The key to a successful recruitment strategy
There is a war for talent at the moment, causing companies headaches and unprecedented opportunities for potential employees. The talent pool is getting smaller as more businesses pop up, skills immigrate and many large corporates vie for the same talent. Simultaneously, the current motivation systems are starting to push the desired employees away. How do you stop this problem? We'd like to suggest that the solution lies in applying gamification principles to your recruitment strategy.
Gamification can be applied, in four main ways, to your recruitment strategy:
- To engage candidates,
- Assess potential talent,
- To train new hires/expose candidates to your culture, and
- To promote the company brand.
Successful gamification in your recruitment strategy is about:
- Feedback,
- Fun,
- Play, and
- Friends (community).
Providing opportunity for your candidates to experience these elements will encourage them to return to your careers page consistently to see what is on offer or to approach your particular organisation for placement.
The gaming culture or mechanics can be entrenched right from the start:
- You can track actions/behaviours, interests, trends, etc.,
- As the candidate works through the company, you can identify strengths and weaknesses and positively reinforce all sorts of needs from training to promotion and performance management.
You must design well and test often
The number one factor which determines success when you're trying to achieve a FUN and innovative gamification strategy is to decide first what you want to achieve, e.g. do you want to develop a talent pool?
Search for your talent before you need them
You can use social platforms to help you here. You'll need to use innovative and FUN reasons for people to search your careers pages and come back to search again. Status is the most effective, sustainable and robust option to motivate people to do something.
Known as "Pointsification" (and only a small part of gamification), in this approach leader boards can be both friend and foe!
Remember that you're trying to entice the correct talent so look to offer rewards (points) for those who, for example:
- Complete challenges,
- Discuss the positions you have on offer, or
- Post interesting information, etc.
Making the candidate want to come back to view your positions on offer enables you to use analytics to find out:
- Who's clicking,
- What they're clicking on, and
- How much time they're spending engaging with your content.
If you use these tools well, you've already started to assess the character of the potential candidate.
If used well, you have already started to assess the character of the potential candidate.
We're living in a social revolution and to ensure you reach the correct candidates, you need to form a community around what you do, what you want and offer. This will help to create discussions around your positions and brand, and can definitely:
- Raise the profile of your company,
- Attract new talent, and
- Provide feedback to your company about what people are saying and thinking.
Consider the user experience of your recruitment strategy and process: is it engaging, boring or difficult? If you're not sure, ask! Gamification presents a truly unique and exciting opportunity for companies wanting an edge to their recruitment strategy.
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Darryn and Bronwyn (husband and wife team) are energised, passionate and excited to teach gamification in a practical and real way, using fun, to link business, education and life. Combined with 19 years of international and national organisational development, behaviour and change management expertise, they love to share and enable business growth into new and uncharted territories. Come and join their adventure! Visit their website at http://p4d.co.za. |
