BOXSETS & RECRUITMENT – IS THERE A CONNECTION?

Posted May 30, 2017

Over the past few months via the “Viewpoint” medium The Acquire Group has continued to, hopefully, provide a number of opinions and insights that can aid one’s career and navigate the recruitment market.

However given the huge amount of material available across various HR & Recruitment forums, I decided to look at things a little differently this month, having recently read “Freakonomics”.

For those who don’t know Freakonimics, it is a book in which journalist Stephen Dubner and economist Steven Levitt approach economics through the lens of the principal of incentives. They examine seemingly unrelated concepts and try to prove that they could be related through an economic connection. Each chapter will tackle an obscure and humorous claim such as what schoolteachers and Sumo wrestlers have in common or how the Ku Klux Klan are like a group of real estate agents!!

Whilst I make no claim to be an economist, I thought it would be interesting to try and apply some of the rationale behind the book and apply it to “my world”. Sad to say that in recent times my world has been dominated be two major themes: work and watching TV – or more specifically Boxsets!!

Over the past 2 to 3 years I have noticed how everyone seems to be talking about what Boxset they are currently watching or for hot tips on the next Boxset binge and that my household is not alone on that front. It all started with the DVD box-set. These neatly-packed gift bundles promised the saviour of the DVD industry, but, instead, quickly migrated from the shelves of Blockbuster to the digital aisles of streaming sites, where they have been a fixture ever since.

Nowadays, around 75% of TV viewers admit to binge-watching shows and according to a recent survey, many of us can gladly reel off the box sets we’ve binged on – and what’s next on our “to watch” list. Another study found that this ritual is the “new normal”, with 61 per cent of Netflix subscribers admitting to regular binges.

Game of Thrones, House of Cards and Breaking Bad are just a few of the series that have consumed our household. Apparently you know when you have reached the status of Binge watcher when;

You utter the phrase “Just one more episode” more than anything else in the day.
You dream about the show you’re currently watching and become obsessed or emotionally connected with its stars.
You forget the names of your friends / family members / other half but can reel off whole ‘Boxsets’ character history.
When the series ends, you feel completely bereft – for around three seconds until you start on the next one.
Your friends / family member / other half recommends a detox.

Ok, so the challenge was to find a connection between the world of Talent Acquisition and the world of Boxsets. How can the hours of binge watching prepare us for the competitive recruitment market? How can navigating the various opportunities of your next move be likened to your favourite Boxset character? Does anything we watch even exist in today’s employment market? I mean all those hours dedicated, night after night and sometimes whole weekends, to binge watching surely can’t be in vain..? Surely, in some way they must amount to a building a solid foundation of research (I’m hoping!)

Whilst it doesn’t need qualifying I should note that the following opinions are just that, opinions and not fact. Like any good series some of the following connections may need to come with a caution rating:

Securing an executive position in recent times has been like pursuing the Iron Throne
Working with recruiters can be like dealing with Frank Underwood from House of Cards
Pursuing success whether as Harvey Specter or Mike Ross requires varying levels of determination
Not all of us are cut out for being as ruthless as Escobar to climb the corporate ladder
Interviewing can be as tense as the next Homeland twist
Working in offices that look like those in Suits can become a reality
Candidate short lists can feel as over crowded and cut-throat like the number of gangs in the small town of Charming
Being true to our authentic self requires grit like Luther
Power struggles and panicking about work-life balance is as problematic for us normal folk as it was for Tony Soprano
Focusing on remuneration and making a quick buck doesn’t mean you need to considered buying a trailer and heading to the dessert to cook some ice

So there you have it, after scientifically researched hours of binge-watching, conclusive evidence that there is a definitive relationship between the world of talent acquisition and Boxsets. For those serious addicts it may be worth mentioning that House of Cards Series 5 airs this week on Netflix*.

In the meantime, the team at Acquire are available to discuss your talent acquisition requirements, your career goals or perhaps your favourite Boxset highlights, please CLICK HERE for a confidential discussion.

*Disclaimer: Although approached on numerous occasions Daniel O’Brien has no commercial agreements with Netflix (yet!).