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How & why recruiters should put candidate mental wellbeing first

feat. Laura Holcombe, Senior Talent Partner at Faculty

In this episode...

Laura spent her early career hopping from temp job to temp job. Screaming customers and blunt, spontaneous feedback from bosses were the norm. When her performance dipped, no one asked if she was okay—they just called her lazy.

The experience had a lasting impact, contributing to her anxiety & depression at the time—and the belief that she just wasn’t enough. So when Laura fell into recruitment, she was determined to treat people differently. Whether they were a teammate, or a candidate.

You’ll hear how recruiters can create a psychologically safe interview process, how she’s managed her own experiences of imposter syndrome, and why The Wolf of Wall Street should never be used as a template for workplace culture.

About the guest

As a Senior Talent Partner at Faculty, Laura Holcombe is determined to deliver a recruitment process that treats people like people, not just a number.

She has experience in fintech, martech, SaaS, and environmental projects—and a side hustle reviewing CVs. She also has some serious emoji game.

About Oliva

Oliva is the UK & Europe's #1 rated employee mental wellbeing benefit.

We help companies respond to the pivotal moments that impact mental wellbeing at work and beyond—driving employee retention and exceptional effort.

We do this by:

  • Empowering individuals to take control of their mental wellbeing
  • Developing manager emotional intelligence
  • Helping HR teams create org-wide psychological safety