With gamification being such a new technique in the process of HR and recruitment, it's not surprising that you'll find considerable scepticism surrounding its use. Many also question the potential benefits it may offer in the field of recruitment. By looking at its use across the HR industry, we can see that it certainly can help produce higher recruitment, quality whilst at the same time improving the candidates hiring experience. But before we get carried away with praise, we should also bear in mind that there are some negatives involved. It's important to be mindful of both sides of the coin.

The Advantages Of Gamification

Data And Objective Insights 

For every CV that comes into the hands of the recruiter, he will spend around 5  to 7 seconds looking at it. In other words, to scan through 103 resumes would take the average recruiter around 11 minutes. And it’s this mind-boggling number that leads to the obvious question of how on earth can you choose any candidate if you spend so little time on their CV?

A resume is essentially a history of someone's past, and normally includes their qualifications, experience, and education. But in gamification there is an ideal which says that we should not focus so much on someone's past, but more on their future potential. This means that the recruiter should be looking at the person's personality, rather than their accomplishments. The use of gamification makes it's possible to reveal behaviour patterns that can show the candidate will be a better fit into the job requirements

Make Your Job More Efficient 

There are really two ways in which gamification functions. The first one being that it can improve the candidates overall experience. The second one accelerates the job recruiter and allows him to spend less time scanning through piles of CVS.

Improving Hiring Quality 

By utilising gamification during the hiring process you are able to filter out candidates who are the best fit. This in turn reduces the length of the recruitment cycle. Based on insights gained from gamification, you’ll quickly realise who is the best candidate to proceed with an interview.

Probably one of the most important factors for using gamification during the application process is that it allows fun to enter into the equation. By providing a secure and safe environment for recruits to demonstrate the potential. Normally, a typical gamification process will take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete. You can compare this with the traditional assessment methods which normally take around an hour.

Removes Bias From The Hiring Process

The whole recruitment process is a complex puzzle, especially when it comes to eliminating bias. The problem with letting bias play a role during hiring decisions is that it leads to a higher rate of people being taken on who are unsuitable. This can lead to some serious financial losses for the businesses involved. What’s better is to use data driven assessment tools, and these can include such things as games. Essentially, you want a hiring funnel that has as little human bias involved as possible. Gamification is a great tool for showing you the best side of every candidate, as it asks them to perform practical tasks which may show them in a completely different light than that illustrated in their CV.

Diversify Your Talent Pool

By using gamification a recruiter is able to diversify their talent pool. By taking a deep dive into the soft skills of a possible recruit, including their personality and ambitions, the talent pool will gradually expand to consist of skilled candidates. Those who are diverse in many ways, yet each one of them offer the potential to take your business to the next level

The Cons Of Gamification

Although gamification has been around for the last decade or so, and is increasingly being seen in the interview process, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's automatically a good thing. The gaming aspect is just one factor, and it's important to back up any results with research, as well as validating a person's qualifications. 

Needs A Massive Shift In Mindset

You'll find that when it comes to implementing gamification into the recruitment process for any HR department, it's going to require a huge change of mindset. It’s the one thing everyone fears most. Change! You're going to be introducing an unknown into the existing work practices and you may end up with the perfect recipe for a disaster. In many cases, you'll see that quick judgements are not based on the facts. For many in HR, there will be some resentment as they will feel they are no longer in control. Because gamification is relatively new, especially when compared with more traditional methods of assessment, such as motivational letters and CVS, it may be difficult for some in HR to implement these new techniques at the speed you would like them to.

Bias Can Still Occur 

There are a thousand and one different types of bias that can creep into any HR hiring process. Many of these can be associated with personal taste. An HR person may find themselves attracted to a possible recruit and therefore look at them through a more favourable lens. So, though gamification assessments tend to use predictive algorithms to analyse data patterns and produce automated reports, they cannot see the emotional or physical bias that all human beings carry within them. As an aside, though the AI used within a gamification process runs to the optimum, it's still necessary to check the algorithms to ensure that no bias has crept in.

Your Brand May Not be Ready

In truth, gamification isn't for everyone. And that includes both HR departments and possible candidates.  We suggest that you don't automatically introduce gamification for its own sake.  Keep your mind that gamification is not some digital wand that can solve all your problems or can replace human decisions made within the context of recruitment. It can be used as a tool and a first step in the hiring process. But don't look at it as a magic tool that will somehow make your HR department 100% more efficient. 

To Conclude: Gamification in Recruitment

As an employer or business owner you may find there is some push back against the introduction of gamification in your HR processes. This is normal, as fear of change is an evolutionary quality. In other words, when things are safe, why change them? But by introducing gamification, you're also introducing the idea of employees needing to be adaptable. And it's this adaptability to change that is crucial to the success of any business.  As they say, if you never try it, then you'll never know!