Gamification in Recruiting

Recrutainment: When the Application Becomes a Game

In the competition for skilled workers, companies are constantly looking for new ways to find and win over the right people. One approach that has become established is gamification in recruiting, often called recrutainment. This article explains how playful elements improve the application process, what benefits they bring, and where their limits are.

What Is Gamification in Recruiting?

Gamification is the use of game-typical elements in a non-game context. When this approach is used in the application process, it is called recrutainment, a mix of recruitment and entertainment. The goal is to lighten up the search for staff while also learning more about candidates' skills and characteristics.

Why Gamification in Recruiting?

Playful elements can be used both before and during the application. A playful self-test helps assess in advance whether someone fits the role. In the interview itself, candidates can be given small tasks that reveal professional skills and character traits that usually get lost in a classic application.

Gamification can reveal decisive differences between candidates' abilities

Recrutainment in Practice

Everything from a simple interactive questionnaire to an elaborate VR simulation game is out there. An early pioneer was the U.S. Army, which recruited with its own shooter. Large companies use it too: Siemens tests aspiring facility managers in the game "Plantville," and the hotel chain Marriott assesses young talent in the simulation game "My Marriott Hotel." In Germany, there are now numerous examples, such as Lidl's retro game "TeamLidlLand," which playfully shows candidates daily life in a store, or PwC's "Multipoly," where candidates solve tasks in a virtual office.

Benefits of Gamification in Recruiting

The biggest advantage: skills like creativity or dexterity become visible that get lost in standard applications. On top of that comes a more relaxed atmosphere, because the typical tension of a classic interview falls away. Recruiters can better assess whether someone really fits the team. And not least, a company that relies on such formats comes across as innovative and modern, which is especially attractive to younger talent.

Gamification has a particularly positive effect on younger applicants

Conclusion

Even though the public perception of video games in Germany remains ambivalent, deliberately used playful elements are an excellent way to better assess candidates. Recrutainment is not useful for every company and every role, but it is an exciting way to lighten up the application process. If you want to have such a format developed for your company, whether a playful test, a serious game, or a VR simulation, we build it at Studio Merkas. Feel free to get in touch.