Gamified assessments are one of the latest and most innovative tools to appear in the recruitment landscape in recent years. Primarily used as a way to sift candidates in the initial stages of the hiring process, they provide a fresh and modern take on traditional, self-report measures. Our assessments are based on validated psychometric tasks and measure over 30 personality and cognitive traits. The game-like interface creates a more engaging and immersive candidate experience. 89% of candidates reported that they enjoyed completing our assessment as part of the recruitment process, and 85% said that the pre-hire assessment made them feel more excited to work for the employer.
But what is next in this exciting new space?
No longer just props in futuristic sci-fi movies, virtual reality (VR) is primarily used in gaming, and puts players directly into a 3D setting, where they can interact with a fantasy environment from the comfort of their own home.
Using VR to Enhance Employer Brand
As this technology advances and becomes more readily available, companies across industries can make use of VR within recruitment as a way to differentiate themselves, improve the user experience and increase brand perception. American food manufacturer General Mills found that by introducing VR at careers fairs, they received an overwhelmingly positive response from attendees. The technology-enabled students to step inside the head office via VR headset – despite being hundreds of miles away. Through this innovative approach, General Mills were able to show attendees that they foster a creative culture and encourage their employees to try new things. They see VR becoming a fun and modern way to attract top talent.
Similarly, financial software company Intuit made use of VR in advance of a design fair. In a similar fashion to General Mills, they used VR to show off their new design HQ and the diverse range of team members based there. This increased their net promoter score from -60 to +30, and cemented the Inuit as an innovative and cutting-edge company in the attendees’ minds.
VR in the Recruitment Process
Whilst these are creative ways to attract candidates and stand out among the slew of companies offering graduate programmes, there are many practical use cases for VR in recruitment as well. By making use of this technology in the assessment stage, data can be gathered on the applicants’ behaviours and aptitude. For example, instead of completing assessments on a smartphone or laptop, candidates can be immersed in a virtual environment to fulfil the same tasks.
Deutsche Bahn, a German rail company, have gone one step further by providing a ‘day in the life’ experience to give prospective applicants an insight into the company culture and conditions. But can this be expanded on again?
By placing candidates directly into the workplace, this opens up opportunity for situational judgement tests (SJTs) to determine how they may behave and interact with the environment in real-life situations. Traditional SJTs are often presented in a self-report format and require candidates to think hypothetically. This approach can result in candidates selecting the most socially acceptable or appropriate response, based on the role they are applying for, rather than one that accurately reflects how they would actually act or react in various situations.
VR can also be used to elevate the assessment centre experience. Lloyds Banking Group implemented the tech into their IT graduate scheme in 2017. Candidates were assessed based on how they approached a variety of tasks and solved problems using VR headsets.
Across industries, VR enhances the user experience and brand perception, and allows for insights to be gathered in ways conventional methods can’t. VR within recruitment is no exception – despite it being a traditional and relatively slow-moving industry.
Watch this space to see how Arctic Shores continue to evolve and develop our innovative solution even further!
