The word “job interview” gives you the chips? It’s normal. This stuff is one of the most anxiety-provoking dates on earth. One-shot. If you screw up, you say goodbye to your dream job (well, not always, we’re a bit of a drama queen). OUCH. HARD BLOW. But there are more atypical recruitment techniques, to which you are surely more relaxed. We don’t say that you play your future less, we just say that you don’t play it in a suit, in an office, in front of an HR who is afraid of nothing and paralyzes you, not knowing what to do with your hands or the drop of water that runs down your forehead.
1. Elcimaï recruits in a climbing gym
This company specializing in the field of engineering, digital technology, construction and the environment has invited candidates to rise to the top to obtain one of thirty positions… Literally! During this unusual recruitment, the candidates had to evolve in groups on different paths. For the director of human resources, this is an opportunity for applicants to reveal their personality, their qualities and their team spirit. A high-flying recruitment, for a company whose name is inspired by the climbing site “le Cimaï”, in the Var, it’s not so funny, is it??
2. Ubisoft is recruiting in virtual reality
This company is one of the world leaders in the field of video games. Created in 1986 by 5 Breton brothers (yes, yes), it launched its first recruitments in VR in 2016. In fact, it was simply a question of showing the premises to candidates thanks to this technology. The goal: to make them want to join the club. And to show off, a little… Well yes… all the same… Not because we tell ourselves: the guy who applies to Ubisoft does not need a VR visit to be motivated… At the limit, he will be deg , once failed, of not being able to discover these offices for real. Not cool.
3. Upperlife and Pokemon Recruitment
For this start-up, the observation is simple: recruitment is a kind of duel between HR and candidate. Never mind, the company takes it at its word and bases its recruitment campaign on the legendary duels… Pokémon! Yes yes. By using all the graphic codes of the game: the company has produced a video featuring a candidate who wins the duel by force of attack. We don’t know what Upperlife does, but we really want to apply!
4. Google et “python lambda function list comprehension”
Aka recruiting for big IT badass. In fact, to find the ad, you first had to type ” python lambda function list comprehension in the Google search bar. Already, it is not common. Once this search was launched, the user found himself with a screen cut in half (not in the literal sense, eh…) and a game proposal. And beware, it was not a game of Snake or Pacman! Only experienced developers were able to pass the 5 stages, within the limited time of 48 hours (per stage). And there you say to yourself that those who succeeded got the job? OH NO. Just a contact form! Must be determined.
5. Lost Boys and Rebus Recruitment
Are you a fan of these little riddles consisting in identifying a word or a sentence from a drawing? This method of recruitment is for you (damn, it really looks like a slogan made in New Public Management, horrible). In short, Lost Boys is an advertising agency. To recruit these trainees in 2015 and ensure that they had a good advertising culture: they had to solve an enigma and find the brand that was hiding behind a series of 5 emojis, representing a mythical advertisement. If they were right, they got the recruiter’s email address. Do you have them?
6. Let “Blekinge Institute of Technology” et le rercutement Mac Gyver
The Blekinge Institute of Technology is a publicly funded Swedish institute of technology. To recruit its new students within the technical center of their training, the school has innovated: different telephone parts have been sent to students from competing technical universities. The objective: to assemble it. When the recipient arrived there, he then received an SMS “Hi! You seem to be gifted. Call us at BTH. 0455385040”. Funny.
7. Decathlon, and its “sprint” recruitment
What could be more logical, finally? Décat’ rhymes with sport, and therefore, why not with running? For its opening in the 19th arrondissement of Paris in 2016, the store organized a race against time since the candidates had only… 19 seconds to apply! Yes, 19 seconds. It’s (really)(very)(far too) short. Objective ? Highlight the dynamism of the box. That, to be dynamic, is dynamic. I’m taking a little break, it’s already exhausted me.
8. Burger King et son “Music and Job”
Translate: a recruitment event at the crossroads of an influencer gala and a music festival. You don’t understand anything about it? Let me explain: in 2018, the fast food restaurant decided to lighten the mood by offering self-service drinks, donuts, muffins, as well as many activities such as blind tests, concerts and photo booths to candidates. Even if we did not plan to apply, we want to do like. Yes, it’s clearly assumed opportunism, oupsie. (Well yeah, but free food too… Stop, you would have done the same!)
9. Burger King (still), Sushi Shop and Paul, the Escape Game recruitment
This mode of recruitment, although original, is becoming more and more democratic! If it’s fun for the candidates, it’s also a way for the recruiters to observe and evaluate the reactions of the participants, judge their interpersonal skills and their way of evolving in a group. Well yeah, you didn’t think it was just to please you?
10. The French Navy and recruitment hackathon
Did you think that atypical techniques were reserved for private companies? Well no ! The French Navy has also decided to make the exercise more fun than it looks! This branch of the army has, in fact, organized a hackathon for students: gathered in groups of developers, they had to work together on computer programming projects aimed at improving or creating new functions. Good ok, you have to be well versed in the field, but it’s still more fun than a test on the table!
