AR and VR: New Landscapes in Human Resource Industry

Many people will be familiar with the terms of AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) due to the whole gaming scenario but there are very few who will be informed or updated about how this technology can be utilized in various industrial backgrounds.

Before getting into how both these technologies can or contributing in the HR recruitment process, first let’s just understand what they are and how generally it works?

So, basically AR (augmented reality) is the advanced visual representation of the real physical world which enhances the user experience. On the other hand, VR (virtual Reality) creates a computer based ARTIFICIAL environment which is more like giving shape to someone’s imagination. Whereas, augmented reality add on to the existing environment to make it more interactive and engaging.

There is no debate about which technology is better than the other as you can use any of two which you feel more interactive and useful according to the scenario in consideration. I have personally seen VR being used by businesses to enhance user experience which will ultimately impact their product sale.

For Example, clothing businesses providing real time visual of how a certain dress will look once you wear it; so it kind of gives user an idea whether to buy it or not. This technology is making the online shopping experience more real and interactive. But this is about how Virtual Reality is being used in marketing; now how it can be incorporated in HR recruitment process is the question?

There are multiple ways VR and AR can control few aspects in the recruitment process.

Workplace experience

In a traditional setting, we can only experience the workplace environment at the time of interview when we visit the organization and hence realize whether it will be where I want to work or not. But with the involvement of these technologies; one can experience the workplace environment first hand during submitting an application. The use of augmented reality is way more effective as it will basically enhance the real visuals for user experience. It is better for both employer and potential employee because it will help employer to only let those employees apply who feel they will adjust in the workplace experienced.

Gamification as a selection tool

This seems really interesting and it will totally change the dynamics of candidate’s evaluation. So now understanding how it basically works?

In any game we have to take decisions at every step to get success; similarly a game can be designed as a selection tool of potential candidates to identify what decisions they take in a particular situation. The decisions a candidate will take say a lot about his/her personality traits and how they will respond in a complex situation.

Training tool

During this whole COVID Pandemic scenario, we get to realize how much this online training industry is contributing towards up skilling people at their ease. You can also provide technical training with the help of VR technology where you can create a virtual environment for training and let people understand how they have to do something or how they can solve any specific problem. In traditional environment, it is very costly and time taking to arrange such trainings because it requires a whole setting to provide training.

These are just a few and very basic areas where we can use these technologies and many organizations are using it for the same purpose as well. The usage of such technology is still need to be discovered more to use it in most effective ways. This seems to be the beginning of the use of visual technology in the field of HR but there are many other avenues to be explored.