Game On! Unilever brings mobile gaming to recruitment drive

The new hiring drive combines gaming with video interviews to reduce time and to control unconscious bias in the selection process.

Unilever, the British-Dutch multinational consumer goods company, is making its recruitment process faster and fun. It has begun using mobile gaming to recruit staff. With an aim to speed up recruitment, reduce costs and promote diversity, the company will mix gaming with video interviews to limit any unconscious bias in the selection process.

An official blog stated that Unilever has digitised its recruitment process and 20 minutes of gaming is now part of the blend. The changes aim to keep pace with the expectations of potential millennial employees – 60 per cent of whom, according to research by PwC, see an employer’s ‘provision of state of the art technology’ as important when considering a job.

“From the CV and candidate search, to the interview, we’re using technology to create a truly interactive experience, which allows us to get a more meaningful connection with applicants,” explains Chief HR Officer Leena Nair.

“We know that people increasingly live their lives online and our recruitment process must reflect that. This new procedure will be faster, simpler and more flexible allowing graduates to accommodate the applying process around their lives,” she adds.

According to the company, around 250,000 people apply each year out of which 800 young leaders will have a chance to be a part of the company if they complete the four steps that are a part of the recruitment drive. First, applicants will have to fill an online form, using their LinkedIn profile, after which they will receive the link to 12 games, which will take 20 minutes to play.

Candidates will receive gameplay feedback within 48 hours. ‘The time from first application to offer has been reduced to less than two weeks for all applicants and could be as short as one or two days – a market-leading time between application and offer is circa 60 days’, the blog states.

The candidates will then have to record a video interview on their tablet or smartphone. The final step of the process will invite candidates to a Discovery Centre to work through real-life business challenges and see for themselves what it’s like to work day to day at Unilever.

In a connected world, it’s important to attract tech-savvy talent capable of responding quickly to markets that are changing faster than ever before. “It is hoped that this innovative approach will provide a novel experience and help us attract the best young talent to the business, facilitating our vision to grow,” Leena concludes.