What if recruiting could be more of a game? More enjoyable, more “active,” more – should we even say it — fun?
Many HR and tech experts believe it definitely can be. Here’s what the “gamification” of your recruiting processes could look like.
Just as we discussed in a recent blog post, gaming your recruiting can be a game changer.
It can improve:
- Sourcing candidates.
- Attracting top talent.
- Screening candidates.
First, sourcing candidates: Domino’s Pizza way back in 2015 created a game in which people could create pizza recipes. Yet the company didn’t stop there: the recipes were public and the recipe creators could earn money each time someone from the public ordered it. While it wasn’t created as a candidate sourcing tool, the company did hire some of those whose recipes were ordered the most often.
Second, attracting top talent: Gaming to attracting talent could be as simple as offering a public riddle (Google) or challenge, such as coding tests (HackerRank and Codility).
Third, screening candidates: Candidate assessments also could be gamified with different types of tools (here’s one for pre-employment tests) that ask people how they’d handle difficult customers.
Not all games need to be virtual: one HR pro in the article from the second link, above, talked about how she “started experimenting during the interview process by inviting candidates to spend some time in a room, working together to solve a mystery or puzzle.” A recruiter would observe them and take notes to see how the candidates worked together, handled different situations and, naturally came up with solutions to the problem.
How could gamification change your recruiting process?
- Some believe it could do away with application forms altogether. Ask someone to start a game and if they don’t complete it, there’s an insight into whether they’re truly motivated to get this particular job.
- You can find hidden candidate gems among dozens or even hundreds of entry-level applicants: asking many candidates to play a game will help you identify actual skills, something you may skip over when trying to cull through dozens/hundreds of resumes.
- You can identify great candidates who have never worked in your industry before: career changers, for example. They may not have experience in your business sector, but a game that’s designed to reveal skills that your sector actually uses/needs could help you unearth applicable skills/attributes in “unusual” candidates.
- Using games in your screening process can shorten it considerably: gaming can help you discover AND screen great candidates at pretty much the same time.
The different types of gamification activities:
- Riddles/puzzles.
- Simulated tech tests, most applicable to coding/hacking positions.
- SJT tests (Situational Judgement Tests), such as “How would you handle an angry customer in this situation?”
- Interactive psychometric assessments. These are just like traditional psychometric assessments, except that takers move or circle a mouse to highlight the answer.
- Quizzes.
Some more benefits of gamification in recruiting.
- You’ll attract a younger audience. Great for entry-level positions or possibly mid-level positions.
- Candidates will have to answer more “organically” rather than utter rehearsed/rote responses to questions.
- Gamification has the potential to let you know if candidates possess more “subtle personal attributes such as patience, empathy and how well they manage stress.”
- You could identify potential in candidates who don’t have the actual experience you need (if you’re able/want to provide on-the-job training).
- It can make the interview process more enjoyable for candidates. Many people become very stressed at the very thought of going through an interview. Gaming some of the interview process can make it more enjoyable and thus provide a memorable, positive candidate experience.
In effect, when done well – and many tools exist that will help you ensure your recruitment gamification goes well – you and your candidates win!
Let Debbie’s Staffing help your company find and hire great talent. Contact the branch nearest you.