Are traditional recruitment methods such as job ads not getting you the right people? Do the questions asked in interviews not show you the true potential of the candidate? You may have noticed that most Gen Z candidates are gaming fans. Using the same techniques found in games, you could more easily attract Gen Z candidates, as well as Millennials and Generation X. Find out what other reasons should drive you to make this change in your recruiting process, and what games can you use to test your candidates.
WHAT IS GAMIFICATION AND WHY USE IT IN RECRUITMENT
Gamification is the strategy that renews the traditional recruitment process with game elements. It helps recruiters evaluate candidates, create a fun recruiting environment, and increase candidate engagement. It diversifies your talent pool, gives you objective and data-driven insight into candidates, creates an efficient hiring process, and removes hiring bias.
It helps you assess the skills of candidates by:
- Custom games
- Challenges
- Tasks related to the company
- Behavioral questionnaires
According to the Gamification at Work survey, 33% of respondents would prefer more game-like elements in their worker training software. About 83% of those who received gamified training felt motivated. While 61% stated that not receiving any gamified training made the experience feel unproductive and boring.
WHAT BENEFITS DOES GAMIFICATION BRING TO YOUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS
You save time and test the knowledge of the candidates
Candidates find recruitment processes time-consuming and boring. How long does a recruitment process take in your company? 42% of candidates say they were delayed in the recruitment process.
Game-based applications test a candidate’s soft and hard skills, and it’s difficult for a candidate to embellish their expertise during a real-time, game-based assessment. This process saves a lot of time for recruiters and management.
42% of candidates are delayed in the recruitment procedure.
Turn the recruitment process into an engaging experience
Recruitment is a stressful process for both the candidate and the recruiter. How can you optimize it and get more interviews? Try introducing a gamified quiz.
It’s also an opportunity to present the vision and values of the organization to the candidates. Fun is guaranteed, and candidates will feel less pressured and more at ease to showcase their knowledge and skills.
You bring creativity and experience to recruitment processes. To differentiate yourself and attract top talent, you need to be creative and go beyond traditional hiring methods. And gamification is an excellent strategy to change recruitment processes that may be perceived as old-fashioned.
In the CodinGame x CoderPad 2022 survey, respondents indicated that candidate experience was the priority they intended to invest in, considering the inclusion of gaming aspects in the recruitment process.
In a TalentLMS 2019 Gamification at Work survey, 78% of respondents said that gamification in the recruitment process would make a company more desirable. The Robert Walters Group highlights several companies such as L’Oreal, PwC, GCHQ, and Hackertrail that have used gamification in recruitment and increased results.
Get the candidates involved
Applying aspects of gamification to recruitment, such as challenges, rewards, and levels, means giving candidates an interactive experience.
Gamified recruitment processes are fair and transparent. The candidate is given the time and resources to complete the tests and has a positive experience that motivates them to engage and want to work for the company.
You evaluate the candidates correctly
Traditionally, you evaluate candidates through resumes and interview responses. However, these methods sometimes cannot give you an accurate understanding of a candidate’s skills. Some may exaggerate their resume presentation, and classic interview questions can amplify biases and prejudices, leading to underperforming recruitment. On the other hand, gamified recruitment through tests and assessments is fair and transparent. In addition, gamification can simulate work-related tasks or scenarios, providing an objective assessment without the pressures of interviews.
Gamification is primarily suited to the technology field, where the assessment of technical skills is a priority for recruiters. 70% of developers believe that code review challenges and tests are an accurate way to identify technical skills.
Keep up with young people’s preferences
Young people are attracted to atypical application processes and are much more willing to complete the game than to come to an interview. All you have to do is show them that you are keeping up with them and the technological trends and are making efforts to differentiate yourself from the competition.
You invest in positive employer branding
For example, Deloitte found that 88% of job seekers believe that company branding is essential to the recruitment process. According to LinkedIn, 75% of job seekers actively consider an employer brand before engaging in the recruitment process.
Gamification helps organizations differentiate themselves as employers and provide candidates with a memorable experience.
Now you have a clear idea about gamification and the advantages it brings to recruitment. It pays to use gamification in recruitment. Here’s how!
HOW TO INCLUDE GAMIFICATION IN RECRUITMENT
Here are some examples of gamification of the recruitment process, from ads to assessments, candidate selection, and onboarding.
Evaluate through augmented and virtual reality
Some companies use AR or VR to simulate real tasks. For example, Marriott Hotels implemented a hotel-themed game that simulates managing reservations. It’s designed to give candidates an experience and insight into what bookings and customer interaction are all about. Thus the applications of the candidates increased, and those who completed the game got a high score.
Evaluate in an interactive way, through puzzles
Gamified assessments are interactive. For example, GCHQ created an online puzzle with an encrypted image that potential candidates had to solve before accessing the recruitment page. They also created a game where candidates had to surf the net to follow puzzles and clues.
Organizations like CodinGame offer gamified coding tests, allowing candidates to solve challenges and achieve a leaderboard. Thus the evaluation process becomes more transparent and engaging.
Prepare game-based cognitive and personality tests
Game-based assessments provide objective insights into a candidate’s traits and cognitive abilities.
Research indicates that psychometric tests are more accurate than traditional personality tests. They go beyond subjective values that may be cultural, focusing instead on what matters – skills and traits.
Challenge them at the Escape Room
Use escape room challenges to assess teamwork, problem-solving skills, and performance under time pressure.
Simulate working on projects
Give candidates tasks similar to what they would get on the job, so you can assess their skills in a realistic setting. Interact with candidates as they work to see how they perceive the experience, what they like, and what you could improve for future candidates.
BE INSPIRED BY THE INITIATIVES OF COMPANIES THAT HAVE USED GAMIFICATION IN RECRUITMENT
Employee referral programs are well-suited to implement gamification in recruitment by revitalizing a usually boring process. Fiverr company gave employees points and credits for each candidate who applied through referral. Employees competed to stay at the top of the referral leaderboard.
Code Jam is an annual coding competition organized by tech giant Google and one of the best examples of gamification in HR. It’s their way of finding new talented programmers to work for the company. Typically, engineers and developers sign up for contests and compete to win prize money. Instead, Google uses the contest to attract potential candidates with the right skills needed for the job and the company.
The US military was one of the first to implement game-based assessments. America’s Army was the official game of the US Army. Along similar lines, Domino’s has developed a game app where anyone can make their own pizza and learn the recipes.
Gamification opens up a new dimension in recruitment that transcends the traditional talent attraction scheme. Behind their colorful screens, these recruitment games are based on theories of neuroscience and psychology and show the cognitive and emotional traits of candidates.
When a candidate applies to multiple jobs and doesn’t get feedback, he becomes frustrated. But his experience can be improved if the application consists of solving a game and seeing the results of his work. In some cases, the challenges presented in these assessments simulate those specific problems that he would have to face in his future work environment.
Engage candidates in games to attract and reward them with the job of their dreams.
Are you looking for a recruitment team to conduct the interview in a candidate-friendly way? Write to us at biaoffice@bia.ro
Sources:
https://www.hi5.team/blog/gamification-recruitment-why-how
https://coderpad.io/blog/hiring-developers/tops-tips-for-gamification-in-recruitment-in-2023/;
https://thetalentgames.com/recruitment-games-improve-your-candidate-experience/;
READ AlSO:
ARE YOU EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES IN FILLING CERTAIN POSITIONS? HERE ARE THE SOLUTIONS!
WHY YOU HAVE MANAGERS WITHOUT “PEOPLE SKILLS” AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO DEVELOP THEM