Work at NS
Making an impact with your code
CHALLENGE
The Dutch Railways (NS) is confronted with a common challenge: a
growing demand for IT- and Tech talent. Nowadays, every company
requires IT- and Tech experts which means NS is a part of a highly
saturated market. The supply of said talent is certainly there,
but NS is still rarely considered as a prospective employer.
Research, as conducted by the NS, suggests that the individuals
they are looking for possess a great need to make a social impact
with their work. This desire is well-aligned with the company, as
NS strives towards making mobility more sustainable. In addition,
the experts in question hold an important role in optimizing the
commutes for more than half a million Dutch people on a daily
basis.
Our challenge was making sure that IT and Tech professionals
increased their levels of recognition of NS as an employer by
letting them experience that they can make an impact at NS with
their coding skills.
IDEA
A recruiting campaign that stands out in the plethora of
recruitment efforts was essential. Therefore, we aimed for a way
to uniquely infiltrate the world of IT and Tech talent in terms of
interest, location and language.
IT and Tech experts will experience the impact they can make with
their coding skills by engaging in an activity they enjoy- gaming.
While arcade machines rose in popularity before the global
pandemic, interest in retro gaming has also risen during the
lockdown. This is how the idea of the NS arcade machine was born:
The equivalent of a station piano, but with developers in mind.
The built-in game called Tech Tracks can only be played with the
possession of coding skills and its main premise is ‘Making an
impact with your code.’
It comprises experiencing that code has a direct impact on
quintessential NS matters, such as checking in and out and
detecting other problems. By entering the correct code
combinations, a high score can be achieved, which can then be
forwarded directly to the NS recruitment department. The NS arcade
machine changes locations and thus visits various train stations
and IT and Tech fairs, but to ensure approachability, it can also
be played on mobile and desktop.
CRAFT
Both the game and the machine itself were created by a
team of NS developers. While the old-school arcade
machines are often characterized by a joystick or
simple buttons, what sets apart the NS arcade machine
is a special keyboard on which only code language can
be entered. In addition, old recognisable NS
components - such as an emergency brake and travel
information signings - are revived by integrating them
into the construction of the machine.
The process was captured and then shared by the users
of popular social media platforms (Reddit, GitHub,
Tweakers, Twitch and StackOverflow) as well as game
influencers, as it shows the cooperative work culture
of the NS, a characteristic that is seen as crucial by
the target audience.
By engaging with the online content a website can be
reached where IT- and Tech talent can play Tech
Tracks, witness the making-of, find the locations of
the arcade machine, and view the available vacancies.
With the NS arcade machine and Tech Tracks we are
demonstrating that the NS, as an employer, understands
the needs of IT and Tech professionals by (1) letting
them do something they like in their own language, (2)
using the content of the game to experience that the
IT and Technology branch in the NS is challenging and
socially relevant and by (3) showing a part of the
collaborative company culture in the development
process.
RELEVANCY
The overall high demand for IT and Tech professionals is set to further increase over the years. The number of companies experiencing difficulties in recruiting the right people is on a steady rise, and advertising agencies are therefore frequently demanding progressive employer brand strategies and campaigns. The NS arcade machine offers a solution to this common problem in an exemplary way: by standing alongside the targeted audience as a brand whilst simultaneously recognizing and responding to their perceptions and needs, without compromising recognizability and/or credibility as a brand.
OTHER
TechTracks is a platform game with 3 minigames: lost in variables,
what if or else, a type of coding. During the game your main
character uses a tablet to solve the problems on the platform and
keep all travelers happy. This is a reference to Ipad/Switch so it
appeals to the target audience. Highscores can be left behind just
like in the old days, by using only 3 letters. We took diversity
and inclusivity very seriously creating 240,000 unique characters
walking around the platform, made with 39 types of hair, 4 skin
colors, 27 types of top and bottom clothing and 3 hand objects
such as a walking stick and a white cane for the blind.
You don't play the game with the usual arcade cabinet operating
system, but with a keyboard to write code. It is built of old
materials from NS and the handbrake really works, with this you
reset the game.