Using Escape Rooms In The Hiring Process
Escape rooms are one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the UK right now. They have only been around for a few years, but they have taken the entertainment industry by storm. While escape rooms are mainly thought of as a fun activity for friends, families, and team-building, they can also have a role in recruitment.
What Happens In An Escape Room?
As the name suggests, an escape room involves being locked in a room and having to find a way to escape within a set period of time—usually 60 minutes. This is done by solving puzzles and cracking codes. Escape rooms are a team activity. They are themed rooms and you could find yourself breaking out of a prison cell or something similar. There are countless situations you could find yourself in. So how can they be a good option when it comes to recruitment?
1. Demonstrate Problem-Solving Skills
When candidates are immersed in an escape room, they will have to demonstrate their problem-solving abilities. While they may not find themselves in a situation where they have to break out of a prison cell in the office, they can still show you how well they deal with problematic situations. These skills are transferable to the work environment. You can watch the candidates and see how they think. Can they come up with creative ideas that help the team escape? Does one person in the team stand out from the others when it comes to solving the clues? This can provide invaluable insight into how candidates deal with situations.
2. Show How Well A Candidate Works In A Team
Perhaps the most important part of all when using escape rooms in recruitment is to see how well individual candidates work in a team. Escape rooms are all about teamwork, and each member of the team will have to work with everyone else to crack the codes. Are they good at listening and discussing problems? Does one candidate stand out as a natural leader? Does one candidate sit back and let the others do the work? There are lots of signs you can look out for, and you could spot some early warning signs if certain candidates do not get on well with other people when they find themselves in difficult circumstances.
3. See How Candidates Deal With Pressure
Escape rooms can be quite high-pressure environments, and certain challenges can be really difficult and put even more pressure on. This provides you with an excellent opportunity to see how well the candidates deal with pressure. They are likely to encounter situations in the workplace where they are under pressure, and an escape room can provide you with an idea of how they might react. Knowing how a possible candidate reacts under pressure can be a crucial aspect of the recruitment process.
4. See The Real Candidates
Interviews can be very controlled, and candidates may have prepared their answers in advance. When they are in an escape room, they will have to react to unexpected situations. This is much better for recruiters as it allows them to see the real candidates.
5. Attract More And Better Candidates
If the word gets out that you use escape rooms as part of your recruitment process, this is a good way to attract more and better candidates for your job openings. Why? Because it’s unusual. People will probably like the idea of taking part in an escape room challenge as part of the recruitment process and you might get some much-needed media coverage. It says a lot about the type of organization you run and what you expect from your employees, and this can be very appealing to the types of employees you are hoping to attract.
Bottom Line
Escape rooms can be a great tool to use in your recruitment process. Nowadays, being an innovative company can really make you stand out in a crowded market and enables you to find only the best candidates. Since escape rooms are a new thing around, some candidates might just be curious about the experience and that will encourage them to attend your interviews and hiring process.
Originally published at excitingescapes.co.uk.
