Want a job in UAE? It's time for video games

All work and no play isn’t the secret to success any more. Times have changed and so have conceptions and aptitudes. Play is now being taken seriously if you are looking for a job, this is something that you must consider when flaunting on your CV, just as you do with your qualifications and work experience.

Called new recruitment and selection games, these set of games reveal key personality traits and skills including efficiency, social intelligence and conscientiousness. And the higher you score on them, the better your chances of landing a job of your choice.

Video games like 'Wasabi Waiter' and 'Balloon Brigade' are being used to embrace the psychology of play to reliably predict job performance.

Keeping with the trend, many companies are now venturing into this space to reap the benefits early on.

For example, a company called GUIP produces skills-related games to be used in graduate recruitment and focuses seriously on gamification of the recruitment process.

The company builds an online learning game environment in collaboration with HR departments at some of the biggest corporations in the world.

“We monitor your learning and measure skills development whilst you engage with our gamified learning platform. As you move up player rankings, career opportunities open up for you,” says the company.

Of late, several companies, including those that have their regional headquarters here in the UAE, have started taking gaming seriously in their recruitment process.

Marriott International Inc. for one has been an early adopter to testing how gamification can be used to recruit new employees. The chain has 155 hotels under its umbrella, with 23,000 rooms across eight brands.

The hospitality chain has developed a hotel-themed online game similar to 'Farmville' or 'The Sims', in which players have to juggle all the responsibilities of a hotel kitchen manager.

Big names in financial services industry too are looking at this option.

For example, bank BNP Paribas, which has three branches in the UAE, ran two online games for potential new recruits. One is about a coding-related exercise targeted at technology students, and the other an adventure game where players meet virtual bankers and clients online.

Research and trends indicate that gamification of the recruitment process is fast gaining ground. By the end of this year, more than 70 per cent of global businesses will utilise at least one gamified application, according to the Gartner Group, an information technology research and advisory company providing technology related insight.

This is the reason why a section of jobseekers has started listing achievements in videogames on their résumés or LinkedIn profiles and recruitment managers believe virtual-world accomplishments may translate into real life.

So, if you’re looking to get a job, perhaps it’s time to hone your gaming skills besides focusing on job-related training projects and building your network.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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