How AR and VR Will Affect the Hiring and Recruitment Process

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1Q 2019 | IN-5416

AR and VR have already been embraced and adopted by a considerable number of businesses across various enterprise verticals that aim to optimize and differentiate their business models to align with the digital age. Many others have already successfully implemented AR and VR, as a marketing tool for providing unique and engaging experiences to their customers or for improving task efficiency and employee collaboration. A new path for AR/VR usage is emerging in recruitment processes, providing new opportunities to recruiters and candidates. Accenture recently announced a solution that will leverage AR and VR tools in all stages of the graduate recruitment process, from early stages of application though hiring in order to build a diverse workforce and include a digital innovation insight. In addition, Deutsche Bahn, a German railway company, utilized VR headsets in career fairs to attract talent and allow them to discover various roles within the company. Also, Jaguar Land Rover used an MR app for evaluating candidates’ software engineering skills and involved them in a code-breaking challenge that was designed to test problem-solving skills; best performers were fast-tracked through the recruitment process. Finally, Lloyds Banking Group included a VR application in the graduate assessment center allowing candidates to explore different scenarios one could face during the working day and apply their knowledge and skills.

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The First Initiatives of AR and VR for Attracting Talent?

NEWS


AR and VR have already been embraced and adopted by a considerable number of businesses across various enterprise verticals that aim to optimize and differentiate their business models to align with the digital age. Many others have already successfully implemented AR and VR, as a marketing tool for providing unique and engaging experiences to their customers or for improving task efficiency and employee collaboration. A new path for AR/VR usage is emerging in recruitment processes, providing new opportunities to recruiters and candidates. Accenture recently announced a solution that will leverage AR and VR tools in all stages of the graduate recruitment process, from early stages of application though hiring in order to build a diverse workforce and include a digital innovation insight. In addition, Deutsche Bahn, a German railway company, utilized VR headsets in career fairs to attract talent and allow them to discover various roles within the company. Also, Jaguar Land Rover used an MR app for evaluating candidates’ software engineering skills and involved them in a code-breaking challenge that was designed to test problem-solving skills; best performers were fast-tracked through the recruitment process. Finally, Lloyds Banking Group included a VR application in the graduate assessment center allowing candidates to explore different scenarios one could face during the working day and apply their knowledge and skills.

Advantages of Adopting AR and VR in Hiring Process

IMPACT


Differentiating hiring processes can strengthen employment brand proposition, enhance candidates’ experience, attract the most talented employees, and optimize internal tasks and processes. AR and VR tools can support organizations throughout all stages of the recruitment process, providing new capabilities to candidates and recruiters without completely replacing face-to-face interaction and communication. More specifically, AR and VR tools can provide the chance for candidates to explore various job scenarios and tasks, deeply understand the skills and knowledge required for the job, and finally assess their suitability for the role and feel more confident in accepting job offers. In addition, working environment and culture are among the most important factors that candidates take into consideration when applying, and VR simulators can virtually present a typical day in the organization or virtually guide them at the workplace and facilities providing immersive experiences to potential employees. At the same time, these initiatives allow companies to strengthen their employment branding and stand out in the competitive market of talent hunting.

AR and VR tools can be a great asset during assessment stages, as recruiters can evaluate candidates’ skills, knowledge, experience level, and personality traits based on their performance on virtual simulators and other realistic tasks. These tools assist recruiters in making more accurate decisions based on actual performance rather than mainly relying on oral interviews. Smart technological tools also alleviate personal bias during assessment, ensuring equal opportunities for all candidates and allowing companies to discover the most talented employees. In addition, by integrating immersive and interactive elements in an assessment, the process can be less stressful for candidates, allowing them to reach higher levels of performance. At the same time, AR/VR are a novel digital value-add that can attract and motivate candidates–especially younger users.

Personalized experiences and higher levels of engagement are one of the main priorities of businesses today in order to meet customers’ needs and exceed their expectations; consequently, as HR policies are aligned with business strategies, recruiters aim to create a memorable and unique journey for potential employees from the beginning. AR and VR can provide personalized experiences to every candidate and increase engagement level, allowing them to be more active in the recruitment process even from remote locations. In addition, emerging technologies are a great way of promoting the digital and innovative side of a company and steadily replacing old traditional processes that may be inefficient for organizations and not appealing for candidates.

Current Limitations

RECOMMENDATIONS


AR and VR technologies are proven valuable and efficient tools for employee training, but the opportunities are expanding, and some companies have already leveraged AR and VR solutions in the recruitment process. It is expected that, in the coming years, more and more companies will experiment with and adopt AR and VR in the recruitment process, especially those that need to assess technical skills or aim to attract young generations.

Currently, the high cost of AR and VR headsets may limit massive adoption even in large scale organizations as the high number of candidates requires an adequate number of devices, which significantly increases the investment. However, companies can address this issue by using mobile applications that provide similar capabilities and experiences, allowing recruiters to assess with accuracy candidate’s skills and knowledge under various scenarios. In addition, AR/VR experiences aren’t applicable or sensical for some positions and target employee groups, so HR departments should examine these factors when deciding to adopt nascent and novel technologies. Moreover, massive implementation of AR and VR in recruitment and hiring is still limited due to the lack of audience education even in young generations; some candidates may believe that these tools require some technical skills or may negatively affect their performance during an assessment due to confusion around the device, poor connectivity, or any other technical issue.

ROI for adopting AR and VR tools in hiring processes is currently challenging to define as the number of case studies are limited; however, successful implementations of AR/VR in other operating departments are encouraging. These tools attract top talent and empower more accurate decisions regarding the hires based on actual performance. There is also potential savings in travel costs and associated on-site expenses if users can take part remotely, when applicable. Reducing or eliminating non-reusable materials in the recruitment and assessment process can also decrease costs, of course with the caveat of any additional fees associated with implementing and using AR/VR.

As the technology evolves and the market matures, both specifically for hiring and recruitment and the entire AR/VR market, businesses will be able to further enrich hiring processes by including AR and VR solutions to optimize internal processes, foster employment branding, and improve candidates’ experiences.

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