Yumi Liberman, along with two friends, pitched a business idea to French cosmetics company L'Oreal during the UK final of Brandstorm, an international competition aimed at young adults. The event took place in London in 2024, where Liberman's team proposed a haircare app and won the UK competition, later finishing third in the global final in Paris. Although only the first-place team received automatic job offers, Liberman secured a marketing management traineeship with L'Oreal due to her impressive pitch.
Recruitment competitions like Brandstorm generate publicity for companies but raise questions about fairness for participants. Youth unemployment is notably high, with the UK rate for young adults at 16.2%, compared to the overall rate of 4.9%. While competitions provide opportunities, the majority of the 380,000 applicants for Brandstorm this year did not win a position.
L'Oreal stated that the competition helps attract a diverse range of candidates, including those who may not have considered applying. However, some participants have voiced concerns about the pressure and time commitment required. Melissa Alcruz, who previously worked at MTV, described her experience in a similar competition as intimidating, despite ultimately securing the job.
Katrina Collier, a former recruitment consultant, warned that such competition-based processes could lead to economic discrimination, as not all candidates can afford to dedicate significant time to the process. Jamie Kohn from Gartner noted that while competition formats are likely to remain, organizations should be mindful of the demands placed on candidates and provide constructive feedback.
Psychologist Amanda Potter expressed concern that these recruitment methods may favor extroverted candidates, potentially disadvantaging quieter individuals. Liberman, who has severe dyslexia, argued that traditional recruitment processes would have been more challenging for her, allowing her to enter the workforce immediately after university, unlike many of her peers who struggled to find jobs.