Yumi Liberman is on track to secure a full-time position with L'Oréal after participating in a competitive recruitment event. Liberman, along with two friends, pitched their business idea in front of a panel of judges and an audience of 300 people in London in 2024. Their proposal for a haircare app won them the UK final of Brandstorm, an international competition organized by L'Oréal, and they subsequently placed third in the global final in Paris. Although only the first-place team received automatic job offers, Liberman impressed company executives enough to earn a spot in its marketing management traineeship, leading to a full-time role.
Recruitment competitions like L'Oréal's Brandstorm generate publicity for companies and attract a diverse pool of applicants, including those who may not have considered applying otherwise. However, the current global economic climate has led to higher youth unemployment rates, with young adults in the UK facing a rate of 16.2%, compared to the overall rate of 4.9%. While competitions can provide opportunities, the majority of the 380,000 applicants for Brandstorm this year, a 58% increase from 240,000 in 2025, did not win any positions.
Critics of competition-based recruitment, such as former MTV marketing employee Melissa Alcruz, argue that these processes can be intimidating and demanding, requiring candidates to complete significant projects in their spare time. Katrina Collier, a former recruitment consultant, raises concerns about economic discrimination, suggesting that such competitions may favor candidates from financially stable backgrounds who can afford to invest time without immediate compensation.
Jamie Kohn, a senior director at Gartner, acknowledges that competition-based hiring is likely to persist, as it allows employers to evaluate candidates more effectively than traditional interviews. However, she emphasizes the need for organizations to be mindful of the demands placed on job seekers and to provide constructive feedback.
Psychologist Amanda Potter warns that competition events may disadvantage introverted candidates, potentially leading to a workforce that lacks diversity in personality types. Despite these concerns, Liberman believes that the competitive format suited her better than traditional recruitment methods, allowing her to transition directly into her career without experiencing unemployment, unlike many of her peers who have struggled to find jobs despite their qualifications.