Trilogies seem quite popular at the moment, so following on from my previous posts ‘Most Innovative Recruitment Strategies Part 1 & Part 2, I’ve compiled another bunch of random recruitment tactics and methods I’ve come across over the last few months.
1) The Mobile Medic – Augmented Reality Mobile app from The Australian Defence Force
The first innovative recruitment method comes from the land down under and involved medically diagnosable outdoor posters! When the Australian Defence Force wanted to recruit the best medical students worthy of a scholarship, they placed a series of ‘mobile medic’ posters on University campuses across Australia. Via an augmented reality app, students point their smart phone or ipad at the posters and then use a variety of virtual tools such as stethoscope, ECG trace, X-ray and ultrasound to diagnose and treat various medical conditions afflicting the virtual patient. To see it in action view the video below:
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2) The Tattoo Ad QR code – Berrge Tattoo Parlour
When the Berrge Tattoo Parlour in Istanbul Turkey wanted to hire a skilled tattoo artist they decided to do something a bit different. To ensure their applicants had the steady hand required, they printed an ad in the paper of a QR code. Nothing innovative about a QR code, but this one needed to be filled in (see image below) to obtain the application details, requiring patience and a skilled hand.
3) Heineken – “The Candidate”
You’ve probably already seen this one, but it’s too good to leave out. Seeking an intern for their Event & Sponsorship department, Heineken received 1734 applications. After sifting through the applicants, rather than opt for standard interviews they chose to put interviewees in a variety of unusual situations while being filmed (secretly). Situations included needing to provide medical assistance to the interviewer after they collapsed, and helping to save a distressed employee during a fire evacuation! Watch the video below containing some of the interviews and find out how the successful candidate was rewarded.
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4) Pinterest – Recruiting pediatric therapists at PediaStaff
I came across this example a while back and it still remains one of the better campaigns I’ve seen with regards to using Pinterest for recruitment. PediaStaff is a recruitment firm specialising in placing pediatric therapists. In August 2011 they set up an account on Pinterest. They currently have 130+ boards and over 50,000 followers. It’s the biggest traffic driver to their website.
After looking around the Pinterest community and exploring the search function, Heidi Kay the company’s VP of brand management and interactive content, noticed that there was a large relevant audience that they could engage and share content with. Heidi then developed groups of boards focusing on various aspects of the pediatric therapy profession. The Pinterest boards have become a resource in their own right for pediatric professionals.
The end result is Pinterest has become a very successful recruiting and employer brand channel for Pediastaff. It’s worth noting that it took a lot of time and effort with engagement being the top priority to make this work. Such a commitment of time and resource may not be a cost effective approach for everyone. If you want to read a more in-depth explanation of this example you can do so here.
5) Custom Video Game – Wibidata Startup Recruitment
WibiData is a San Francisco based start up specialising in the development of big data applications. When it came to recruiting new software engineers they really wanted to emphasise just what a cool place WibiData is to work. They decided to create a custom version of Portal 2 – A spatial puzzle game that resembles a first person shooter that incorporates realistic physics. In the game players use a ‘portal gun’ to create portals allowing them to pass from one section of the game to another. The idea is to challenge the problem solving capability of applicants. If none of that made any sense to you, it’s probably easier just to watch the video of the game below!
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In their custom version of the game WibiData created a virtual version of it’s own offices. After visiting several conference rooms, players take a lift down to a test chamber where they begin solving a series of puzzles that allows them to progress to the next level (the underground test chamber doesn’t exist in the real office). If you fancy a shot you can play the game here.
6) In-Game Recruitment Marketing – Finding Front End Developers, Uncle Grey
When international advertising agency Uncle Grey had exhausted all the usual avenues looking for a skilled front end developer, analysis of their target audience suggested they spent a lot of time playing online games. In particular, front end developers seemed to love playing ‘Team Fortress 2″. After coming up with a sponsorship deal with high ranking well known players in the Team Fortress universe, these players then progressed with an in-game marketing programme as ambassadors of Uncle Grey.
Their goal was to encourage developers playing the game to visit a specific web page to apply for the role. Tactics involved the leading players changing their name tags to the url of the web page, plus putting up ‘Coding Warriors Wanted’ posters with the url link in the virtual environment. The result? Over 50 applications in the first week and they successfully found their front-end developer. View the video below to see the campaign in action:
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That’s about it for part 3, if you’ve come across any recruitment campaigns you thought were pretty innovative, please share them in the comments section below.
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