1. Sign up. The first test is to find the right game. Tom Ager, a graduate trainee at EHS Brann, the direct marketing agency, and an alumnus of the Institute of Direct Marketing’s Fast Track week, suggests approaching professional bodies. “They are a link for people trying to get in,” he says. University careers services and corporate websites are also useful resources.

2. Know the rules. Some companies use games primarily as a way of educating undergraduates about career options; others offer internships as prizes; while at some, successful players win a job.

3. Prepare. The amount you do depends on the game. For the educational type, there’s not much needed. “We don’t expect in-depth knowledge of the finance industry,” says Joanne Scott, the head of firmwide campus recruitment at Morgan Stanley in Europe. But for role plays and more formal challenges it’s important to know something about the company and to use the resources available. “The people that come through are those who look at what ’s required and make the best use of the information,” she says.

4. Learn from the game (i). “It’s a great way to raise your awareness of commercial issues,” says Janice Morris, a careers adviser at Graduate Prospects. The knowledge is also handy in job interviews.

5. Learn from the game (ii). “This is a big opportunity to understand your own strengths and weaknesses and where you can develop,” says Sarah Webb, the global products manager, recruitment, at Shell.

6. You are being watched. So don’t let your professional face slip no matter how informal the situation seems. “We are taking notes,” Scott says. Her company’s game is aimed at undergraduates and she says that the bank will keep in touch with players “if we think they’re good”.

7. It’s the way you play it. “We’re interested how people listen, the questions they ask. It’s not about the idea, it’s about how well it’s thought through,” says Helen Kloepfer, a client partner at EHS Brann.

8. Be yourself. “The more people act in a way that they think we want, the less likely they are to show us the skills they have,” Scott says. They want to see who you are: “We can teach skills but we can’t teach personality,” Kloepfer says.

9. Go team. Recruiters want natural leaders who can work well in groups. “Everyone wants to do the best for themselves but the way to do that is to show what you can bring out in others,” Ager says.

10. Have fun. It is a game, after all. As competition for graduate positions hots up, Carly Chynoweth finds out how to win the recruitment game and put yourself at the top of your chosen employer’s shortlist

GAME ON

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