Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1198602
09.01.2020 14 BUSINESS Recruiters can now use gamification to attract and engage new employees CAN you think of a job opportunity you were excited about? You probably envi- sioned yourself in the role, but like so many others, you were concerned about the interview process, sitting face-to- face with a hiring manager to discuss your history and where you plan to be in five years. ere's nothing more stressful than being eyed with scrutiny. And it's no easier as the manager who has to judge a candidate's characteristics and qualifi- cations in just 30 minutes. Of course, hiring managers have a punch list of talking points for candi- dates, such as: • Describe a situation in which you were able to successfully persuade someone. • Describe a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills. • Describe a time when you used good judgment and logic in solv- ing a problem. However, the best way to show some- one is through your actions. With this in mind, more and more companies are creating games to analyse the decisions people make to help them identify can- didates who are best suited for their company. If creating a game sounds like a daunt- ing task, you may find that it's actually quite easy to implement games to help you attract talent. The rise of gamification in recruitment According to one report, the "global gamification market was valued at $6.8 billion in 2018 and is projected to grow at an impressive CAGR of 32% to reach $ 40 billion by 2024." Often businesses are adopting gamifi- cation for multiple purposes, and one of them is recruitment. Gamification in recruitment allows applicants to put their money where their mouth is before filling a role by showcasing their skills. Simultaneously, HR can assess talent adequately. is is achievable in the form of behavioral quizzes, industry challenges, company-related quests and so on. Moreover, "increasing employee en- gagement" has been the catchphrase of the last decade, and according to Gal- lup, only 34% of the workplace is en- gaged. Gamifacation can help to imme- diately engage potential employees. e purpose of what we call "recruit- ainment" is to assess a candidate's skills and knowledge. But you can also use it to determine if an applicant is the right fit for your company's culture. Implementing gamification in your company You want the best for your business. is includes hiring the best talent you can afford, but finding and recruiting them is another story. Hiring managers can use gamification to save time and increase the chances of hiring the right person for the job. e key is implementing the appropriate style of game that prequalifies candidates. When considering recruitment games, you'll be choosing between templated or custom. • Templated game: Add your com- pany's content to existing game templates. Plug-and-play inter- faces marry the power of games with your company's brand and content. A templated option al- lows for a little customization at a lower cost. Aside from our own platform, e Training Arcade, there are various turnkey game- based solutions, including Knack and Pymetrics. • Custom game: For companies that crave a much deeper storyline and customized environments, sce- narios and characters, building a custom game is the way to go. Both options have shown to attract new talent, assess skills and personas, and drive better hiring decisions than traditional recruiting methods. Unlike a resume, games can't be faked It's easy to create the tallest tales about yourself on paper or paint yourself in the best light during an interview. But, it's harder to fake extensive knowledge on a topic or strong performance dur- ing a gamified analysis. With the right game(s), candidates can demonstrate both what they know and how they behave. For instance, by creating simple trivia, word or matching games, hiring man- agers can identify what applicants know about your industry, products or pro- cesses. If you are looking for someone with very specific skills, ask specific ques- tions to determine their knowledge, and make the response timed so they don't have time to search online for the an- swers. If you're more focused on understand- ing someone's soft skills, try a branch- ing game, akin to a Choose Your Own Adventure book. ese are perfect for testing sales, negotiations, communi- cation, empathy and problem-solving skills. Analysing player performance can give you clear insight into a player's be- havioral trends and reveal whether they are right for your company. Perform a complete assessment of candidates Using gamification, you can obtain a 360-degree view of each candidate in a matter of hours. Many games adapt to player performance, meeting them where they are and giving them a sense of accomplishment regardless of their level. Most are designed to start off with easy questions/scenarios and increase/ decrease the level of difficulty based on how players perform. By creating these pre-employment games for your applicants, you engage them on a much deeper level and gain insight into their personalities, behav- iors, preferences and thought processes. Identify the motivated (those who complete the game) If your recruitment game is thorough, it will identify who is truly interested. A well-constructed game should in- clude thought-provoking questions about pertinent material and provide concrete feedback to help someone know whether they were right and/or how their decision impacted the virtu- al scenario. For instance, a customer service com- pany might ask specific questions about products or processes, or role-play how employees would handle an unhappy customer. You can score applicants based on their correct/incorrect answers, the impact their decisions can have on sit- uations and their timing in answering each question. ose who complete the game show- case a level of commitment and indicate a motivation to work for your company. Making the best decisions for your business includes hiring the right talent for the right roles. By introducing the right kind of gami- fication to the interview process, hiring managers can bring more efficiency and insight to the important task of recruit- ing.