Gamified hires

Ikea has opened a new immersive virtual store in Roblox complete with flatpacks, meatballs and real co-workers, to showcase the breadth of job roles and career journeys it can offer, all as part of a campaign called ‘Careers done different.’

Ahead of the store’s launch on 24 June, the company invited applications for ten paid positions as a co-worker. Over a two-week period, more than 178,000 applications were received. The ten lucky hires will work with customers, learn new skills and get promoted, just like a real-world employee. Salaries are also rooted in real-world practicalities: successful candidates will receive £13.15 per hour ($16.98 USD) equivalent to the standard rate of pay for a London Ikea co-worker.

Showroom in The Co-worker game, Ikea

Game Play Example 1 — Game play from the Co-Worker game, Ikea

The virtual store now welcomes Roblox users too. Along with exploring the aisles and enjoying a visit to the Swedish food market and bistro, players can also take on the role of a co-worker at Ikea, trying their hand serving up the store’s famous meatballs or flexing their creative muscles by helping with interior styling, building experience as they move between roles. 'The Co-Worker game' reflects Ikea’s real-life approach to career progression, which allows co-workers to build their own career journey, moving sideways as well as upwards, and taking things at their own pace.

A similar campaign from 2022, saw the German hypermarket chain Kaufland significantly boost its resume count from generation Z and young millennials by hosting an activation called Grand Job Experience within GTA Real Life. The two-day activation immersed young people in potential jobs in stores, from cashiers to store managers to janitors, inviting famous streamers to act as both trainers and recruiters during streams.

Both these campaigns gamify recruitment while showcasing company culture and generating brand buzz and awareness among younger cohorts.

We are always looking for new ways to attract and inspire the next generation of co-workers to imagine a career at Ikea. ‘The Co-Worker’ game is a fantastic way to give players a taste of our culture and insight into what makes the world of work at Ikea so special.

Darren Taylor

Country people and culture manager, Ikea UK, and Ireland

The idea of games and virtual spaces as a recruitment tool is not entirely new of course: the US military has long hosted tournaments in games including Fortnite as a means of promoting careers. But the need to go beyond traditional hiring platforms like websites and LinkedIn is intensifying, with brands increasingly looking to meet generation Zers where they are: in games, virtual spaces, and on social platforms.

VML Intelligence data for the Future 100 2024 finds that more than half of generation Z say that gaming is central to their identity, and 83% consider themselves active consumers of social media. And this generation has long harnessed social platforms for career tips and networking and even mentoring, as reported in Gen Z networking.

TikTok launched its feature allowing job hunters to post their video resumes back in 2022, and numerous brands have taken to the platform to recruit young talent, including CeraVe, Chipotle and Hilton: the hashtag #wearehiring boasts almost 250 million views.

As business look forward to a fresh intake of school and college leavers, they will need to go beyond traditional strategies to tap a new generation that is harder to reach. Gaming and social platforms offer a creative and playful way to showcase company culture as well as standout as a forward-thinking company.

Images: The Co-Worker game, courtesy of Ikea