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Gamifaction - A Buzz Word or the Future of Sourcing

Written by: Jeremy Thornton, Co-founder of Oasis HR and Founder of the HR Think Tank Series
Published on: 25 Nov 2013

As the hangover from the economic downturn begins to lifwe find ourselves in an increasingly more candidate driven market. 

PTOD Gaming

Respectively, the need for internal resourcing functions to innovate with their sourcing methods becomes vital for ensuring they differentiate as an employer of choice and can offer an unrivalled candidate experience. 

 

Gamification currently stands at the forefront of recruitment technology and can add tremendous value to the hiring process if used effectively. 

Whilst gamification is a relatively new initiative with limited hard evidence supporting its success; what are the benefits of implementing such a tool?

  • Interaction

Stimulate applicants through interaction to increase engagement

  • Competition

Tap into the competitive fires of applicants to drive desirable behaviours

  • Screening

Involve hiring managers in the screening process by offering them tangible evidence as to why an applicant is suitable (or not)

  • Time

Reduce the need for numerous pre-screening phone calls and ultimately reduce your time to hire window

  • Impartiality

Eliminate the effect of unconscious bias when sourcing

  • Reach

Enhance your employer brand and market exposure to access a greater standard and volume of talent

  • Showcase –

Provide your candidates with a unique insight into your business to differentiate you from competitors

So, is gamification right for your business? The answer very much comes down to identifying what problem you are trying to solve. Is it engagement, time, attraction, selection or a combination of factors? Ultimately this is your starting point for deciding whether it’s going to be a viable tool to implement; in addition to identifying where in the business it will have the greatest impact. In the first instance, implementing gamification into small pockets of the organisation is advisable. It will help you sense-check its success and demonstrate its value and relevance for other areas.

If you can evidence a ‘need’ for gamification, then defining what the ‘ideal candidate’ looks like is job #2. Many businesses are poor at identifying the values, motivations, behaviours and skills required to perform in a job. And if you don’t have a firm grasp of what great looks like (for both the candidate and business) now’s the time to knuckle it down. Once you have this understanding you can weave these variables into the game scenario to ensure that you’re progressing with the right candidates for the right reasons.

Undoubtedly the concept of gamification within the recruitment process is not going to be relevant for all industries and salary bandings. We probably wouldn’t recommend taking a group of Senior Partners through the process when interviewing for a Magic Circle law firm. Understanding your target market is key. What appeals to these individuals? What will engage and inspire them? And what can you do to positively influence their candidate experience?

Finally, how do you know if your campaign has been a success? Quite simply, if you identified the problem(s) you were looking to combat in the first instance then you should easily be able to measure the impact! Has your time to hire window been reduced, are you seeing a greater volume of applicants, has your candidate satisfaction score rocketed or has the quality of hire improved? All are great metrics to monitor and present to your leadership team when justifying the expense.

So is gamification the future of sourcing? Certainly not in isolation. However it does offer an incredibly valuable addition to a resourcing function’s tool box if used effectively.

 

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