The 1980s. Assessment comes to Belgium. It’s brought across via American companies but is still in its infancy. At the same time, high unemployment results in a flood of job applicants. There’s little attention paid to dignified, well-thought-out recruitment and selection. A lot of talent is rejected on the basis of first impressions. If there is a psychologist at a screening, it’s limited to a single decision maker, even though making a choice with a variety of people and approaches is far more objective.

The end of August 1988. We are convinced that things can – and must – be better. We start Quintessence. Our name refers to the quintessential essence of someone, their truth and wisdom, stripped of its packaging. People deserve a fair chance to show who they are and what they can do. Justified and professional attention for recruitment, evolution and promotion are the bare minimum in our eyes.

It happens here & now

2018 …Thirty years later, our convictions are still the same. People are best coming into their own in a professional context through their individuality and uniqueness. This ensures companies achieve better results by putting the right talent to work in a motivated manner. Today, these are two independent aspects of our mission. We make them a reality through positive people management, powerful leadership training, modern organisation development methods and the sound training of assessors.

We are growing with the hyper-digital era, but a personal approach with genuine contact is still central to our methods. People are looking for genuine connections, win-win situations and sustainable work. When the business and human worlds meet and reinforce each other, it results in a wonderful new added value. Quintessence is proud to contribute to it, just as convinced as we were 30 years ago.