Whether it’s a car, a new suit, a house, or a job, individuals don’t walk into investments blind.

Time is precious and, as such, people don’t commit to things without the confidence in knowing they are making the right decision. Noone wants a suit that doesn’t fit or a car in a horrible colour – the same applies to a new job.

Businesses are still finding the best ways to recruit those most suited to the job. It is not as simple as painting a utopian picture of the best job in the world and then hoping people don’t do their research.

In order to recruit the best talent, businesses must be the best they can be and give a truthful reflection to the candidate, all while keeping to tight HR budgets.

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The problem comes down to one simple question: how well can recruiters learn the motivations and drivers for those they are recruiting?

Such valuable information enables HR operatives to tailor skills to job roles thereby circumventing candidate misunderstandings, disillusionment or even rejection from the offset.

Concepts such as gamification are riding on the wave of cutting edge analytics and social media equipping recruiters with the tools to understand their candidates, beyond what is written on their CV.

The saying, ‘knowledge is power’, is certainly relevant in this case. Predictive modelling, data analysis and access to social media add vast strategic benefits to recruiters looking to match talent to specific business requirements.

A one-size-fits-all approach to hiring does not guarantee the right talent for the job and can, ultimately, be costly to customer satisfaction and the business’s bottom line.

Gamification selectively uses the mechanics that bring out people’s natural desires for competition, achievement, status, self-expression, altruism, and closure, when faced with real-life situations in the form of a game.

It enables recruiters to learn about candidate behaviour, character traits and consequently understand how they can add value to the business.

Locating the right talent pool and engaging specific segments via customised gamified modules promises to be a pragmatic solution to recruitment challenges across industries.

The Marriott hotel group has launched an app that makes candidates virtually perform hotel service tasks. This gives insights to the candidates on what real work is going to be like and also, helps sieve out the applicants who do not have the aptitude for such a job.

As well as ensuring the most appropriate talent gets the job, it also prevents the organisation from wasting money on candidates who will quickly lose interest.

Along the same lines, HCL Technologies embraced gamification as a method of revolutionising its recruitment and onboarding process.

A game with ten levels is shared with new employees thirty days before they get started. Each level helps to immerse the candidate in company culture, interact with peers, and play for points.

While the employee remains engaged with their new organisation, the internal recruiters are able to learn about their tendencies to participate, interact, compete and see how vested they are in company culture.

On the flip side, it also brings to light which employees don’t log in or engage and are therefore more likely to renege on their job offer.

Gamifying tasks can help candidates to become more engaged with an organisation’s corporate culture before they start their job – and can even, in some instances, help to turn rejections into acceptances.

Similarly, for onboarding, instead of sitting through hours of lectures, e-learning modules and videos, new hires will be pleasantly surprised to play a game that equips them with all the information and tools they need.

Gamification can, therefore, play a significant role for businesses because of their ability to engage, empower and enable users by addressing their intrinsic motivators.

A gamified programme, which is personalised and engaging, represents an innovative outlook by the organisation and gives a positive impression.

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Above and beyond the benefits to effective talent recruitment, gamification makes good business sense. By integrating gamification into the recruitment process, HCL Technologies has saved millions by reducing the number of reneged offers over a period of just eighteen months.

Businesses recognising the power of information when it comes to recruitment and onboarding will benefit from a head start in tempting the best talent.

Entering a new job is a huge personal investment from the point of view of the candidate and the employer. The better they understand each other’s characters, the more successful the relationship will be.

Authentic and honest communication is essential if businesses want to appeal to the right candidates with the right expectations and skills.

Gamification, therefore, leads to better quality hires, and ultimately, retention.

Sourced from Prithvi Shergill, CHRO, HCL Technologies