Rec firm slammed for reality TV-style assessments

French recruitment firm Pôle Emploi have come under fire after footage emerged of jobseekers partaking in a reality TV-style contest, as opposed to undergoing traditional interview processes – connexionfrance.com reports.

The footage revealed a candidate contest - mirroring the structures of TV singing contest The Voice - where interview judges had their backs to candidates and only saw their identity if they were impressed by what the candidate had said. Judges would then swing around on their chairs to press a “yes” buzzer.

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Pôle Emploi’s management team said in a statement that “taking tools from the world of entertainment was clumsy,” but confirmed that interviewees were aware of the procedure prior to the interview. They say that this informed their decision therefore they attended the interview voluntarily.

The statement added that this was a “non-harmful” attempt to make job-hunting more inviting to perspective candidates.