Pros
Genuine boutique and inclusive office culture and opportunities for graduates to gain exposure early on in their career. Interaction between consultants and researchers was strong and healthy, and the inclusion of teams at all points of the project management process was always encouraged. Base salary for graduates was good (£28,500) with opportunities to rise quickly and bonuses were awarded on a per-project basis (c. £350 per completed assignment), again with opportunities to rise quickly.
Cons
Though all located on a single office floor, the practice teams were usually quite cliquey and opportunity for rotation for graduates was limited. From December 2014 to June 2015, the global executive search firm went into a tail-spin following allegations of systemic sexual discrimination among senior management, which ultimately took the company into disrepair with key clients and consultants fleeing and the reputation taking a battering. After the rejection of a takeover by DHR International at $7.00 per share in around April 2015, the end for the company drew closer and by June 2015 CTPartners ran out of money and filed for bankruptcy. The management of this whole process and the communication of information from top-down was appalling and undermined every fibre of the positive culture that the firm had done so well to create. A disappointing end and a shameful thing to happen to what was largely a very nice and professional group of people.