Gamification in recruiting: How and why Baset, March 15, 2025 Gamification in recruiting In today’s competitive job market, traditional hiring methods just don’t cut it anymore. That’s where gamification comes in. By turning recruitment into an engaging, game-like experience, companies can find better candidates while making the process more fun and interactive for everyone involved. Teambonder aims to share with you how gamification can transform your hiring strategy. Keep reading to discover the best tools and practices to get started! What is Gamification in Recruitment? Gamification in recruitment means using game-like elements to make the hiring process more engaging and interactive. Instead of relying only on traditional methods like resumes and interviews, companies add things like quizzes, challenges, and rewards to test candidates’ skills in a fun and practical way. What does it involve? At its core, gamification takes things we usually find in games—like points, badges, leaderboards, and timed challenges—and applies them to the recruitment process. It’s a way to turn parts of hiring into activities that feel more like playing a game than filling out applications. Why use it? The goal is simple: to make the experience more interesting for candidates and help companies find the right people. Gamification helps employers see how candidates think, solve problems, and handle challenges. Instead of just reading about someone’s skills on a resume, you get to watch them in action. For example, a company might create an online game that simulates real tasks from the job. Candidates complete missions or challenges, and their results give recruiters a clear idea of their abilities—like problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity. How Long Has Gamified Hiring Been Around? Gamification in hiring is a fairly recent trend, but the idea of using game-like strategies to engage people has been around for a long time. Here’s a quick overview of how it all started and how it’s used in recruitment today: Early Gamification Concepts: Historical Roots: The concept of gamification goes back to the late 1800s. For example, in 1896, S&H Green Stamps rewarded customers for being loyal. This was one of the first examples of using rewards to influence behavior. Employee Engagement: In the 1970s, companies began using game-like ideas to keep employees motivated and engaged at work. This was an early use of gamification in the workplace. Modern Gamification: The Term “Gamification”: The word itself became popular around 2010. That’s when people really started using game elements—like points, badges, and leaderboards—in different areas outside of games. Recruitment Use Begins: Gamification started showing up in hiring processes in the early 2010s. As technology improved, more companies experimented with gamified tests and challenges to assess candidates. By the mid to late 2010s, these tools became much more common in recruitment. Recent Developments Now, gamified hiring is a well-known strategy. Many companies use it to attract candidates and make the hiring process more engaging. It helps recruiters test skills and see how candidates handle real tasks in a fun, interactive way. Why Gamification in Recruiting Gamification has become a popular tool in recruitment because it benefits both employers and candidates. It makes the hiring process more engaging, fair, and efficient for everyone involved. Here’s how: Benefits of Gamification in Recruiting for Employers: Better Candidate Engagement: Adding game-like elements makes the hiring process more interactive and fun. This keeps candidates interested and less likely to drop out halfway through. More Accurate Skill Testing: Games and challenges can show how candidates think and solve problems in real time. It’s often a better way to assess skills than reading a résumé or doing a standard interview. Checks for Cultural Fit and Soft Skills: Gamified tasks can reveal important qualities like teamwork, communication, and leadership, helping employers see if a candidate fits with the company’s culture. Data-Driven Hiring: Gamified platforms collect data on candidate performance. This makes it easier to make fair decisions based on real results rather than gut feelings or bias. Attracts Top Talent: Tech-savvy candidates, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are drawn to companies that use modern, innovative methods like gamification. It helps businesses stand out in a competitive job market. Benefits of Gamification in Recruiting for Candidates: More Engaging Process: Instead of filling out forms or sitting through long interviews, candidates get to take part in activities that are more interesting and enjoyable. No Résumé Needed (Sometimes): Many gamified assessments focus on skills, not work history. Candidates can show what they’re capable of without relying only on their résumé. Fair Skill Assessment: Games and challenges give candidates a chance to show their abilities in real scenarios, often leading to a fairer evaluation. Faster Feedback: Many gamified systems give candidates quick feedback on how they’re doing, which keeps them informed and motivated. Easy to Join from Anywhere: Gamified hiring often happens online, so candidates can take part no matter where they live. It’s convenient and takes away some of the stress that comes with in-person interviews. Gamification makes recruiting easier, fairer, and more fun. It helps companies find the right people while giving candidates a better experience along the way. Benefits of Gamification in Recruiting If you’re thinking about adding gamification to your hiring process, there are plenty of tools and strategies that can help. Here’s a simple breakdown of some of the best tools and practices to get you started. Best Tools for Gamification in Recruiting These tools make it easier to engage candidates, assess their skills, and streamline your recruitment process: TeamBonder: TeamBonder creates interactive team challenges and virtual experiences that help assess collaboration, problem-solving, and communication skills. It’s a fun and effective way to see how candidates work with others in real time. C-Factor: Offers gamified situational judgment tests and psychometric assessments. It helps reduce bias in hiring by using AI-driven insights to evaluate candidates. OneUp: Designed to motivate recruitment teams with features like custom dashboards, leagues, and challenges. It turns team performance into a friendly competition. Centrical: Engages employees through game narratives, leaderboards, and rewards. It’s used to boost productivity and improve performance during the hiring and onboarding stages. The Talent Games: Provides AI-powered pre-interview assessments that focus on delivering a positive candidate experience while ensuring fair and unbiased evaluation. Spinify: Uses real-time leaderboards to track recruiter performance and encourage friendly competition within recruitment teams. Pymetrics: Offers gamified behavioral assessments to measure cognitive and emotional traits. It helps match candidates to roles where they are most likely to succeed. Best Practices for Gamification in Recruiting Following these best practices can help you make the most of gamification in your hiring process: Start with Clear Goals: Decide what you want to improve. Are you trying to engage more candidates? Do you want better ways to assess skills? Knowing your goal helps you pick the right approach. Pick the Right Tools: Choose tools that fit your company culture and the roles you’re hiring for. For example, if teamwork is key, tools like TeamBonder can be a great choice. Create Realistic Simulations: Design tasks or games that reflect the job. This gives candidates a chance to show how they’d handle real work situations. Use Rewards and Milestones: Add rewards or recognition for hitting milestones during the process. This keeps candidates motivated and makes the experience more fun. Be Fair and Inclusive: Make sure your gamified assessments are fair for everyone. Avoid any games or challenges that could give an unfair advantage to certain groups. Use Gamification Throughout: Don’t limit gamification to just one stage. You can apply it at different points—from pre-screening to onboarding—to keep candidates engaged all the way through. By using the right tools and following these best practices, companies can make their hiring process more interactive, fair, and enjoyable—for both candidates and recruiters. gamification