The attendance at Escape Rooms across the world has been a growing trend over a number of years, and is expected to continue according to Verified Market Research. Its popularity with families and friends at solving skills, puzzles and a mix of cognitive and physical challenges has made it the ideal recruitment concept for colleagues at G4S Belgium.

Launching later in March in Antwerp, G4S Belgium is opening ‘Mission: Invisible’ - an escape room created in the training centre of G4S’s Safety Solutions division. Operating for a few days, its aim is to recruit candidates for the 450 security officer and technician roles available throughout the country. 

“G4S is no different from many of the other companies around the world who have been affected by the current labour shortages. However I’m almost certain we are the only company looking to recruit a dedicated workforce by setting up our own Escape Room.” Said Evelien Vandersmissen, HR Business Partner at G4S Belgium. “We wanted to create an immersive experience that allowed candidates to understand firsthand what the role of a security officer or technician at G4S might entail. They also need to be able to understand how criminals or threat actors might try and breach security measures.”

Since the launch of the ‘Mission: Invisible’ website on 23 February - nearly 18,500 people have visited it, some repeatedly, and over 200 have also progressed to view the roles advertised on the G4S careers page.

Already, 130 people have applied to participate in the event in the hope of gaining employment at G4S.

The Challenges

Each applicant is given 30 minutes to complete the 11 challenges set up in ‘Mission: Invisible’.

If the applicant can complete all 11 challenges within the time without being detected, setting off an alarm or being seen on surveillance equipment, they win an informal interview with a HR representative from G4S. This informal interview begins the recruitment process to join G4S - including formal interviews and assessments.

Some challenges that applicants will have to face are avoiding a wall of infrared lasers and deactivating an alarm as quickly as possible. In one room, participants will need to channel their inner threat actor to avoid being detected.

Vandersmissen continued: “All 11 tasks have been carefully created to allow us to analyse a candidates' general security insights, observation skills and stress management. These are all important capabilities that we take into account when selecting candidates.”

As G4S continues to increase the integration of technology into its security solutions, the need for technicians has also risen. More security measures rely on the technical support of, for example, cameras, sensors and alarm systems. 

Technicians play an intrinsic role in supporting and detecting security incidents. During a recent maintenance audit at a customers warehouse, a G4S technician noticed that moving walls and machines had created a blind spot in the surveillance system. He moved some detectors and a camera so that this was rectified. A few days later an attempted burglary took place in the warehouse, which was detected in time due to the adjustments and the intruder was caught on the basis of the images - which would not have been possible a few days beforehand.

The first G4S Mission: Invisible recruitment days will take place in Wommelgem, Antwerp, on March 24, 25 and 26.