'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 top talent. While these events offer unique opportunities for young job seekers, they also highlight the competitive nature of the modern labor market.
Why it matters
This trend reflects a shift in corporate hiring strategies toward performance-based assessment, potentially creating barriers for candidates who do not thrive in high-stakes, public environments.
Image source, Jon Bradley Image caption, Yumi Liberman is on track to get a full-time job with L'Oréal
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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