Gamification and its application in recruiting
Gamification (or gaming) is the application of approaches typical of computer games to non-gaming processes in order to attract users and consumers, increase their involvement in solving applied problems, and using products and services. This method, which arose due to the penetration of gaming technologies into the spheres of life, and having proved its effectiveness, has been gaining momentum over the past few years. There has been a lot of talk about the use of game-based approaches in education, especially in language learning, but there are only a few examples of their successful application in business. One of the areas where gamification can be used effectively and to the benefit of both parties is recruiting.
Today, many recruiters are starting to use gamification as a means of selecting candidates. For example, at Knack, instead of the usual boring interviews, applicants are offered to play a game called Wasabi Waiter, where you have to play the role of a waiter. But while the game may look cute and interesting at first glance, in fact, designers, developers, and behavioral researchers were involved in its creation. The game measures your reactions, how you interact with customers, monitors which areas of the screen you touch most often, and measures a number of other factors that are important for the company you want to join.
Here are some ideas on how gamification can be used to attract new talent.
Organize a contest
To attract the best specialists in your industry, you can organize a competition, which, for example, Google does on a regular basis. This approach has several advantages. First, you will attract competitive and genuinely interested people who will fight for a place in the company. Secondly, such activities often have very positive feedback, and you will be able to collect a large number of applications.
Launch a virtual job fair
UBMStudiosUnicruit conducted a survey about virtual job fairs and found that 92% of participants asked to be invited back to a fair in the future. Moreover, 84% of them would recommend a virtual career fair to a friend. There are many tools available online that make it easy to create a virtual job fair. You can also design your job fair in a way that allows you to test your candidate’s qualifications, narrowing down the selection of the right people.
Ask your candidates to solve tests and puzzles
While it’s easy to verify a candidate’s level of training and professional experience, it’s not always possible to find out about their other abilities, such as their ability to think under pressure or solve problems in the field. To get to know the candidates better and gather valuable insights about them, offer them short tests and puzzles during the interview to assess the necessary skills. In this way, you may find a candidate who may not be the best “on paper” but who can definitely become the best in the field.
Conduct video interviews
Video interviews are beneficial for both parties, both for employers and future employees.
As practice shows, the video interview experience is less stressful for candidates because they can imagine themselves being in a familiar and comfortable environment. – Stephen Davis, who is a manager at CareersBooster, comments.
It’s also the only viable option if you want to hire a remote worker. Besides, if you are a recruiter or an employer, you can record interviews and watch them later to make sure you are right about your choice.
Show a progress bar
Today you can do a lot of things. For example, if you are building a profile on freelance sites or something similar, you will be able to see an indicator that shows you how far you have come in the process of creating your own profile. The same approach can be used to keep a candidate engaged and motivated to move on to the next stage as soon as possible. As soon as he reaches the end, he can receive his reward.
Concluding remarks
If you’re having trouble finding the right people to fill a position in your company, it might be worth trying to introduce gamification elements into your recruiting process. Not only will you make the whole process less stressful and more fun for both parties, but you’ll also be able to gather valuable information about the best talent that you can use in the future if needed.
