It’s sometimes tiring, maddening, and even wasting our efforts if we don’t find the right candidate for our organization. Of course, I’m talking about talent acquisition! The traditional approach has made many organizations replace their processes with gamified assessments.
The growing interest in gamification stems from the desire to increase the levels of employee involvement and at the same time offer more visibility, openness and a system of rewards in an organization.
In the last few years, gamification was adopted by 70 percent of the major US organizations such as Marriott International and L’Oreal (see below). According to the experts, in 2020, gamification will possibly capture 53 percent of workplaces.
Although gamification can be applied in all processes involving human resources, let’s see specifically how gaming techniques are useful in the assessments for talent acquisition.
What Does the Stats Say?
The statistics, as they say, are quite convincing. But first, it is gratifying to know that by 2015, 40 percent of Global 1000 organizations were using gamification as the standalone mechanism to run their operations.
While that might sound intriguing, there is proof of the equation. Gamification is known to yield great results in terms of user engagement. And engagement is the driving force for all workers since technology tries to muster its nose into man-dominated workflow procedures.
Another interesting stat, as always convincing, clearly states that back in 2012, the world’s gamification market grew to an astonishing $242 million. But that is not all, because, in 2016, it grew to an ever more unbelievable $2.8 billion.
So the stats are quite convincing apparently. The reasons why gamification tends to mix engagement with workflows to make sure that the targets are achieved as personal achievements for workers, rather than it just being a standard course for organizational gains.
When You Need Gamified Assessment?
Especially for the recent graduates, there is a tendency to carry out a pre-selection procedure for the candidates through actual games, where they can put their skills and attitudes for the assessment.
The candidates can be put in competition against each other and get the score that will be the starting point of the actual interview. Sometimes, they are involved in case studies through playful tools, so that their behavior and performance can be evaluated.
Games can be real role-playing games where the candidates can identify themselves with the position, fight to achieve goals, face challenges with the mechanism of rewards, just like a video game that is anything but imaginary.
The gamified assessment is transforming the recruitment process and creating new ways to evaluate talent and retain candidates. It works because it exploits the desire that exists in all of us to reach a goal.
The added value of this selection method is to check how people deal with challenges. The gamification, when combined with the latest research on motivation and big data, ensures positive results in selecting the right profiles to fill a certain position.
How Gamified Assessments Are Made?
“By combining the gamification principle with AI and neuroscience, we can assess candidates in terms of their competencies and skills,” says Paul Keijzer, co-founder & CEO, The Talent Games.
The art of attracting not just candidates, but also customers into achieving something they want, is one of the most amazing procedures to ever grace company progression.
Some of the ways that gamification makes engagement viral is by attracting candidates with contests and giveaways. It is similar to the art of customer retention. It does not only increase engagement but also a better platform for promoting loyalty.
Another method is using certain types of games that are based on what an organization is about. For example, a construction company can invent a mini-game like Tetris, where the candidates build a building using bricks made out of the company’s name itself.
But a game cannot just be limited towards creating user engagement, it can also be used to help learn a lesson, or learn a new skill set. All the things needed in order to make sure that the experience is not just fun, but also rewarding in terms of knowledge.
Organizations can use the game or the activity to promote their USP or even showcase their achievements for people to relate to.
It can even be a story that helps user engagement channels open to a broader audience since everyone loves stories. This serves as a great alternative towards creating user engagement and therefore, introducing a small part of gamification into the mix.
Benefits of Using Gamified Assessments
Here are the following benefits of gamified assessments to improve the productivity and competitiveness of your organization.
1. Improve Employer Branding
The organizations use gaming modules to improve candidates’ interest in a brand, hence deepening engagement. In a highly competitive marketplace, most of the organizations consider gamification as a game changer. It not only improves employer branding but at the same time saves time to recruit the potential candidates.
Playing techniques promote the involvement of the employee (commitment). By applying gamified techniques to their training, employees gain a higher level of commitment to the organization and their sense of belonging to the team increases. By means of game-based learning, it is more likely to create greater identification with the purpose of the business.
2. Reduce Hiring Cost
One of the key advantages of gamification is its cost-effectiveness. It reduces hiring cost as well as time and energy. The candidates can play games from their own premises and get shortlisted for the job without being commuted.
This showcases the true creativity behind this amazing idea. Such reliable sources save organizations from unreliable third-party recruitment processes too. It also directs the candidates to the organization where they can showcase their skills and abilities.
3. High Return on Investment (ROI)
As gamification increases the commitment of learners, awareness, and productivity, it also improves the performance of the organization in general. The candidates can apply what they have learned immediately to work. The return on investment is, after all, the most important factor.
Since gaming is one of the booming business industries of contemporary days. It is returned in terms of assets are also uprising. It captures a big market ratio compare to other similar approaches for recruitment.
4. Automated Application Process
The pre-selection tools based on matching and scoring make it easier for organizations to automate and shorten the application process. The goal is to highlight the CVs that correspond most to the desired profile through algorithms, comparing the needs of the recruiter and the skills of candidates via keywords.
Chatbots also make it possible to sort through a large number of CVs obtained through sourcing. These are computer programs that can conduct a simple conversation to analyze the relevance of an application and ensure the first stage of selection.
5. Measure What Matters
Assessment is an important aspect to figure out one’s performance on the basis of the described criteria. It evaluates the overall personality, ability, awareness, and experience on the basis of selection and moves during the play.
Gamification provides an unbiased or an objective assessment of the overall personality traits and the cognition of an individual. It expresses a vivid picture of a person’s mind and soul. It measures what to measure according to the requirements of the position applied for.
Wrapping up!
To attract the best talent, the organizations must be appealing to the candidates. Using gamified assessments help them win the brightest professionals. Since it allows you to evaluate some key aspects of the candidates’ behavior and working attitude. On the other, it gives candidates an engaging experience, encouraging them to join your organization.