'I performed on stage to get my first job' - the firms turning recruitment into competitions
Companies are increasingly using high-pressure, competition-based recruitment events to identify talent, as seen with L'Oreal's Brandstorm program. While these events generate buzz and offer career opportunities, they raise questions about fairness and the intense pressure placed on young job seekers.
Why it matters
This trend reflects a shift in corporate hiring practices toward gamification, which may disadvantage candidates who perform poorly under public scrutiny despite having strong technical skills.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google MaryLou Costa Jon Bradley Yumi Liberman, centre, and two friends pitched a business idea to French cosmetics company L'Oreal Yumi Liberman was up on stage in front of a panel of judges and an audience of 300 people, and she had to perform.
But rather than singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument, she and two friends were in an auditorium in London in 2024 to pitch their business idea, hoping to secure a full-time job with cosmetics giant L'Oreal.
"It reminded me of when I used to do competitive sports growing up and the pressure would get heavy," says Liberman, now 24. "But somehow you just get into flow mode."
She and her friends had got through to the UK final of Brandstorm, an international competition run by the French company, where young adults outline their product and business ideas.
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