Clocklocked – can you solve away and save the day???

Sept 2016: A table. Books. Paintings. A locked door. You have 60 minutes to find the key and escape – are you up for the challenge? The team at Onset sure was!

Breaking the humdrum tradition of team bonding being just food and (lots of) drinks, the Onset crew set out for this month’s BeYourOwnHero session to a mysterious event where we were only given the location a few minutes before embarking en route.

Upon arriving at Clock Locked, the team was split in two and each group was given a unique backstory:

  • Team Dexter – “You’re a team of forensic scientists. Your genius colleague, Dexter never socialises and you know very little about his personal life. He’s seen in and out of the office at extremely odd hours, carrying strange packages in different sizes. Your curiosity grows, daring each other to peak into Dexter’s office. After a slow day at work, you finally sneak in…and discover dark terrible secrets! You turn to run away but the door slams shut and you’re imprisoned by Dexter’s security system. He has been alerted and is on his way back. Can you work together and find your way out or will you experience’s Dexter’s wrath?”
  • Team Da Vinci – “An elusive society plays with ancient powers and roams the Vatican City. A cardinal grows suspicious of his fellow cardinal and has called upon your detective skills. You’ve been commissioned to discover his secrets and unearth the dark company he keeps. To survive the night, and get the answers your employer needs, you’ll need to use your wits, outsmart ancient smoke and mirrors and unravel the truth before it’s too late!”

It was interesting to break the routine and interact with people that we don’t normally work with as closely in the office. In “Team Da Vinci”, Ronny powered through the first few puzzles and gave the crew a wonderful head start. Whenever we did encounter some difficulty, one of the team members would always pitch in and suggest a new way of looking at the clue – this usually opened up a new path of thinking and ultimately a solution. We all complemented each other: some team members were great with word puzzles while others were better at the math and still others were able to suggest new places to look and things to try. In the end, after 12 steps solved, and when the team’s mental prowess had waned, Aaron somehow solved the final mind-crunching puzzle in a matter of seconds – but was it brilliance or just a fluke – we weren’t quite sure, and he gave nothing away?!?

Over at room Dexter, the team was welcomed by blood, body parts, and strange medical equipment. As the clues started to tumble, Carly and Andrew very quickly uncovered a secret cold-room and subsequently managed to lock themselves inside, in total darkness, with only a few organs and blood samples to keep them company. Worst of all, the rest of the team couldn’t find a way in for ages!

Clock Locked – winners are grinners!

With the pressure mounting to escape before Team Da Vinci, the last task really stumped team Dexter – a box with a series of lights that were the key to finally escaping was all that was left! Solving a complex calculation was required to elude the dangerous Dexter, and possibly win the night. Despite serious attention to solving this clue, the team could not seem to crack the code – no matter how many times they checked their calculations – until a breakthrough moment from Sean “Dr” Collins, calmly suggesting in a very patient way to perhaps ‘turn the box the right way around’…Pure genius!!!

It was great to see both teams supporting each other throughout the task – lots of ideas and jokes being called out across both rooms kept the mood light and fun despite the eerie settings.

The series of puzzles really challenged our wits, highlighted our teamwork, and made us think in new ways. It was also obvious that there was more than one way to get to the key (as both teams unintentionally skipped ahead on a couple of the puzzles with out of the box approaches).

And if you really want to know . . . The Da Vinci team won!

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We’re Hiring!!!!
The Onset is changing the way our candidates, clients and peers see the recruitment industry. Our engagement model relies on having specialised consultants who are smart, insightful and passionate about the people they work with; and the quality of the service they provide.
We are currently on the look-out for free-thinking technology recruiters to join our team! Please check out our JOIN page to learn more about the business and what we offer.
If you’re curious to learn more, call Aaron (+61 400 580 680), or Sean (+61 407 932 548) anytime for a confidential chat.

What our clients say

“Ronny & the Onset Group helped us scale our team in the early stages of our growth, finding a number of talented engineering candidates to join our Development team. The Onset Group are highly professional and a pleasure to work with.”

Georgia Punch
HR & Operations

“We have been working with the Onset Group for the past few years, helping us secure both contract and permanent staff across multiple technical areas. They always ensure they have our business’ needs in mind and it’s great working with a partner that truly understands the technical space that we are in. Of all of the recruiters I have met or worked with over the years, I couldn’t recommend this group any more.”

Paul Madani
Head of Data and Technology

“IPG Mediabrands have built a solid, trusting working relationship with the Onset Group over the past few years. We are very selective on who we partner with regarding our recruitment needs. The Onset Group have proven time and time again, they absolutely deserve a spot on our PSA. They understand our business, they deliver, they follow up, they’re smart and they are professional.”

Lisa Gray
Head of Human Resources

“I’ve worked in the product community in Sydney for just 3 years and the Onset are my go-to folk for product talent (and opportunities). Once in my role I worked with the team at Onset to build out my product team of 6 over the next year. So I’ve experienced the quality and expertise from both sides of the engagement.”

Jennifer Flynn
Group Manager, Product Management

“Working with The Onset was fantastic. They spent the time with me up front on understanding not only the requirements of the role but also the qualities and skill sets needed to fill the role well. The candidates provided were really strong and led to hires who have not only helped us fill roles but also enhance our overall company culture by introducing us to top quality candidates. Thanks Onset!”

Yaniv Klein
Product Director

“We partnered with The Onset, a leading IT recruitment agency, explained the journey we were on, and asked them to sell our vision to the Sydney market in our search for high quality developers. It was important that the people we chose not only had high technical skills but were a good cultural fit and understood where oOh! was going”

Andy Mcquarrie
Chief Technology Officer

“…by taking time to understand our unique hiring requirements, both from the start and as our needs have evolved. At Digital Asset, we’re looking for engineers and product managers with a specialized mix of skills and industry experience, for example, a strong background in financial services, or knowledge of functional programming languages. Onset has helped us find experienced candidates who are not only highly qualified but also inspired to work with a firm like ours”

Drew Harding
Senior Delivery Manager

“In addition to running the search and recruitment process they helped us to shape the role and were able to guide us through what was happening in the market and the experiences of other high growth companies.”

Rachel Debeck
Chief Operating Officer

“It was a pleasure working with Danielle to source a full stack developer for our company. She put real effort into understanding what we were looking for and helped us find the right candidate. Plus helped us find the first female developer!”

Antony Francis
Team Lead

“Onset has been partnering with Haventec for over three years. The team at Onset have the great ability to connect with our team and understand our business and culture to be able to place employees that fit our team like a glove. It takes great talent to recognise the unique needs of each business and to be able to deliver on them so well”

Edora David
Business Operations Manager

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