People we have placed

We are truly committed to helping our candidates develop their careers and offering a consultative approach to recruitment. Below are a small selection of candidate testimonials.

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“Sarah-Louise at Astute has been amazing, so helpful and courteous, yet realistic too. It was difficult to get roles as they were so few and far between, and yet she still managed to offer positions wherever she could. It took 8 months to gain my next job which starts in April and this would not have happened if she hadn’t gone above and beyond. I am so relieved and grateful as the job could lead to a permanent position. A huge thank you to Sarah-Louise and Astute Recruitment Ltd. If you are looking for work I strongly recommend you reach out to them.

Howard

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“I first applied to a role that was advertised with Astute having never had any interaction with them before, I spoke to Mary and she really took out the time to get to know me first as a person something I found in my job search to be quite unique. Most recruiters would speak to me for around 5-10 minutes at most, I believe I spoke to Mary initially for around an hour.

Even before Mary had put me forward for any roles they had available she gave me lots of valuable advice which really helped me through my job search. This really did help as it gave me a lot of confidence especially as I had just lost my previous job due to Covid.

Astute understood what kind of roles I was looking at and what would be most suitable for me at my current skill level, they always took into consideration my needs as a candidate and aligned those with the vacancies they had available which is a stark contrast to a lot of recruiters who I have dealt with in the past who have pushed roles that really weren’t suitable for me.

Honestly, I couldn’t recommend working with Astute enough, they were fantastic throughout the whole recruitment process.”

Stuart

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“Tom contacted me about a possible role that he thought would be ideal for me. The role sounded interesting and I was fortunate enough to get an interview and eventually the job. Tom was very supportive, offering encouragement and advice throughout the whole process and the help he gave me to aid my preparation for both interviews was invaluable.

Even after securing the role, Tom was in contact to keep me updated on the progress of the offer through to me settling in at the company after a few months”

Tom was very professional throughout and I would highly recommend him and Astute Recruitment.

Thank you once again for all your help.

Phillip

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“Tom has an incredible knack for matching the right candidate to the right role! He found my cv and approached me about a job that could not be more perfectly suited to my experience. This is clearly not an accident-he takes great pride in his work and would be the ideal recruiter from a company perspective.
His support throughout the interview process was second to none and communication was clear throughout.
Highly recommend Tom both for companies and candidates!”

Harriet

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“Thank you to Sarah Stevenson and the team at Astute! I’ve really enjoyed my temporary assignment with you and if I ever need you in the future I will come straight to you. I have worked for several agencies in the past and having worked for Astute, I can honestly say you are miles ahead of them all.”

Lisa

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“Richard is a genuine professional. I was impressed with his ability to get to know my skills and what roles would be suitable. He kept me informed at all times and provided constructive feedback. He genuinely went out of his way to help with every aspect of the recruitment process. I would recommend Richard to anyone looking for their next role and I look forward to working with him in the future.”

Kullie

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“I wanted to take the time to say a huge thank you to Astute. Back in May, I took on a role with a large Company, mainly to gain corporate experience. The agency at the time didn’t really get to know me, or ask questions … it was just a placing and quite a cold process.

After establishing it wasn’t the role for me, I dusted myself down and went back to market. This is when I was contacted by Sarah Stevenson from Astute… what a world of difference! Someone that cares, someone that listens and someone who wanted to go that extra mile! She never gave up and kept me posted at least once a week with updates.

I truly couldn’t recommend this agency enough..

Fantastic! Sarah you’re amazing! I wish you and your team a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year.”

Donna

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“Vijay has a natural ability to match a candidate’s personality to a future employer and above all listen and understand what their objectives are, at what is always a difficult stressful time searching for a job.  In addition, an incredible memory for past candidates placed after 23 years….?!

He also gives you the self-confidence to work for him as your representative and this was certainly a factor in boosting my performance at the recent two interviews and I am absolutely delighted to repay his faith and trust in securing the position.

With Vijay and Astute, the biggest complement I can pay is that whilst the past few weeks have been a rollercoaster, I never once felt that “statistic” or it was about “the commission” and Vijay kept in touch on an almost daily basis and seemed genuinely interested in my well-being and future career over and above being just another candidate in his live portfolio.”

Neil

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“I just wanted to say a big thank you to Annie for all her support, despite being made redundant in November thanks to Annie I haven’t spent a week without work!”

David

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“Mary. Thank you for understanding my particular circumstances and finding me a role that fits the needs of my family and fulfils my future career aspirations. You placed me with a fantastic employer where I have been offered the prospect of an exciting career path and I am surrounded by a wonderful team. Your agency provided a first-class service in ensuring the correct fit between employer and employee.”

Michelle

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“Rose, I am very grateful for all of the work and the help that you have given me over the past few weeks. After dealing with so many different recruitment agencies and consultants, I can definitely say without any doubt, that you have proved to be by far the best that I have dealt with. It has been an absolutely pleasure dealing with you, the way you interacted with me was amazing, I wasn’t just a number or anything like I’ve felt at other agencies. Hopefully I won’t need to find another job in many years, but if I do, I know exactly the agency and consultant that I want to work with.   You have gone beyond every expectation.”

Mart

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“I’m so pleased with your agency and the way Terry and Sarah-Louise treated me & helped me to find what I wanted. I will definitely recommend your business to everyone who may need recruitment services in the future. I wish you all the best and prosperity to your business!”

Ana 

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“It goes without saying, but thank you again for all of your help, you’re a great team and always there to support me when I need you.”

Annette

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“I cannot recommend this company enough and here is why….. I am returning to work after a long period, 9 years, I approached Astute and from the moment of my phone call and submitting my CV they have been fantastic.  I worried that nobody would want to employ me but they made me feel really valuable.  The girls, Terrie, Sarah-Louise and Sarah (in no particular order) are amazing, if they say they will call back they do, and how often does that happen? Extremely knowledgeable and they give you the info on the person and company you are being interviewed by. They make sure you will have enough time to do your research prior to interview and enough information about the role.  If you call and the person you need to speak to is not there, then one of the other members of staff is there will know you and will be able to talk about the job you are calling for. I have temped for them and I am now going into a permanent position with them.  Cannot recommend them enough. 5 stars out of 5.”

Chantelle

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“My recruitment experience was smooth and Vijay spent a good amount of time with me discussing what I wanted my next career step to be. He also used his experience in the industry to help to advise me on what he thought would be a good next move and used his connections to get me an interview at the company that I will now be joining. Vijay communicated well with me and kept me up-to-date throughout the entire process.”

Emma

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“I just wanted to thank you so much for your time and efforts in trying to find my new role. I really appreciated your open, friendly, professional approach. I won’t hesitate to recommend you to any finance professionals I meet and will of course be in touch myself if needed in future. Thank you once again, and very best wishes.”

Valerie 

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“I have been with Astute Recruitment for 8 months. I had a meet for coffee with a lovely bubbly lady called Sarah-Louise. She took all my details and helped me with my CV which I had never done before and also I had not had an interview for 31 years. She said just be yourself and I was.  Sarah-Louise found me a temp. job which I really enjoyed. I told her what I  wanted and today I have got exactly that. She kept her word and kept in touch all the time updating me. I am now in a permanent position working for a lovely Company. I am very grateful to Sarah-Louise as I was pretty nervous at finding a new job. I would definitely recommend Astute as they do try for you and keep their word.”

Sharon

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“I wanted to take the time to write this to you regarding your role in placing in my current position. I found your approach to be very thorough in terms of understanding what I wanted from my next role, salary required, location and then matching that to the needs of potential new employers. I also appreciated you giving me honest feedback with regards to interviews – I always feel that when recruitment agencies don’t do that it doesn’t help the candidate to improve their interview style but I am grateful for your honesty.
I also found you to be understanding in terms of reasons why I did not want to pursue opportunities.  Agencies can be pushy, understandably sometimes trying to get the candidate to see what they perhaps can’t but I do think that there comes a point when no means no and I think you know where that point is. Overall, if and when I decide to search for a new opportunity, I would very much welcome speaking to you again.”

Imran

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“This was the  first time I have dealt with a Recruitment Agency and I can say Astute are fantastic!  They are so professional, supportive and friendly.  They kept me informed and up to date at all times.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone in the future.  Thanks for everything I cannot wait to start my new job!”

Amanda

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“I always wanted to stay closer to home and work in manufacturing and Vijay helped me secure my ideal opportunity. Vijay always communicated to me very well throughout each stage of my interviews. He also gave me good hints and tips about the company and what they were looking for which made my interview preparation easier. I would most certainly recommend Astute recruitment as they are highly trained recruitment consultants who understand their market and client’s needs.”

Rina

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“I had a very pleasant and easy experience with Vijay from Astute. Vijay responded in a timely manner whenever I had a question or had any queries regarding the potential job role/company. He was very informative at each stage of the process, from my initial phone interview and introduction to Astute to my face-to-face meeting and final interview with the prospective company. Vijay made me feel at ease throughout the whole process and at each interview stage and helped me with the confidence I needed to succeed within my new role and I cannot thank him enough.”

Anita

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“I joined Astute and from the start found the team so friendly and helpful.  I have now found a job I love and would recommend Astute highly.”

Alicia

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“I was placed in my current company by Astute Recruitment a few years ago now after not being sure where my previous employment was leading to. Everything was handled very professionally and the staff are very friendly. I was placed at my current company very quickly after talking through with Astute to make sure it was right for me, I am extremely satisfied with my current career path. My current employer continues to use Astute Recruitment to fill a number of roles in the East Midlands.”

Daniel

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“On calling Mary when looking for my next career move, I was advised that Vijay Patel had joined the business to look after the senior / executive market for Astute.  I knew Vijay from previous roles and he is a very committed recruiter, trying to find the best role for you, rather than just forcing you into vacant roles.  My experience with Vijay was second to none, first we continued our relationship we had built over the previous years.  Secondarily he listened to what I was looking for, rather than just saying here is a role.  He then kept me fully briefed and up to date with how the application was going, and was always the person leading the relationship, which was a nice change to other recruiters I have worked with, who you constantly have to chase.”

“Vijay kept me very well informed during my application for the role I accepted. He used email, text and call, depending on what the message was and I found this very useful as it kept me abreast of what was going on at all times. As a recruiter very highly and I will be using him in my new role should roles need to be recruited for in my finance team. I secured the ideal opportunity in a market and industry that is going to move my career forward and this was down to Vijay listening to what I wanted to do and making the opportunity happen.”

Robert

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“Fantastic experience with Astute Recruitment. Within a few weeks of speaking with Mary, I was put forward for a great job and received the job offer. I will be working with a great company starting next week and I cannot thank Mary enough for her excellent service. She was professional and understanding of exactly what I was looking for in a job. Definitely recommend Astute to anyone that is looking for a job!”

Ashika

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“I can honestly say that out of all the agencies I was registered with Astute Recruitment was the agency with the personal touch. Terrie Mills actually listened and understood my requirements and found the right role for me, both professionally and personally. I would highly recommend Astute Recruitment.”

Claire

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“I have to say my recruitment experience has been the best I have ever received for this new role and that is down to Vijay. From the beginning Vijay kept me informed throughout the whole process and going through all the interview stages. His experience and knowledge of the client and specific role was brilliant to help with the interviews and most importantly finding out about the role to make the important decision taking the job!”

“I have now started my new role and thoroughly enjoying my new job! It is everything Vijay had detailed, and I absolutely love the opportunity I have with my new job at an amazing Company. I highly recommend Vijay Patel, Astute Recruitment and certainly wouldn’t consider any other agency in the future, I will definitely be in contact with Vijay again for any future recruitment I am involved in going forward”

Laura

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“When looking for a new job, I found that Astute were extremely helpful and committed to finding the perfect role for me. They offered a friendly, professional and personalised service and within a few days, had put me forward for a position which I have now been in for over a year. I would like to thank the Astute team for all of the positivity, help and support they provided in not only finding the job but continuing to support me once I had moved.”

Daniel

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“I would highly recommend using Astute Recruitment as an agency. I found them to be very professional and proactive in their search for work me. Within two weeks of meeting the lovely Terri Mills she had taken on board what I was looking for and I had a secured a permanent position with a local company.”

Sarah

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“Since my redundancy at the end of March I have been in regular contact with Sarah-Louise who has acted in the most courteous, professional and sympathetic in finding roles to explore in credit control. She has gone beyond what I expect of a recruitment consultant and has questioned my rationale when roles on offered to and has in fact kept her eye on the ball at all times. I would highly recommend both Sarah-Louise and Astute in all matters of recruitment. It has been an easy professional relationship to maintain and one I am glad I have being that I am still looking for a role.”

Andrew

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“Astute have been nothing but professional throughout the entire recruitment process. They were extremely supportive and kept me informed of progress every step of the way. A special thank you to Mary, James and Jenny for all of your efforts. I have already recommended Astute to others who I know are looking and I will continue to recommend in the future.”

Steve

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“I have been working with Sarah Stevenson for over 10 years and she has placed me in various roles. I find her dedication and commitment to securing the right role really refreshing. I have always been regularly updated and she has been quick to answer any questions/queries at an impressive pace.”

Keeley

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“I just wanted to send a quick message to say thank you for everything that you  did for me to help me back into employment.  I’ve been meaning to email for a while but I’ve been too busy with work!  It’s a real challenge but I’m enjoying it and everyone  is really nice to work with.  I would definitely recommend Astute to anyone looking for a job in Accounts.”

Hardeep

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“From contacting Astute when I saw the job advert to starting my new role I found the support and advice I got from the company was invaluable. I felt I’d been extremely well prepared for both the interview process that I faced and the role and company I was applying for and Mary was on hand to answer all the questions I had both before and after the interview. The feedback I got was very timely and productive and I felt that my interests were looked after throughout the whole process.”

Adam

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“Just a quick email just to say thank you very much as you have been very supportive and have believed in me and tried your best to find me a good job. I would recommend yourself and Astute to any person as this is a great agency and has great consultants such as Mary.”

Shiraz

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“Mary Maguire is a very professional consultant with great personal approach. Her expertise and negotiating skills have helped me to get the position within a company I wanted. The communication throughout the selection/ interviewing process was amazing as well as useful support and advice that Mary provided! Undoubtedly, I recommend her to people who are looking for a new career move. Thank you!”

Olga

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“I went to Astute Recruitment Agency after being made redundant, I have found the staff very friendly and helpful whilst maintaining a professional approach. Payment for hours worked and holidays accrued was always in a timely and prompt manner. After several months on assignment I now have a contract with the company I was placed with, this was negotiated in a professional and sensitive manner with this recruitment agency. I would definitely recommend signing up with Astute, the most honest and reliable agency I have ever had the pleasure of working with, I will certainly not hesitate to sign up again in the future if the need arises. Thank you all for being there, keep up the good work!”

Penny

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“I was approached by Astute regarding a position for an Assistant Credit Manager, I was very impressed by the support, professionalism and communication that they provided to me during the interview process and as I secured the position. As a candidate, I have been extremely impressed by your organisation and would recommend you to anyone that is looking for future recruitment needs. 10 out 10.  Many thanks!”

Donna

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“During my search for a new role I have worked with dozens of recruitment agencies and I can genuinely say that Astute have been one of the most helpful and caring companies I have worked with. They worked with me to make sure I was always perfectly suited to a role, they had my best interests in mind at all times and didn’t just put me forward for any old job. They are reliable, efficient, professional and – above all – truthful. This alone sets them out from much of their competition. If I am unfortunate enough to find myself unemployed again in the future, Astute will be first recruitment agency I will be calling.”

Laura

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“Having worked as a temp through Astute I got to know the team really well. They care about finding people the right role so I did not hesitate to get back in touch with them when I was looking for a permanent position. I’m so happy in the job they put me forward for and that’s all down to the personal service from Sarah-Louise and the team!”

Shelley

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“I would have no hesitation in recommending Astute Recruitment, Sarah-Louise was so helpful and supportive whilst I was looking for a job. I personally think that Sarah-Louise and the team as a whole were very in tune with my needs and expectations. This resulted in my getting the perfect placement!!! Thanks.”

Janet

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