This Week in the Holistic Recruiter Club #022
All new for 2025 - How you should really assess candidates (series) , Crazy Recruitment Campaigns and Fun Stuff
And I’m back! Happy New Year ! Thank you so much for your support through 2024. I took time over the holidays to think how I can add most value with the newsletter as its growing very quickly now! I’m excited to share with you what’s to come. As always if you get value from this please like and share and subscribe.
As you know by now I love testing things so, above is a short recording of the Article about the History of recruitment, which is below in my article (Substack won’t let me move it! Lesson learned!)
After practicing what I preach, taking time off to really switch off from work I’m recharged and ready to go. It’s a lesson I’ve learned from the startup world and beyond: you need to disconnect to stay fresh and motivated. I mean of course, I battled the cold the kids had got ill myself and had to stay in bed a few days but I’m here now!
My 2025 focus for the Holistic Recruiter Club and what I want to deliver on this project…
1. 50 lessons for talent leaders, diving into recruitment data, team management, automation, AI culture, and candidate experience. I’ll cover how to apply best-in-class processes to TA, help extrapolate the trends that are good, and the other that are clickbait all in the hope it will help TA make smarter decisions.
2. 12 Podcasts that will featuring Founders of successful scaling businesses, HR Directors and Other Hiring Managers so we can get an alternate perspective of Talent Acquisition.
3. Weekly I’ll be sharing lots of recruitment campaigns like this: -
Did you you ever heard of a handshake so awkward it became a test of character? Or a job offer announced in front of 41,000 football fans? (Read this episode to see what I’m talking about)
4. How to turn research in to real life application - First I will start with a series of 7 articles on how to assess candidates and cut through the noise of how to do it.
5. A Funny of the Week: Just for laughs to keep you going during the week, I’ll share a funny meme or video I’ve seen related to TA or HR on my travels!
6. Continuing to build on the success of the Two Tired Dads Talk Talent and Tech
7. Services I offer - Sparring partner and mentor for TA leaders who need someone outside the business to talk with, Data Audits, Culture Workshops, Tools Procurement and Optimisation as well as work on Candidate Experience. Feel free to book a call just email me john@holisticrecruiter.club
Recruitment Campaigns You May Not Have Seen
This is oldy but goldy, back in 2013, Heineken decided to do recruitment a little differently. They completely did something I had never seen before. They were looking for an intern; they wanted someone who could handle the chaos, think on their feet, and embody the Heineken spirit. So, they created something called
“The Candidate”
This was no ordinary interview. For example: during the interview, there was a handshake that lasted so uncomfortably long you’d question if it’s ever going to end. Then, just when you think you’ve smashed it, boom someone collapses in front of you😅, and you’re suddenly in the middle of a staged medical emergency. Oh, and did I mention the fire drill? hahaha
This totally crazy process was secretly filmed, capturing every cringey moment. If you haven’t seen it before, there is a video below. After the interviews, Heineken handed the vote to its employees, letting them decide who should win.
And how did they let him know he got the job? In front of 41,000 football fans at a Champions League match at Juventus’ ground! And thats where Guy Luchting was announced as the new intern.
The campaign went viral, Heineken looked pretty cool at the time, and Guy well he got a job that kickstarted his career. I checked on LinkedIn and he is currently at Google!
You can watch the campaign here, honestly I love this, bloody brilliant, not sure you’d get away with this now, but in terms of employer brand and awareness, I thought it was excellent.
Each week I will share more stories like this. If you have any please send me a message so I can highlight them.
Turning Research Into Actions: 7 Part Series of The Most Effective Hiring Process. Part 1/7
Over the next 7 weeks, why don’t you come on a journey with me? Instead of jumping on the skills-based, human-centric, data-driven, AI-powered, DEI-focused, or agile hiring trend bandwagon, shall we look at what the research says, and not Joe Bloggs influencer?
Week 1: The History of Recruitment
Recruitment, “the art of finding the right person for the job” has evolved over centuries. To understand how modern hiring practices emerged, we need to take a step back in time. I mean this really is a Holistic Approach to hiring.
And before you think BORING - I promise the context is key so come with me!
We can go back as far as 605 CE
Imperial China (605 CE): One of the earliest recorded hiring systems, the Chinese Imperial Examination, introduced merit-based selection. Candidates were tested on Confucian philosophy, literature, and governance, ensuring hires were based on knowledge rather than nepotism.
Medieval Guilds (12th-15th Centuries): In Europe, guilds selected apprentices based on recommendations or familial ties. Training and hiring were deeply tied to relationships, and skills were passed down through years of mentorship.
Industrial Revolution
Factory Hiring (18th-19th Centuries): The Industrial Revolution shifted hiring from craftsmanship to productivity. Factories prioritised physical ability and basic literacy over other traits. Hiring was largely transactional and informal, focusing on filling roles quickly.
Early 20th Century: Scientific Management and Psychometric Testing
Frederick Taylor’s Influence (1910s): Taylor’s scientific management emphasised efficiency and productivity, using time and motion studies to evaluate workers.(In factories, workers were recruited based on their ability to handle tasks like shoveling, assembling, or machine operation, rather than general labor skills.)
Psychometrics Rise (1920s-1940s): Intelligence tests like the Stanford-Binet and military aptitude tests during World Wars I and II laid the groundwork for standardised hiring. Personality assessments like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) also emerged, aiming to match traits to roles. (Even if Myers-Briggs is for me a scam and totally a pseudo science!)
Mid-20th Century: Cognitive Ability Tests and Structured Interviews
Cognitive Ability Tests Dominate: By the mid-20th century, intelligence testing was the "gold standard" for hiring, with research suggesting a strong link between cognitive ability and job performance. These tests focused on problem-solving, logical reasoning, and verbal aptitude.
Structured Interviews Introduced: To address the subjectivity of traditional interviews, structured interviews standardised questions and scoring. Research from the 1980s onward validated their ability to reduce bias and improve fairness, cementing them as a cornerstone of modern hiring.
Modern Era: Toward Holistic and Inclusive Hiring
Challenges to Cognitive Tests: Critics highlighted potential cultural and socioeconomic biases in cognitive testing, leading to a search for more inclusive methods.
Rise of Job-Specific Assessments: Practical tools like work sample tests and simulations gained popularity for their relevance to job performance.
Candidate Experience Matters: By the late 20th century, companies began prioritising the candidate experience, recognising its impact on employer branding and long-term success.
Sackett et al. (2022) Challenge the Status Quo
Recent research by Sackett and colleagues re-examined decades of hiring data, challenging long-held assumptions:
Structured Interviews as the Strongest Predictor: Their findings showed that structured interviews outperform cognitive ability tests in predicting job performance.
Focus on Context and Fit: Job-specific assessments like work sample tests and job knowledge evaluations proved highly predictive, emphasising the importance of context and real-world applicability.
Why is this important ? Well context is king so lets trust the process
We’ve have known that since ancient times to todays data-driven approaches, recruitment has tried to balance fairness, relevance, and efficiency. Sackett et al.’s work underscores the next step in this journey—a shift from focusing solely on intelligence to embracing adaptability, cultural fit, and potential. Which is why I think we should be careful about reinventing the wheel based on a theory like skills based hiring next big fad it
This history lesson serves a purpose to reminds us that hiring practices must evolve alongside societal and technological changes to stay relevant and effective, even more so now AI is in the mix.
Now the history lesson and context layer has been provided next week, we’re diving into Week 2: Understanding the Predictors of Job Performance. We’ll explore what research tells us about the best indicators of success and how to apply them in today’s recruitment world. See you next week!
Funny of the week
This made me chuckle, how many times have you seen this in your career! One to many I would guess.
Thank you for reading, my experiments over the last months are now done for now but your feedback is always welcome on how I can improve the newsletter :) If you like the article please like and share and subscribe.
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