Gamification for Recruiting (Part Two)

IBM’s "Smarter Planet" campaign celebrates Big Blue's ambitious efforts to tackle some of the most vexing dilemmas of our era. But IBM is going to have to get a lot smarter if its going to attract the next generation of smarter workers to work there.

After dumping $30 million to build the Watson computer that beat two former "Jeopardy!" champions earlier this year (and far more to promote it), the company lugged its machine to Carnegie Mellon University with the goal -- persuade some of those students to consider a career at IBM. The move was part of a new charm offensive by mature technology companies, including Microsoft Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co., as they compete for engineering students against sexier start-ups, such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter.

Others are using game-based communications to drive engagement and start the brand conversation. Deloitte's "Virtual Team Challenge" is an employer branding and recruiting program that attracts talent to the accounting/audit career path. This first-ever use of multiplayer virtual worlds for talent. (see New York Times)

The strategy for talent "fit": Sims to differentiate SNI, and attract and engage candidates with greater efficiency and effectiveness. By telling the SNI employer brand story well the Sim delivers 'self-selected' inspired candidates with a clear understanding of your culture. Through integrated assessment instruments you cast a wider net and prioritize who funnels out, with increasing insight into high-quality talent.

Microsoft holds tech confabs at which it demonstrates its newer technologies, such as the Microsoft Kinect motion sensor for gaming. See recent coverage in BusinessWeek and coverage in Forbes.

FULL STORY

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