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Job Search: the “Go” Game

Everywhere you turn it seems someone is playing the latest craze, a game called “Pokémon Go.”  For those that do not understand how the game works, I am going to simplify the process for the non-players. After downloading an application to a smart phone, a player turns on the phone’s GPS option. This allows the application to know the player’s location and turns the physical location into a land full of Pokémon monsters.  The phone becomes a lens to overlay the Pokémon into your real environment, and the player travels the world to “catch `em all”. Certain places a player may wander will be “gyms,” where a player will meet other players of the game and their virtual monsters can engage in a battle. There are additional “PokeStops” for Pokémon to gain resources, and the game allows people to form teams if desired.

This game may be just a trend, but the popularity of it has made the news all across the country. There are people passionately against the game and others that are die hard lovers. Regardless of your opinion, the game does the same thing that workforce development professionals want job seekers to do. The game requires action. Unlike some games, where you can play comfortably at home, this game requires movement in the real world to bring success.

Action is just the thing that is necessary for job seeking. Imagine taking the game’s process and modifying it for job seekers in a fun and interactive way.  Job seekers can take their smart phone and begin their day outside their homes, visiting places in the community. Using their smart phones, job seekers can meet other people, collect contacts, and develop their networks. Next, job seekers can visit places and can “battle” other job seekers. The battle can be called an “interview” and the winner of the “interview” gets the job.  Just like in “Pokémon Go,” jobs and/or the resources to get them are hidden all around the community and takes concerted effort with feet pounding the pavement to be found. Job Seekers can go and visit places like libraries, colleges, and One Stop Career Centers to continue to gain resources and earn game points. Job Seekers can also form teams or “networking groups” to increase their chances of winning battles.

The best part of the job seeking game is that no “in app” purchases are required or downloads are necessary to play. The only thing a job seeker has to do is action. The shared quality that playing this game and job seeking have are that user participation is necessary by leaving the confines of the computer at home and getting out in the real world.

~ Karen Cirincione
Email: kcirincione@gmail.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione
Twitter @kcirincione

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