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How gamification can help with graduate recruitment

At GradLink, we are always on the lookout for new and exciting recruitment trends and tactics geared at attracting the best talent. One of the methods we’ve seen on our employment horizon is gamification, which – while slightly unconventional – is proving a particularly powerful tool, especially among millennials. Two of our corporate partners, namely EY and Unilever, have already implemented their own versions. 

EY, one of the world’s leading accountancy firms, is using a mobile game to scope out applicants to fill its 1,550 graduate apprenticeships and internship positions each year. It is part of the company’s bid to attract talent from diverse backgrounds and grant access to potential applicants who may not have connections, such as friends or family, to help them get in. 

Dan Richards, head of graduate recruitment at the company, told the Times: “Our mobile game takes students through a series of challenges to help test things like problem-solving skills, reaction times, perceptions and attitudes towards risk.”

Candidates who fare well in the game, which appears on Debut, a mobile recruitment app, will be rewarded with far more than just their name on a leader board – they might just get an internship. Successful users are then encouraged to set up a free profile that includes information about themselves, such as what university course they did or any relevant skills, experience and extra-curricular activities. 

Moreover, by including information such as location, gender and background, Debut allows employers to seamlessly search for individuals who may otherwise be marginalised in the process. As Charles Taylor, the founder of Debut, explains: “If an employer is struggling to attract female students in the north of England who speak a foreign language, we can instantly find all the people that match those criteria. This is not Tinder for jobs. The employer does not go through profiles, clicking on ones they like. They are matched by our algorithm.”

Elsewhere, Unilever has also introduced a similar system. According to Deloitte University Press, the global consumer juggernaut is utilising both gamification and video interviews to create an “all-digital” recruitment process. 

First, the candidate links their LinkedIn page to an online form – eliminating the need for a CV – before spending the next 20 minutes gaming. Together with gamification solution provider Pymetrics, the firm created 13 games aimed at illustrating skills and character insights as problem solving, personality and communication style. All candidates will receive personalised feedback, but successful candidates will be invited to record a video interview. For the final step, they are invited to a Discovery Centre to complete an in-person “day in the life at Unilever” simulation.

According to EY, since launching the game it has made 22 new hires. Richards also stated that Debut is roughly 50% cheaper than other recruitment channels, such as job fairs. Unilever, while still the early stages, has also seen positive results, with the company reporting heightened efficacy and speed. 

However, if this all seems like too much bother, don’t forget that you can sign your company up for free with GradLink to access a wealth of unmissable CVs.