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The History of Recruitment: 2000 Years In The Making

Name: The History of Recruitment: 2000 Years In The Making
Uploaded: 2023-02-02T09:41:36+00:00
Duration: 3 min 1 s
Channel: Sam Miller
Description: In this concise narrated video, the creator walks viewers through a chronological tour of recruitment practices spanning two millennia. It begins with…

2 Feb 2023 · 3 min

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In this concise narrated video, the creator walks viewers through a chronological tour of recruitment practices spanning two millennia. It begins with ancient Rome, where Julius Caesar allegedly instituted the first referral program, rewarding soldiers 300 sestertii (about 30% of a yearly salary) for enlisting new troops. The narrative then shifts to China, highlighting the 7th‑century imperial examinations as the earliest systematic testing method used to select officials, a practice that laid the groundwork for modern merit‑based hiring. The story jumps to 1650, recounting Henry Robin’s pioneering—though short‑lived—attempt to launch a dedicated recruitment agency in Britain, despite parliamentary opposition. Finally, the video lands on the 1940s World War II era, explaining how the massive wartime mobilization spurred the creation of modern recruitment agencies to fill civilian vacancies and assist returning veterans, cementing the resume/CV as a standard hiring tool. The video concludes with a brief recap, emphasizing that recruitment has deep historical roots rather than being a contemporary invention.

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Despite popular belief, recruiters and recruitment processes have been around for centuries. Some of the very first recruitment techniques can be dated all the way back to ancient Rome and Egypt. Today I'm going to be taking you on a condensed journey of the history of recruitment, so buckle up because this is going to get wild. Let us start with ancient Rome. The Roman Empire was way ahead of its time and it was the epitome of an advanced, civilised society. The Romans were just completely unmatched in knowledge and wealth. However, what made the Romans so successful was their extensive military campaigns and that required a shitload of manpower. Julius Caesar, the Emperor of Rome, may have created the very first referral program. He was offering 300 sesterti to any soldier that recruited someone into the Roman army. The payment represented 30% of a soldier's yearly salary, and it reflected how serious the Romans were at finding good quality soldiers. Okay, now let's hop over to China. And where would recruitment be today without good old China? The contribution of the Chinese to the recruitment process is nothing short of revolutionary. The Chinese were actually the first civilization to introduce testing as part of a selection process for a job. The origins of this approach date all the way back to the 7th century and have pretty much laid the foundation for all modern-day exams. This complex and strict process ensured that only the best and brightest people were recruited for the job. It pretty much coined the term formal employment and also helped position China as one of the most advanced societies in the ancient world. Okay, now let's jump forward to the year 1650, where we can find one of the oldest references ever recorded of the first recruitment agency. The idea was created by a chap called Henry Robin. He had a crazy idea to set up a business that was dedicated to matching employers with workers. Unfortunately, the British Parliament at the time did reject his idea, but he still went ahead and set up his own short-lived recruitment business. And our final stop on this journey is going to be the 1940s during World War II. Now, this is really where the modern idea of recruitment actually started. After the military went on a massive spree to recruit as many men as possible for the war, there were countless jobs at home that needed to be build. And that's where the first modern-day recruitment agencies were actually born, so they could fill these vacancies. After World War II ended, the main job of these recruitment agencies was to help all the veterans find work. As a result, creating resumes or CVs became a standard practice for these recruiters. And there you have it, guys, a very brief history of recruitment. I hope you enjoyed learning it as much as I did. You have a lovely day. See you later.