Hays Challenge draws graduates to a career in recruitment: Serious gaming improves the quality of applicants

Abstract

Purpose

Reveals how the Hays Challenge, a serious game developed to respond to key business objectives for the attraction of graduate recruits, was developed and implemented.

Design/methodology/approach

Describes how a recruitment-orientated serious game was developed and implemented at Hays plc. Applied research was conducted through a series of focus groups that informed the design process.

Findings

Reveals that more than 40,000 players from 190 countries have played the Hays Challenge. Within the UK business 73 percent of the most recent graduate applicants have played the Hays Challenge.

Practical implications

Explains that anecdotal information from the internal-recruiting teams suggests that there has been an improvement in the quality of applicants and that their knowledge about recruitment consultancies is much more evident.

Social implications

Describes an interesting and attractive way of providing information about careers in recruitment to today's internet-savvy young people.

Originality/value

Fills a gap in the relatively limited published research into how serious gaming can be used in the attraction and initial self-selection stage of the recruitment process. Adds further insight for practitioners into this area and demonstrates some of the benefits of adopting such an approach.

Citation

Cullens, J. and J. Waters, R. (2014), "Hays Challenge draws graduates to a career in recruitment: Serious gaming improves the quality of applicants", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 4-7. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-03-2014-0033