In today’s job market, a LinkedIn job posting can garner hundreds, if not thousands, of applications, creating a needle-in-haystack scenario for hiring teams. Talent acquisition teams are now toying a new strategy to reduce time in the search for talent: computer games.
From Tetris-style spatial reasoning tests and puzzle problem-solving scenarios to ‘time trial’ mental math modules, game assessments are gaining traction at some of the world’s largest companies who are eagerly vying for best spot as most envied employer. These tests, designed to brain-tease candidates and determine aptitudes in specific disciplines, provide employers with innovative ways to spot talent and increase diversity in their talent pools.
So, should companies use games to assess and shortlist talent moving forwards?
I sat down to ask the mastermind behind one of the world’s most revolutionary scientific hiring technologies that enables employers to attract more diverse talent efficiently—organizational psychologist Dr. Matthew Neale.
It was 6:30pm in Australia, and although it was the end of a long work day, Dr. Neale, who heads up Criteria Corp’s Assessment Products division as VP, had plenty of insights to unveil about the way their innovative products test candidate abilities and ensure an enjoyable candidate experience.
Sporting a casual black top and smart black-rimmed glasses while seated comfortably in his home office, Dr. Neale conducted a live demo of the candidate view, all the while explaining his game-changing philosophy that has led to some of the world’s leading organizations turn to game-based assessments as a solution for shortlisting candidates.
Game-based versus traditional assessments
What’s the difference?
“Organizations really want to have structured, systematic ways of identifying talent,” said Dr. Neale. “So if you look at what a lot of organizations do, they might be relying on LinkedIn profiles, candidate job histories, an unstructured chat with a candidate, and so on. And those aren’t good ways to identify talent because they’re subject to too many biases and shortcuts.”
“Now, in psychology, where I come from, we’re like, ‘Great, we’ve got the answer to that. You can do a test!’ So you can do a test of mathematical skills, or you can do a test of problem solving. The issue is,” he reflected, “that the tests aren’t very interesting, exciting, or engaging. People don’t put their hand up and say, ‘Yes, I’d love to do a test!’ And when people are applying for a job, the idea that they might have to sit a test to get that job can produce anxiety.
“So we started researching ways we can make that assessment experience more engaging, enjoyable, and less anxiety-provoking for candidates. We discovered that people find games to be interesting and engaging. People love playing games. So we asked ourselves, ‘What can we learn from game design principles to apply to psychometric assessments?’ “
After years of extensive research, Dr. Neale and his team developed a range of game-based assessments, ranging in length from mini-games (five minutes each) to the longer games, emerging with products such as ‘Cognify’ and ‘Shortcuts.’
Each game can be adapted to the requirements of the specific employer they are working with, to enable it to accurately test specific core skills.
For example, Dr. Neale explained, “The game ‘Shortcuts’ is assigned to all candidates right at the beginning before starting the other games. There will be an intro that explains the game rules and goals before they start. This particular game assesses problem-solving abilities and information-processing skills.”
The advantages of using game-based assessments
Why use game assessments versus the traditional recruitment and shortlisting process?
Employer branding and value proposition —candidate experience
Game-based assessments communicate to candidates that the employer has dedicated effort into the recruitment process, and that the candidate experience is valued as part of the planning, not a mere afterthought.
“One of the things that they communicate to candidates is we’ve put some thought and effort into creating an experience that is interesting and engaging for you. We’re going to give you some feedback on how you’ve done, so you’re going to get more of that two-way communication in the recruitment process. And we’re going to be better at objectively identifying your skills rather than relying on where you went to school or where you’ve worked,” Dr. Neale continued.
AI-resistant
According to a survey conducted by Resume Builder, 46% of job-seekers admitted to using ChatGPT throughout the hiring process, leading to an astonishing 59% success rate. With the influx of job-seekers using AI to assist them in landing new roles, this poses a problem to employers who are seeking ways to genuinely identify talent and core competencies critical to the delivery of the role, prior to the interview stage.
“When you look at our game-based assessments,” Dr. Neale continued, “you can’t get ChatGPT to do that assessment for you. Using these interactive game-based assessments are resistant to people trying to ‘guild the lily’ a little bit with some of these new AI tools.”
How game-based assessments work
“When we put a game like this together, there are key principles of game design that we bring in,” he began. “So number one, a game must have a clear goal, Whether it’s tennis or chess or snakes and ladders, there’s a clear goal that everyone understands.”
Next, there are clear rules of the game. Finally, there must be player autonomy and feedback.
Criteria Corp’s ‘Shortcuts’ game, designed in collaboration with experts, is one where a candidate is challenged to move a blue marble (the marble has a dot in the middle so that it is easily accessible to those who are color-blind) and guide it down a path to the target in the shortest possible distance.
“There is no right or wrong,” Dr. Neale is keen to point out. “There are multiple ways to solve the game and puzzle. However, there are absolutely better and worse ways to do it. We do give the candidates some freedom on autonomy and how they go about solving the assessment. However, to arrive at the goal in the shortest possible distance indicates a higher level of problem solving ability.”
Dr. Neale had some gems of wisdom to offer candidates as well, who often find themselves applying for roles and refused an offer or progression through shortlisting, due to key factors on their resume, cover letter, or application questions, which can inadvertently lead to discrimination in the hiring process.
“As a candidate, you firstly need to put yourself in the position to be noticed by a particular employer. And if employers aren’t using structured, psychometrically developed assessments to identify talent, then it can be hard to do it because a lot of it does come down to things like who you know, and where you worked, and where you went to school. But generally, my advice would be to seek out organizations who are putting effort into creating a structured process for identifying talent because they’re more likely to be able to identify the particular skills and capabilities that you’re going to be bringing, in a reliable way and that’s going to result in a better fit for you as a candidate.”
Should more employers integrate game-based assessments as part of the hiring process moving forward? If you’re serious about building a unique employer brand, improving candidate experience and feedback, and diversifying your talent pool through hiring talent for their skills rather than the big names (or lack of it) on their resumes, then yes, game-based assessments should be at the top of your agenda.
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