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In 2004, Google set up a series of billboards which featured a mathematical riddle. And it was one of the first examples of how gamification could be used in recruitment. Everybody who saw the billboard was invited to solve a number of equations. The idea behind this was that those who had the motivation and brain power to complete the exercise would, in turn, make great candidates for employment at Google itself. And in some ways the exercise was set up so that both parties benefited. The would-be candidates could enjoy the game with the possibility of landing a fantastic job. For Google it meant that they could pre-screen their applicants, thus saving a huge amount of HR time and effort
Since then, almost two decades have passed and many companies have introduced games and puzzles as part of their hiring process in order to give candidates a more left-field possibility to prove themselves. We can't say that gamification is necessarily a new concept in HR as over the years it's become more and more popular. What was interesting was that in the beginning, many HR departments found it difficult to embrace the idea of gamification. There was a general consensus that it was going to be a short-lived flash in the pan that would inevitably fail. The Cassandra's were proved wrong. Today the global gamification industry connected to HR is said to be worth almost $12 billion.
So if you're thinking about including some form of gamification into your HR methodology, then let's have a look at some pointers that may help you introduce these techniques to would-be candidates.
One of the first things we should point out is that gamification doesn't refer to a particular type of gaming or a single type of game. Twenty-five years ago Google used a riddle placed in the public domain to try and attract recruits. But the game could equally be an online quiz or a coding test. Today you can find these in Workable’s partner HackerRank and Codility. Here candidates are invited to solve online programming tests. In fact, today it’s common for companies to use online platform games.One great example is from Benchmark Games who have developed an interesting exercise. In their own words, “the candidates should navigate a car to reach a goal whilst facing unexpected challenges.”
Another form of gamification falls under the heading of “simulation assessments.” These are making use of an avatar, who represents the candidate themselves, and they are given various scenarios in which they need to handle issues such as difficult customers or incorrect orders. Lee-Anne Edwards, CEO and founder of recruiting firm Oneinamil, says she's been making use of their escape-ology via at the company Amplified Workforce who are based in Columbia S.C.
“Everybody’s tired of the old hiring process, so we’re looking for creative ways to match candidates with jobs. I have started experimenting during the interview process by inviting candidates to spend some time in a room, working together to solve a mystery or puzzle. An interviewer will observe them and make notes on how they work with each other, how they handle the situation and, of course, whether they can provide solutions. I am hoping to observe teamwork, problem-solving skills and intellectual curiosity. We’ll see how this eventually works out, but I’m super optimistic.”
When dealing with hiring and gamification, it is important to determine exactly when you want the candidates to partake. And keep in mind that the regular stages in the hiring process of “job application” and “assessment hiring” will probably fade into the background when compared with the usefulness of gamification.
Following on from the above, it makes perfect sense in the same manner that Google used the billboard, to replace the traditional application form with something that asks more qualified questions, including asking applicants to play a game. More especially one that's going to be relevant to that actual job description. The advantage to this alternative approach is that those applicants who complete the game are obviously the most motivated. When a company advertises a job, then there are a huge number of applicants. But many of them are not necessarily either qualified or particularly wanting to pursue the particular job on a career basis. Playing a game that's directly correlated to the job will make all applicants stop and ask themselves whether this is really the job for them. Many candidates who were less than interested will step away. This leaves your HR department with the cream of the crop.
Another important factor is that you're much more easily able to evaluate those who have a diverse experience to bring to the table. One of the problems in HR is dealing with people who may be excluded from the whole process simply because they are making a career change. Many of these people are able to bring a completely different viewpoint and attitude along with experience. That may well show they are more easily able to adapt. By using gamification techniques with them, HR recruiters are able to spot their competencies and abilities more easily.
In a more traditional recruitment setup, you'll find that tests can take several days to complete. Then there's always going to be a lot of lost time that comes from the email back and forth between HR and the candidate. But playing a game, for example an escape room game, allows the recruiter to see, after just a single hour, who has the particular attributes that would be most suitable to the work situation. Using games as a means of shortlisting candidates and screening them is going to be a huge time saver and as a result, it’s going to increase productivity.
The Six- million-dollar question is whether gamification really works in recruitment? After over 20-years that have seen it’s growing acceptance across many work marketplace, we would have to say absolutely! But just in case you need an example, here’s David Szilagyi, Founder and CEO of Benchmark.Games. They specialise in creating gamification techniques to help their clients make better-recruiting decisions. We’ll let David explain, “One of their biggest customers is Magyar Telekom in Hungary, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom (Deutsche Telekom is also the parent company of T-Mobile USA). Telekom used gamification to attract millennials (or candidates with limited work experience) for sales roles. These candidates usually don’t have much experience so their resumes couldn’t showcase their abilities. By removing resumes as a screening factor and adding games, Telekom evaluated candidates’ competencies such as goal orientation, endurance and problem-solving skills.”
He concludes by saying, “In fact, Telekom noticed that some people who had been rejected because of their resumes were hired a year after because they scored really high in our games,” says David. “And now they’re high performers.”
We think that’s a pretty definitive “yes!”
