In recent years, gamification has been the catalyst of change for recruitment. Several companies have given up on traditional recruitment techniques in favor of a new, innovative and highly engaging platform that transcends the process to a new level. Using gamification companies have empowered themselves with the ability to adopt their values and goals into a gamified environment which really works and has proven results.

Through its wide scope and customizability, gamification has helped companies enhance engagement initiatives strengthen their employer brand and personalize the recruitment process to attract and induct the right talent. All the while making their processes fun!

What’s more is that using gamification companies can comprehensively test their candidates’ abilities, competencies, aptitude and cognitive skills. This of course, enables companies to cut hiring costs and time. And when gamification is really running on all cylinders, companies can attract diverse applicants that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

Companies that have used platforms like the C-Factor to enhance their recruitment process can vouch for everything that I’ve stated in the above paragraphs. However, globally, who else is using gamification to extract the most of this innovative solution? Let’s find out.

1. Domino’s Pizza

Domino’s Pizza Mogul isn’t just a way to attract customers and earn from them. It’s helped the company build a brand awareness that appeals to young people who’re looking for an exciting team to be a part of. The game they’ve implemented allows users to create and name personalized pizza ideas and toppings, and then they market it. For every customized pizza that’s sold, users earn monetary rewards. What’s more is that it highlights Domino’s as an innovative, fun, creative and open to ideas kind of workplace. Just what new recruits are looking for in their company.

2. UK Government Communications HQ

If you’re an aspiring spy or interesting in working for the intelligence agency then the UK GCHQ has the perfect game to attract applicants. The agency created an encrypted message on their website CanYouCrackIt.co.uk which tests candidates by asking them to decrypt and decipher what the hidden message is to proceed with the recruitment process. Essentially the agency allows its candidates to get a taste of what to expect, the challenges that lie ahead and what they’re in for by working for them. Also, the platform itself sifts out those candidates who aren’t fit for the job and who don’t meet the job requirements.

3. Formapost

French postal service has been using gamification to address one of its most pressing challenges – retention in the first few weeks of joining. Losing 1 out of 4 new recruits has cost the company extensively. Their gamification platform Jeu Facteur Academy walks candidates through a routine day as a postal carrier. From walking up early, learning about the job itself to familiarizing themselves with job ethics, candidates get a “real” feel of the job before they even join. The outcome? Formapost saw dropout rates down from 25% to 8% using gamification!

4. Umbel

Big-data startup Umbel created Umbelmania to have amateur and professional coders go head-to-head with opponents in a first-person fighter-style game environment. Coders aren’t “fighting” per say, instead they’ve coding their movements to earn points in the game. Based on the points gamers accumulate they progress in the interviewing process giving ample opportunities for amateurs or professionals to flaunt their coding abilities.

5. Google

No list is complete without mentioning Google – one of the most innovative companies of our time and early adopters of gamification. For over a decade now, Google has been conducting Google Code Jam competitions to attract fresh and new talent. Sure, winners win prize monies of up to $50,000, but that’s not the important thing. What’s key is that Google is using gamification to attract potential hires who really are in line with the company’s skill requirements.

If there ever was any doubt in your mind that using gamification won’t be able to help you achieve your company’s recruitment goals, think again. These companies and those who’ve used The Talent Games are proof of the power and abilities of gamification. If done right, using gamification for recruitment can elevate your candidate experience to a whole new level, help you attract the right people with the right skills and increase your chances of retaining them.

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Paul Keijzer is the CEO and Founder of Engage Consulting and the co-Founder of The Talent Games, which aims to transform HR by digitising talent processes and creating more engaging and productive workplaces through gamification and mobile technology. As a global HR and Leadership Management expert, Paul knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.