Gartner Group defines gamification as “The concept of employing game mechanics to non-game activities such as recruitment, training and health and wellness”.
It’s most definitely a buzz term of sorts, and it’s becoming hugely popular with organisations looking to liven up their day to day processes and tasks. There are two such organisations that have successfully implemented gamification for recruitment, and we have the details below.
Marriott International Starts the Gamification Ball Rolling
As reported in Forbes and Recruiter Box, Marriott International used gamification successfully for the hospitality industry. The hotel giant developed a themed online game, not too dissimilar from popular game The Sims, where players juggled the responsibilities of a hotel kitchen manager. Virtual rewards were earned and the game was available in multiple languages.
The rationale was to attract potential candidates to the hospitality industry in emerging markets of millennial age outside the US.
Making the Business Case for Gamification
Recruiter Box puts some good points across to make the business case for gamification in recruitment. A lot of candidates pre-plan their interview answers, and so gamification could unveil candidate’s true likes and attributes in a way a rehearsed answer could not.
Coined “Recruitainment” the post also says that gamification can help better engage candidates. Meticulously filling out multiple application forms multiple pages long can be tedious for anyone and be a sure fire recipe for reducing and even losing candidate engagement altogether. Gamification could be a great way to tackle this very real issue.
Lastly, it is said gamification can mean specificity of skills can be tested, rather than approximated through an interview question.
Examples of Gamification Content
Quizzes are a popular type of gamification content and these can be based around industry challenges.
Company related quests and behavioural games are other ways to put gamification into recruitment.
Another Example: Siemens
Siemens introduced Plantsville, a game that put people in the centre of one of their plants as plant manager. The rationale behind it was to generate interest and engagement among young people for the manufacturing industry. It also helped people get familiar with the job role without risk by performing it virtually.
There’s little doubt that gamification has great potential to help with some of the less interesting parts of recruitment! As an online agency, we love these developments and look forward to seeing what else technology can deliver.
Castle Hill House