The Parallel Universe

Every month we like to recognise one employee who truly did amazing work in recruitment.

In May, that was John Bevan, one of our VPs of Analytics in our USA office in New York City! We decided to sit down with John and ask him what went so well last month in our brand new office in the United States.

So, John, congratulations on winning the “Top Biller” award this past May! How does it feel? 

Great! The first month on the ground, it was important that we got to a strong start as a team. Obviously what helped was that we could meet both client and candidate straight after interview to makes sure everything was closed off and limit potential pitfalls. But, it’s all about the team! We’re a team of two out here, so if you don’t bill, there’s nowhere to hide!

What’s been the most challenging aspect in launching a brand-new office in a whole new city?

I think we have genuinely found it a seamless transition, as we were able to come here 8 or 9 times before we moved out here. The good thing is now, after speaking to a client or candidate, we can meet them within half of an hour. It’s a face to face game and it’s even more prevalent in NYC.

When you are in New York City, what’s your favourite neighbourhood or place to go to?

Seeing as we live in the Financial District, we’ve managed to frequent a few bars in the neighbourhood, most notably, Ulysses and the Dead Rabbit. It’s always nice to pop in there for a $10 pint after a hard day’s work! Aside from that, I’m a big fan of the East Village.

With the USA team winning both the “Manager of the Month” award and the “Top Biller” awards, what do you think went so well last month?

Again, the fact that we have been able to meet our candidates and clients in person, but most of the work for these deals occurred in April. We are now able to establish long lasting relationship properly and really get to know our clients and candidates, whereas before, being five hours away really hampered this.

OK, we need to ask, what’s your favourite food you get to eat now that you are living in New York City?

Seeing as I am absolutely determined to not get fat and its bikini bod season, I like to keep it simple with some salad from Whole Foods. Exciting right! I have to add the quality of couscous out here is exceptional.  It’s a tough one – going from one extreme to another. Either it’s a salad or a buffalo chicken pizza...

So, since you opened the office in the Big Apple, what has the office vibe been like?

The morale in the office has been as good as it has been since we started. This obviously contributes to a daily, successful working environment.  We come into work every day from wall street, leaving Grand Central station and passing by places like the Empire State Building - it reminds you why you wanted to move to this place!

Now, what do you love most about living in the USA, New York especially?

I love the city, but it’s also a great hub for traveling to other places in North America. For example, just last week I was swilling cold ones in the Bay area and drinking a fine Pinot Noir at a wine tasting in the Napa Valley!

Congratulations John and Team USA – your efforts to find the perfect candidates and build long-lasting relationship with your clients certainly hasn't gone unnoticed, and your enthusiasm and endeavours continue to prove that you are all amazing assets to our company! Well done to John Bevan and Jack Wallace for opening the our new New York City office this May. To see what jobs Team USA is working on in Data Analytics, Forensic Analytics, Risk Analytics, Financial Crime and Data Science, click here.

We come into work every day from wall street, leaving Grand Central station and passing by places like the Empire State Building - it reminds you why you wanted to move to this place!

Read more about how you can join our team in our New York City office here