PARIS – To recruit a Back-End developer, a rare and highly sought-after profile on the market, Biborg, a communication agency specialised in gaming and entertainment, chose to start their search through a unique way : Discord. Designed for gamers who want to be able to connect and chat easily, the free VoIP platform, created in 2015, is a secure, all-in-one voice and text chat that works on both PCs and mobile devices. An application that has become more and more mainstream in its short existence, and today counts nearly 200 million regular users. Biborg is using one of the platform’s key features, a conversational bot, to carry out a unique recruitment process that immerses candidates into a delightful narrative adventure. A new recruitment method where ‘you are the hero’ that’s certain to draw in just the kind of applicants Biborg seeks and gives them a chance to plunge into the agency’s universe.
Specialized in entertainment, the communication agency Biborg helps develop support launches of some of the world’s most famous video games. With offices in Paris, London, Nantes and Lyon, the agency is looking for a very specific technical profile: a Back-End Developer.
“At Biborg, the role of a developer is quite versatile: creating and maintaining production tools, development online and offline experiences with a strong visual component… We’re also working on real-time 3D rendering technologies so R&D is very important. We’re constantly striving to offer the highest level of visual quality, the most original or innovative experience while adapting to the widest possible range of devices,” explains Laure Choisne, HR manager at Biborg.
“Generally speaking, the profiles that interest us the most are those that combine technical and artistic skills. Our productions must be visually qualitative, striking and original… but they must be deployed in a relatively complex technical ecosystem,” says Alain Puget, Managing Director of Biborg Nantes.
After a few months of struggling to find someone, BIborg had the idea of carrying out a unique operation to draw in just the kind of profiles they were looking for, and began interviews on Discord, a platform known to anyone and everyone in their target group.
The BackEnd Developer’s Quest
Familiar with technological exploration, Biborg’s teams decided to develop and launch the first HR interview with Back-End Developers on the Discord platform. Somewhere between a social network, a chat room and a gaming platform, Discord has become a privileged conversational channel for gaming communities.
“By launching this HR bot on Discord, a gaming platform that offers good prospects for innovation, we are looking to interact with Back-End developers in an innovative way and in accordance with our very “playful” DNA,” explains Bruno Luriot, CEO of Biborg.
Accessible on Discord in French and English, the bot offers candidates The BackEnd Developer’s Quest, a space fantasy adventure with the mission of getting your CV into the hands of Biborg. Each interested Back-End developer is invited to complete the quest by answering the questions generated by the bot. Nerds can geek out through the zany space adventure that takes users through a journey through the four corners of the universe. The conversation also gives the agency a chance to present itself, its teams, projects and daily environment through emojis and memes. The candidates, in turn, can answer more technical questions about their background and share their areas of expertise.
“For the first set of HR interviews on Discord, we chose a universe that is near and dear to us: space fantasy. It reflects our state of mind and our daily life, immersed in the entertainment industry, for which we develop technology using expertise that only we can offer. It’s not a myth – developers are drawn to technological innovations, video games, scientific literature, which gives us the chance to integrate references we share: Star Wars, Game Of Thrones, Back to the Future, The Lord of the Rings, Zero Wings, etc. So many fun worlds that will speak to future candidates and make them want to join Biborg” concludes Alain Puget.
Test the experience here : https://discord.gg/Ccq5PNG
Once you are connected on Discord, go to the recruitment channel DEVBOT to get started and type « !letsgo » in the chat bar.
CREDITS:
Group Direction: Bruno Luriot, Ismael El-Hakim
Nantes Director : Alain Puget
Manager, Nantes Studio : Frédéric Paul
Creative Direction : Ismael El-Hakim
Technical Direction : Mickaël Mouillé
Artistic Direction : Alexandra Chaillou
Copywriting : Karine Miloudi
Development : Kevin Struillou et Lone Stone Studio
HR : Laure Choisne
Communication : Eliane Akl
About Biborg
Inspired by best practices from the gaming world, Biborg – founded in 2009 – vow to create welcoming, non-intrusive, engaging and memorable experiences as instant invitations to connect brands with their audience. Through Online Advertising, Digital OOH, Brand Content, Online Activations and Interactive Installations, Biborg catch the user’s attention and allow brands to explore new ways of engaging with their fans, in a playful way. Campaigns both at a global and local level for clients like 2K Games, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Blizzard, Capcom, King, Netflix, Riot Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft, Wargaming, Warner Bros. account for Biborg’s success over the last ten years. The agency’s high expertise in the entertainment & gaming industry is now being used with other brands like Coty, Louboutin, Opera National de Paris, PayPal, Puig. Biborg stands for a beautiful digital world and freely explore avant-garde technologies and new interactive experiences with its teams in Paris, Nantes, Lyon and London.
Watch our Video Manifesto – Be Playful.
Learn more on biborg.com.
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About the Contributor
Theda Braddock is an American who lives and works in Paris. She helps agencies develop their communication and promote creativity, and writes for several publications when she has time.
