Andy Brown, Operations Director explains: “We are keen to take advantage of advances in virtual, augmented and gamification in our recruitment processes in order to help us identify potential candidates and help us continue to recruit as diversely as possible.
“We also want to give graduates an enjoyable experience when they come along to meet us and provide them with feedback which can help them find the right role for them. Gaming is a natural part of many people’s lives today, so using the technology that our potential employees are already versed in is a great way of helping them to relax and enjoy the experience.”
Working with Arctic Shores, FDM Group has introduced a game based verbal reasoning test which graduates play at their assessment centre. Following the success of this approach, the Group is now looking at expanding the range of game based tests at its assessment centres.
Andy says: “We introduced a game based verbal reasoning test because we found that graduates are not used to communicating in a business environment. This means that they can fall down at this stage when they might actually have the skills we’re looking for. Communication skills are something that we can develop if we know that the individual has the potential, therefore, by using this type of test, we can clearly identify an applicant’s communication skills and help them understand how to do it more effectively in a business environment as we take them forward.”
In addition to game based tests, FDM provides students at careers fairs with virtual reality tours of its London, Leeds and Glasgow academies and centres to give them a feel for the working environment. The VR was designed and built by paid interns during their summer working experience at FDM. FDM has also explored apps such as the Debut graduate app, to attract applicants, has used webinar technology to offer graduate careers advice sessions, and regularly uses ‘Kahoots’ the online quizzing app, to actively engage audiences at events.
Andy adds: “These are quite simple but effective technologies that allow us to more easily target and engage individuals who have the necessary characteristics and interests that we want and need for our roles.”
Robert Newry, Managing Director at Arctic Shores says: “In the last year, there has been a significant growth in the number of companies introducing gamification as part of their graduate recruitment programmes. FDM Group is one of just a few companies who are using the technology at the assessment centre stage and that’s really helping them test their applicants and identify early on in the process who has the potential they need.”
“Using game technology to determine someone’s natural personality traits creates results which can then be matched against the known criteria for the role to help make the best fit. Our game-based assessments are based on scientific psychometric measures and we collect over 3000 data points that provide a detailed picture of a person’s aptitude and capability for a role. Using data in this way helps remove the element of unconscious bias from recruitment; after all, data is blind to bias.”