A Danish company that struggled to attract applicants for a job vacancy has turned to the viral mobile game, Pokemon Go for inspiration.
The company is offering to pay part of the salary in the game’s virtual currency, PokeCoins.
Prosys, an IT company based near Copenhagen, says a traditional job advert for the sales team role wasn’t doing the trick.
It then decided to try offering part of the monthly salary of 25,000 kroner ($3,700) as PokeCoins, which players can use to buy in-game products, and Pokeballs, for catching the game’s characters.
The full amount can also be paid into a real-world bank account if applicants are simply hunting for a job and not a Pokemon.
The company’s director says the unconventional reward is meant to be a fun way of making the company stand out with young job seekers.
Lasse Jurek said he read about restaurants and other businesses offering discounts to Pokemon Go players, and thought a similar idea could work for his company.
“We see children, young people and adults playing it everywhere. So we thought if that’s what it takes, let’s try it,” he says.
Although Jurek admits he has never played the game but says he’s “pretty sure” his children would like his salary to include some PokeCoins.
