Gamification in Recruiting

Finding talent in the market takes a lot of work. The reasons for the hiring difficulties are complex and multifaceted. But, one problem stands out – traditional hiring methods no longer work.

Recruiters often make unconsciously biased decisions and spend more time and energy finding new employees. But, most of the time, they lack diverse teams. This often promotes a workforce lacking different work styles, personality traits, perspectives, and thoughts.

Gamification is a big trend for recruiting candidates.

Gamification in recruiting diversifies your talent pool, offers objective and data-backed insight, creates an efficient hiring process, and removes any bias when hiring.

“Companies that embrace diversity and inclusion in all aspects of their business statistically outperform their peers.” – Josh Bersin, Founder and CEO – Of the Josh Bersin Company.

Gamification is a strategic attempt at revamping the traditional recruitment process with game elements. It can help you evaluate candidates, create a fun environment for hiring, boost employee engagement, and more.

But how helpful gamification really is, depends on how you use it. To create an efficient gamification hiring process, you need reliable techniques, instruments, and tools to set the foundation for effective talent acquisition.

For that, you should be open and ready for change. The guide below can give you a detailed insight into the benefits, disadvantages, and ways for incorporating gamification that works.

What is gamification hiring?

Gamification in recruitment uses gamification elements. Applying game designs, mechanics, and theories to a non-game context.  

Hiring managers can use gamification to recreate job-like scenarios and settings through interactive gameplay. Gamification tools can digitally engage candidates, motivate them, and provide healthy competition.

Gamification in recruiting is typically used for assessing problem-solving skills. This can help show whether future employees have a range of other competencies, such as imagination, creativity, determination, resilience, and logic.

How is gamification useful for recruitment?

Candidates are already used to the standard hiring process. People who hire often have a list of things they say, such as:

• Describe how you would act in a stressful situation
• How would you persuade a customer
• How would you solve a particular problem

Potential candidates often come to the interview with scripted answers that can’t really show off their best talent, skills, and job qualities. But the best way to show your skills is through actions, not words.

This is where gamification comes in handy.

Gamification turns that dull recruitment process into an effective hiring environment. It helps you assess the candidate’s creative thinking and aptitude and breaks the monotony of the old recruitment strategy.

This can be achieved through:

• Custom games
• Industry challenges
• Company-related quests
• Behavioral quizzes

According to a 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. Whereas 61% stated that not getting any gamified training made the experience feel unproductive and boring. 

Benefits of gamification in recruitment

Gamification is a game changer. 

Regarding prospective employees, gamification turns the hiring experience into a fun and productive process. While for the company, gamification can simplify the selection process, reduce dropout rates, and help showcase the right skills of the candidates.  

Gamification reduces the time to hire

Gamification is an excellent time management tool. Games take a few minutes to complete and provide instant results. You can assess candidates immediately rather than shortlisting them and screening them later.

Based on reports from a tech startup, by replacing the traditional interview process with gamified assessments, like a coding game challenge, implementing gamification created a 40% shorter interview cycle. It also had a 62% higher offer ratio.

Gamification leverages years of behavioral and cognitive neuroscience

Gamification is based on extensive research. It engages innate areas of the human mind to create a positive application process. It can be used to evaluate candidates, set goals, and give them some sense of control.

• Gamification satisfies basic human desires, such as status, reward, achievement, and recognition. Achievement is a powerful psychological factor for driving human behavior.

Another aspect of gamification is that it allows humans to escape and explore.

The entire reason why people love video games is that they are often used as a form of escapism. Simulated work environments can create excitement and intrigue when you allow the best candidates to explore at their own pace.  

Gamification improves candidate experience (CX)

Gamification recruiting works in two ways: firstly, hiring is smooth and efficient. Secondly, it enhances CX.

Gamification in recruitment can filter out only the best potential hires that would be a good fit for the job position you offer. 

You can use gamification for sourcing candidates, keeping the employees engaged, and assessing job applicants based on the data collected from the games.

When you incorporate gamification elements during an interview, you can use engagement patterns commonly found in games. These include badges, achievements, leaderboards, skill levels, etc. 

You can motivate people in a fun way and create an innovative image for our company.

For example, candidates can share their achievements and job performance on social media and earn social mentions. Therefore, more job seekers and potential customers can see your business for free.

Gets rid of bias when hiring

Your hiring team can miss out on excellent candidates because of unconsciously biased motives.

In typically offered jobs, the team shortlists candidates that can fit the job. They do multiple rounds of elimination and are often susceptible to assumptions.

With data-driven gamification efforts, your team is less likely to reject a candidate that can prove helpful for your business.

Gamification in recruitment removes bias in many ways. Candidates play a game or do coding skills tests, for example. Gamification then uses a tailored algorithm to evaluate their results effectively.

Your team can then return to these results, validate them, and analyze them. There is zero mental fatigue; it is precise and entertaining. Plus, you can program your gamification tool to ignore demographic information, which often causes biased opinions.

You can also use gamification to remove bias for current employees. You can measure their success, achievements, and skill levels based on their accomplishments and dedication to the company.

Gamification is non-manipulable

Gamification is a system. It works as programmed and draws conclusions based on actual data rather than unconscious behavior. Social desirability can’t affect it, which can boost company culture. This makes applying gamification more reliable for finding potential employees than standard hiring.

Disadvantages of gamification in recruitment

Gamification does have some drawbacks when sourcing candidates. Gamification hiring takes a lot of resources. That’s because not everything you gamify will automatically be useful.

A successful gamification job application requires planning and structure. You would invest in different methods for assessing and sourcing candidates, games, quests, etc. The algorithms should be reassessed and updated.

Plus, your team will still need to read traditional documents, like the cover letter, when someone applies for the job. You can use gamification to discern the candidate’s traits, skills, and personality, but you can’t use it to assess the candidate’s background.

How do you gamify a hiring process?

Gamification is competition-designed. You can have candidates play a game. Some of our favorite examples are: cooking games, quizzes, hackathons, and point systems.

There is a game called Google code jam where programmers put their skills to the test and crack algorithmic coding puzzles. The code jam champ can win a hefty price.  

In game theory, the point is to use games that would model real-life scenarios and how humans would act economically.

Which companies are using gamification for recruitment?

Some of the biggest companies are using gamification to recruit candidates. Marriott hotel is one of the best companies that use gamification to their advantage. Candidates play from the perspective of a hotel manager, do inventory, train workers, etc.

Huawei, HBO Europe, and PwC are using games for business. Online simulation models the procedures and structures a client selects in a 3D environment. Users then have to stick to a work routine and accomplish tasks. The games measure their results according to preset variables.

Companies like Walmart are tracking social systems that offer real-time feedback. This can be effective for analyzing customers and their interests. 

Spinfy Can Help

Is there a couple of job openings you’re trying to fill? Does your marketing team need some recruits, but you find it challenging to pick the right ones? 

Gamification can simplify the recruitment process and give your team a new perspective. It can drastically boost your team’s performance, giving them the motivation to bring in new candidates.
You need a concept tailored to your needs to create the ultimate gamified recruitment. That’s where Spinify can help. Our team is well-versed in sales gamification with years of experience and several satisfied clients. We can set your team on the right track with effective gamification strategies for hiring recruits. Book a demo today, and don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn!