Escape Room Interviews

Long gone are the days of companies and organizations asking interviewees canned, easy to answer question. Seldom will you hear a, “Please 3 strengths of yours.” A recent phase, consistently of action based questions. “Tell me a time when…” Or maybe, “If a client said this, what would your first step be?”

But how often do these question and answer techniques truly show how a person will operate within the workplace? Companies frustrated by traditional interviews and assessments are turning to some new, unique, and creative ways to screen their candidates.

Recruiters, hiring managers, and HR professionals realized that they weren’t getting the full breadth of information they’d like. Tech companies, consulting firms, and many more are embracing unorthodox ways to dig deeper in the interview process. For example, Cox Innovations, a management consultancy in Houston, is taking advantage of escape rooms and other unique puzzle based activities to better get to know candidates.

We live in a world where now not only do job candidates need to impress the interviewer, the interview also needs to impress the candidate. Mike Cox, president of Cox Innovations, says, “Consequently, there is a burden on companies to not only make the candidate’s recruiting experience positive but also unique and memorable.” Cox believes that these techniques have proven beneficial time and time again and will become more commonplace in the recruiting process.

A survey conducted by GolfSupport.com, found that out of 1,456 companies surveyed, just under 50% would be interested in using game based assessments during job interviews.

But how are these companies utilizing these games in an interview setting? Assessors watch the game from afar, perhaps with our Game Masters who oversee  each group, taking notes and observing individual behavior, traits, and skills. They’re watching to see if a candidate is a team player, listens to and appreciates different perspectives, if they delegate authority, and can communicate well. Once the game is completed, much like a group interview, recruiters often debrief the candidates  with a series of questions about the experience.

While the method of using game-based interview assessments may not measure SalesForce, Excel, or keyboard mastery, it sure can measure soft skills. As stated by, LinkedIn, 92 percent of HR professionals say soft skills matter as much as or more than hard skills when they hire, and 80 percent say they’re increasingly important to company success.”

If you’re looking to follow in the footsteps of notable tech companies and adopt a growing recruiting practice, our King of Prussia Escape Room, Cherry Hill Escape Room, and Philadelphia Escape Rooms are more than willing to help.

Sources: https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/employee-relations/Pages/unorthodox-interviews.aspx