Pros
I've worked at other recruiting firms and nothing has compared to the experience I gained at RSR Partners. The MD's were all very impressive and accomplished. They built careers in the industries they covered. They were very hands on, unlike other firms where MD's solely focus on business development, leaving execution to the Associates. I also felt like my opinions and views were respected, even though I was fresh out of college. On top of that, the exposure to high-level executives was unheard of among my peers working in other industries: I met with and interviewed Fortune 1000 executives, and was able to attend some of our client company's internal meetings. As an Associate you don't just learn how to be a recruiter, you learn about various industries and businesses and how they work. You also learn about personality, ego, style and culture, and how big a role these factors play in companies' strategies and recruiting needs, and you learn how to listen to, deal with, and deliver to high-level executives (clients). Finally, there was a great culture at RSR Partners. As in most small offices there was gossip and minor conflicts, but overall the culture was one of compassion and caring. I felt like they were truly invested in me, and wanted me to do well at work and in life.
Cons
This may have changed since I worked at RSR Partners, but things could go from slow to hectic quickly. Sometimes several MD's would ask you to work on something at once. You need to learn time-management quickly, and how to manage-up/manage MD's expectations, or else you could find yourself over-promising and under-delivering.