Doing this helps improve overall performance across the board and allows individuals to take a core role in their own success.

Q2: Define the term ‘performance coaching’?

A: Performance coaching is actually a term you hear a lot within the sports industry, where people need support to work hard and be consistent in order to grow into champions. Ultimately it’s to coach the best out of people, allowing them to be their best. It’s about celebrating the best in each member of the team and allowing them to have sense of direction.

Q3: How does the individual goal setting help a team member develop at Amoria Bond?

A: It’s about people coming to work with a sense of purpose and direction, which relates to other aspects of their lives. I think one of the major mistakes many other companies make is in assuming people only have ‘career goals’. In reality, everyone has wider ‘life goals’ no matter how big or small. They may want to live in a certain area, pay off student debts, buy a car or something else. Helping them identify key goals and objectives can help individuals make career based decisions to meet those goals. I think it also helps with workplace engagement if someone knows why they are going to work everyday. Otherwise it’s like driving somewhere with no route, no map or end destination!

Q4: Your staff don’t tend to come from a recruitment background. What skills do you feel are transferrable for someone who is thinking about applying for a role at Amoria Bond?

A: We believe that 80% of what it takes to be successful is attitude, if they have that we’ll do the rest with refining and honing the other 20! To survive and thrive in a recruitment based role they need to have a real desire for success, either academically, personally or professionally. The ability to focus on the end goal is key, as is the tenacity, resilience and self motivation required to get there. They also need to be personable, confident and engaging.

Q5: What type of training and development support can someone expect in their first year at Amoria Bond?

A: Training and development is very much of the company culture at Amoria so it’s integrated into our teams day to day working lives, rather than being a separate entity. Typically, recruitment consultants could expect a 2-3 hour coaching session per week which includes everything from general support to listening in on phone calls and advising on objection handling. There’s also weekly micro-sessions which includes things such as the role-play sessions and even support on how to handle the pressure of a sales environment. We aim to offer continual support and development at each stage of someone’s career so we also invest in bringing in external training providers. These experts don’t just focus on recruitment and service skills, but also help our team improve mindset and attitude which allows them to develop as individuals as well as recruiters.

Q6: What have been both your best achievements personally and professionally during your time at Amoria Bond?

A: Professionally, it was winning ‘Newcomer of the Year’ at the AGM in Amsterdam. Amoria Bond really celebrates success and I enjoy being part of helping people increase in confidence and go forward in their careers to meet their goals.

Ask Leah a question

We caught up with Matthew Roebuck who has recently been promoted to Director in the Cologne office.

Q. How did you get into recruitment?
A. A close friend I went to school with got a job in Recruitment and recommended it to me

Q. What were your ambitions when you were growing up?
A. I went to a Grammar school where a lot of my class mates were from wealthy families and had a lot of the finer things in life. My background was a little bit different but I wanted to have the best of everything. For me to do that, I knew that I needed to earn good money. I also wanted to be recognised as successful by my parents and prove that school / university education was not the most important thing to form a great career.

Q. What did you/do you plan to achieve before you turn 30?
A. I planned to buy my first house, to own my first sports car and also to progress my career to management level.

Q. How close are you to having achieved what you want before 30?
A. I bought my first house in the UK at the age of 26 (I just purchased my second house in Germany), I got my first sports car at the age of 25 and I bought a new one at the age of 28. Recently I have been promoted to Director of our German office in Cologne and I am currently directly managing a team of 17 Consultants with various levels of experience.

Q. How has Amoria Bond helped you to achieve those ambitions?
A. Amoria Bond helped me to understand that in any area of your life, attitude is the most important thing. Your Attitude to Working Hard, being Positive, Learning & Development and Persevering is crucial and underpins any achievement that you make. They have constantly supported me and invested in me to help me develop both as a Recruiter / Manager but also as a person.

Q. What are your goals for the next 5 years?
A. Now that I have been promoted to Director, I have my sights set on becoming an MD with the business. My hope is to support Amoria Bond opening up further offices either in Germany or further afield in North America or in the Far East. Personally I am looking at owning my dream car of either a Porsche 911 or a Mercedes AMG GT.

Q. How have your achievements whilst working for Amoria Bond impacted your overall lifestyle?
A. It has enabled me to have freedom in my life choices outside of work, I no longer need to worry about what money I spend on a monthly basis. If I want to go to my favourite restaurant spontaneously, I am able to do so, If I want to spend a Saturday afternoon shopping for new clothes, I can do. I am able to enjoy luxury holidays frequently and I am also able to treat my close friends and family to the same things. Ultimately I am stress free from a money and lifestyle perspective.

Q. Has the career progression plan (10 Steps Programme) helped to set out what you can achieve with Amoria Bond?
A. 100%! Each step is clearly defined and visible to everyone within the company, this means you are always aware of not just your next step but also the one after. This has been a great motivator for me and helped me to progress my career.

Q. Which aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?
A. I enjoy the variety of the job, the people that I work with, the environment I work in (It’s such a positive atmosphere), the autonomy and freedom I have been given but most importantly I enjoy the challenge! It doesn’t actually feel like a job, it’s so enjoyable!

Q. What do you like the most about working at Amoria Bond?
A. The people that I work with. We only hire the best people who have the right mind set to be successful. That means that every day I am surrounded by positive, ambitious and hard Working people who want to win!

Q. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
A. Make sure that you do your homework on the job and what it entails, speak to people within the industry. Set yourself specific goals you would like to achieve both personally and in your career, be prepared to work hard! Nothing worth having in life is easy, so don’t expect working in recruitment to be easy, its challenging and you will only be successful if you have the right attitude!

Ask Matthew a question

Image of Rena Bahadori, senior consultant

Q1. How did you get into Recruitment?
A1. I’d just finished my studies in the UK and went back to Germany. I was planning to go back to the UK because I wanted to gain some work experience in the UK job market. I came across a job advert for Amoria Bond for a Trainee Recruitment Consultant position. They were looking for someone with German as well as English language skills for the Manchester office. I applied and I was successful!

Q2. What were your ambitions when you were growing up?
A2. I always wanted to be independent and successful even though I wasn’t sure of a specific career path to take. I knew I wanted a career which challenged me and that gave me the opportunity to be rewarded well for hard work. I’ve always worked hard and the prospect of hard work was never a problem for me.

Q3. What did you/do you plan to achieve in your career?
A3. I always wanted to have a good education and experience living abroad before I started my career. To be honest, I didn’t set myself any specific goals before I started my career at Amoria Bond because I hadn’t really thought about it when I was a student. After finishing my degree, I just wanted to pay back my student fees as soon as possible whilst being able to maintain a good standard of living in a career that I enjoyed.

Q4. How close are you to having achieved what you want in your career?
A4. After finishing my studies I was able to pay back all of my student fees after just my second year at Amoria Bond. My bank had actually created a 10-year pay back plan for me but I was able to throw in the bin 2 years later!! As well as paying back the loan early, I was able to save up a certain amount of money and become financially independent. I have been to destinations like Dubai and Florida and I was able to invite my mum to a holiday in Italy as well. My ambitions now are to grow my team as well as hit the sales target that I set myself.

Q5. How has Amoria Bond helped you to achieve those ambitions?
A5. Obviously, being able to pay off the loan early and do the travelling that I have wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t had the opportunity to earn good commissions with Amoria Bond. You get a lot of support here to steer you in the right direction as well as guidance if things get tough in your market.

Q6. What are your goals for the next 5 years?
A6. Be in a management position (and eventually a Director position!) with a big team. On a personal note, I’d like to be able to go on holidays multiple times a year, have a nice car, get married and enjoy a good living standard.

Q7. How have your achievements whilst working for Amoria Bond impacted your overall lifestyle?
A7. I could start saving up some money earlier than I thought and I was able to spend money on holidays for me and my family. I have been able to earn enough money to able to spend money without having to worry about it.

Q8. Has the career progression plan (10 Steps Programme) helped to set out what you can achieve with Amoria Bond?
A8. It definitely helps me to have more precise goals that I can work towards. I can break them down into short term activities instead of being overwhelmed by what I can or can not accomplish at work. The programme gives clear direction on what’s required to become successful and climb up the career ladder.

Q9. Which aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?
A9. I enjoy being challenged in the right way as it helps me to develop and get better in different aspects. I also like working towards specific and clear goals.

Q10. What do you like the most about working at Amoria Bond?
A10. Besides the money you can earn here, I enjoy the positive team spirit. I think my colleagues are a great motivation and we create a fun atmosphere in work. I’ve made a few really close friends here along the way.

Q11. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
A11. Be ready to put a lot of hard work into it and have a thick skin because the recruitment industry has its ups and downs. I find that making ambitious goals help alot because they motivate you along the way.

Ask Rena a question

We talk to Richard Grogan about dream weddings, fast cars and seeing the world in style!

Thinking back to when you were 20, what did you plan to achieve before 30 (both personally and professionally)?
At 20 and still at University, I honestly didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do. I did know that I wanted a good job and a great lifestyle! After graduation I worked in debt collection whilst running my own small translation business. It wasn’t enough for me though and I was keen for something more challenging. I had a friend who was working in recruitment at the time and had heard about the money you could earn and the opportunities that might come out of a career in this area. I joined Amoria Bond at age 24; I didn’t have any sales experience but the training and development opportunities meant that by working hard and really focusing on honing my skills, I could learn to sell successfully. By the end of my first year I had worked extremely hard, built credibility within my field and set some personal and professional goals.

How close are you to having achieved what you want before 30 working at Amoria Bond?
I think I’m close, but there is always more that you can aim for; it’s important to push yourself. Within 18 months of joining Amoria Bond I was able to put down a deposit for a house and I had managed to pay for a luxury trip to Paris to propose to my now wife with a ring from Tiffany & Co. From there my work ethic and success has given me my ideal lifestyle and paid for incredible experiences along the way including our dream wedding and a fantastic honeymoon on a private island near the Dominican Republic. During my first 3 years at Amoria Bond I was given a company car, which I’ve upgraded a couple of times since and I now drive an executive car. It’s the exact make and model I’ve always aimed for, but didn’t think I would achieve so soon in my career. One of my best experiences with Amoria Bond however was the opportunity to support The Amoria Bond Charitable Trust. I spent time in Peru and I raised over £2,000 for the charity Project Peru and helped to build houses for deprived families. This has been one of my most significant life experiences and it’s great I was able to do this through working at Amoria Bond.

I’m just over 30 now and have achieved most of what I set out to at this point in my life. Within 5 years I had 4 promotions and I must have attended between 15-20 international conferences with the company in exciting locations; working at Amoria Bond basically introduced me to skiing! My wife and I had a baby last year so it’s great that my progression within the company means that we have saved enough to put a deposit on a second house or move to one much bigger! I also wanted to be the top achiever for new business and the top biller across the company and have achieved both of these, so that’s a great feeling of satisfaction. It’s ultimately about having a certain lifestyle – great career, lovely home, fantastic experiences and the opportunity to enjoy them all fully whilst I’m still young.

What training, development and wider support has been crucial in helping you achieve these things?
At first, I struggled with the idea of performance coaching but without any solid recruitment experience, it really is the best way for me to learn quickly. The goal setting training also helped me create a clear vision of where I wanted my life and career to go, supported with a clear roadmap to help me get there. Everything the company has offered in terms of training and development has been critical to my continued success; for example bringing in external trainers for support, as well as learning from those that have done really well, which is always inspiring.

How does your professional achievement impact on your overall lifestyle?
It’s definitely given me more options. In my fourth year my wife and I were starting to plan for children but before taking the plunge we wanted to each have our dream holidays. We set some goals and planned our perfect holidays to America. We took 2 trips – firstly stayed in a fantastic hotel overlooking Central Park and then we also drove Route 66 in a hired convertible. Without achieving at work, I wouldn’t have the financial stability to take a trip like that and plan for a family in close succession.

What are your goals for the next 5 years?
My next goal is to get promoted to Business Manager and focus my time and energy on building the most successful division in the business. Significantly, the biggest motivation for me (certainly beyond money and lifestyle) is recognition and being valued by the company Directors and management team. I really get that at Amoria Bond; as a company, we are great at celebrating success and really recognising the value people bring and that really drives me. Five years down the line I’d like to have achieved Directorship and have had a real impact on the expansion of Amoria Bond. Setting up a new office outside of the UK and entering new markets would really appeal to me. I have savings plans too in order to create long-term financial security for my wife and I. It’s great to be able to make choices, such as being able to retire before 65. On a personal level, I also want to learn to fly a plane; that’s next on my list!

Since this article was written, Richard Grogan has been promoted to Business Manager.

Matthias Günther

Mariano Mei

Abi Agyeman

Amy Steel

Chris Charlemagne

Daniel Freistedt

Deborah Doyle

Elena Longen

Ian Cross

Jorn Job Klaver

Josephine Elliott

Leah Brown

Matthew Roebuck

Nelson Anthony

Rena Bahadori

Richard Grogan

Rick Smithies

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