Dream hires, ducks, and summer vibes: Here’s TestGorilla’s recap of Recfest UK

There’s no shortage of HR and recruitment events out there, but none quite like RecFest UK.

Each year, thousands of talent professionals from around the world gather at iconic venues like Knebworth Park for a day of bold ideas, sharp insights, and serious festival energy. With over 100 speakers, high-impact networking opportunities, and expert-led sessions in every tent, it’s the go-to event for anyone invested in the future of hiring.

Naturally, TestGorilla came not just to take it all in, but to start meaningful conversations and drive real change. Here's what happened, including a crowd-favorite duck game that sparked some serious thinking about gut-feel hiring.

Making a splash with skills-based hiring

We came to stand out, and we did.

Our neon pink gazebo caught attention right away, but it was our spin on a classic carnival game that kept people engaged. This year, we invited attendees to try their luck at hook-a-duck, fishing from our “talent pool” to discover whether they’d landed a dream hire or a total mishire.

Turns out, hiring without data is harder than it looks. Many participants walked away with underqualified candidates, proving our point about the risks of instinct-based hiring. Thankfully, we softened the blow with top-tier swag. By midday, we were completely out of sunscreen, face mist, and temporary tattoos, TestGorilla-branded, of course.

Skills-based hiring in action

The real highlight of the day wasn’t the game. It was the team.

TestGorilla teammates travelled in from across the globe to connect, educate, and show what our platform can do. Regional Sales Director Gary O’Reilly and several members of our sales team were on hand, walking visitors through our product and diving deep into the principles behind skills-based hiring.

Between demos, Q&As, and spontaneous chats, the message was clear: hiring should be faster, fairer, and rooted in what people can actually do.

TestGorilla takes the stage

RecFest delivered a standout speaker lineup this year, from Katie Piper’s moving keynote on resilience and self-confidence to Rory Sutherland’s sharp take on how small shifts in perception can drive big behavioral change. One of our favorite moments came from TestGorilla’s own Olive Turon, Head of People & Culture, who took to the Innovate Stage.

Her session challenged one of the most outdated moments in hiring: the classic “So, tell me about yourself” opener. Olive proposed a smarter, more structured alternative using our Doing, Being, Thriving framework, which aligns skills, behaviors, and motivations to the role.

We’ve now looked at Doing (skills), Being (behaviors), and Thriving (motivation). When you put those three together, you get a full picture of a candidate. Instead of hiring feeling like a blind date, it becomes a more predictable, evidence-based matchmaking process.

The takeaway was simple and powerful. Hiring shouldn’t feel like speed dating in the dark. With the right tools, teams can move past guesswork and build stronger matches from the start.

What we’ll remember: real moments and real connection

As the sun dipped lower and the afterparty kicked off with (Oasis cover band) Noasis blaring from the stage, it was clear that RecFest is about more than just insights and activations.

Between the swag, tech demos, and panel talks, what stood out most was the quality of the conversations. Honest, innovative, and focused on building something better in hiring.

We’re proud of how our team showed up in full TestGorilla pink, ready to share ideas, spark debates, and connect with the people shaping the future of talent.

To everyone who stopped by—whether you tested your luck, explored skills-based hiring, or joined us for a great chat, thank you.

Next stop: RecFest US. See you there!