Gamification brings the key benefits of being able to differentiate your hiring process and reducing candidate drop out. Which is why more and more recruiters are incorporating gamified elements into their hiring process. But many recruiters rush into this without knowing the difference between Gamified assessments and game-based assessments – as only the former is a predictive means of screening applicants.
Interactive games taken purely for attraction and enjoyment or “game-based” assessments are a great way to showcase your unique culture for the jobs that are available. They can even become viral marketing tools that promote your employer brand.
But, a game should remain just that – an engagement piece at the start of the recruitment process. Everyone likes a good game when the stakes are low, but recruitment is a high stakes situation for job candidates, and one which they all take seriously. One of two scenarios may arise for over-gamifying: either you may receive negative backlash for using perceived “frivolous” recruitment tactics, with candidates presuming they are not being taken seriously, or you could end up with a pool of candidates who are less suitable than those sourced using no assessments whatsoever.
Gamified assessments, on the other hand have the foundation of a traditional psychometric test at its core. It introduces game-based elements which improves candidate engagement and also collects data points more efficiently with the help of machine learning. A cover story can be integrated that even matches what candidates can expect on the job. As such, a gamified assessment is still a psychometric test that will capture job-relevant cognitive ability or personality data. It has simply been configured to incorporate game elements such as levels, badges and rewards.
Compared to game-based scenarios, gamified assessments provide more predictive results and rarely creates the opportunity to tarnish your employer brand. Compared to traditional assessments, gamified assessments reduce drop-out rate and can collect a more diverse range of data points with fewer question items, while usually still maintaining the same level of validity and reliability.
With the growing trend of gamification, recruiters have more choice than ever before. Depending on your specific industry and role needs, you may choose whichever one suits the situation. So, choose a provider that offers you the flexibility to plug and play as you go.
Despite all the excitement built up in the HR Tech space, gamified assessments (and even game-based ones) are still just another tool recruiters should have in their toolkit. Game-based assessments are not scientifically proven to predict job performance so should not be used to to screen candidates. They should remain an engagement piece only. This ensures your assessments are providing meaningful, job-relevant insights that will help you make fair and objective selection decisions.