I think we can all accept that traditional recruitment methods are being utilised less and less as new technology is introduced and the job market is increasingly flexible and fluid. For many companies having candidates send in their CVs from which they select who they want to interview face-to-face just isn’t giving them the candidates they desire.
It’s not just the recruiters who are looking for new methods either as research from The Knowledge Academy has found that the majority (82%) of job hunters would be interested in somewhat unorthodox ways of demonstrating their skill sets.
For recruiters there is the fear that traditional recruitment methods limit candidates from truly showcasing their core competencies, qualifications and skills for a given role and concerns about the numerous implications of choosing the wrong candidate.
This has led companies to use more unusual recruitment methods to assess applicants and as a result, hopefully make the right decisions.
Three of the newest assessment methods include: escape rooms, capture the flag and professional speed dating sessions to help candidates demonstrate their potential.
Escape Room
The Knowledge Academy research found that 76% of UK job seekers would be open to being assessed by escape rooms and 68% of UK companies would be interested in using escape rooms to assess applicants.
What is it? An escape room is a real-life physical adventure game in which a group of people (usually five to ten) must work together toutiliseclues and hints to solve a series of complex puzzles and riddles to complete an objective and escape a locked room within a set time limit.
What it’s good for? Potential employers get the chance to see candidates using their lateral thinking skills and their natural problem-solving abilities, which might be difficult to judge in a traditional sit-down interview.
Capture the Flag
The Knowledge Academy research found 54% of UK job seekers would be open to being assessed by capture the flag and 30% of UK companies would be interested in using capture the flag to assess applicants.
What is it? Capture the flag is an outdoor game where individuals are split into two teams and allocated half of an outdoor area each, which is known as their base. Flags are then placed at the rear end of each team’s base. To win, the main objective is for one team to capture the other team’s flags and bring them back to their base. To achieve this, players from each team must advance towards the opposing flags and try to avoid being tagged by ‘enemy’ players. If a player does get tagged when trying to get a flag, they get confined to a ‘jail’ for a predetermined time.
What’s it good for? To be successful, a team needs to work together and communicate well. Recruiters will see if people are natural leaders and/or good at sticking to tasks they have been assigned.
Professional Speed Dating Sessions
The Knowledge Academy research found 70% of UK job seekers would be open to being assessed by a professional speed dating session and 62% of UK companies would be interested in using professional speeding dating sessions to assess applicants.
What is it? Some companies have taken their recruitment process offline by facilitating professional speed dating sessions. Candidates talk to different senior and junior employees for a defined amount of time each about what they can bring to a role in terms of experience, qualifications and skills. Thereafter, key decision makers decide amongst themselves who to bring back for the next round, or even make a job offer then and there.
What is it good for? This is an ideal method to see which candidates do well under pressure. It’s a quick way to get a good all-round picture of a candidate without the formality of a one-on-one interview.