How to Nail Your Application for a Job in Games
Recruiting, hiring, and retaining extremely brilliant individuals has become increasingly challenging for businesses. At the time of recruiting, efforts are made to safeguard the interests of candidates. Since the implementation of recruiting games, traditional recruitment tactics and strategies have been rapidly evaporating.
Gamification adds a new layer to the realm of recruiting, one that goes beyond the standard HR model. Candidates now who are transformed into users become characters in a video game, with the potential to land the job of their dreams as a prize.
Applying for a new job may be a stressful process, regardless of whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out. Although this might be a frightening experience, keep in mind that recruiters and hirers in the games business, both major and small companies, need and want to fill their openings.
If you’re searching for a new career in gaming — or your first job in this exciting sector — there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of landing that position. They want your job application to be the one that catches their attention. As a result, make sure you complete your homework before applying so that they can assist you in getting the position.
Make a Great CV:
In order to obtain your ideal job in the games business, you’ll need a strong CV. Your enthusiasm for video games and game development is admirable, but nailing your CV will land you that crucial first interview. First impressions are crucial, so putting on a nice show is a smart place to start.
Making your CV well-spaced and easy to read allows busy hiring managers to immediately see what you’re made of. If you keep it to two or three pages, they’re more likely to read it all — if you have a lot of expertise, it can be helpful to summarize before a deadline.
Employers want a CV to represent the individual and their values, especially their attention to detail, so double-check everything; mistakes happen to the best of us. Also, keep those Error 404 warnings at bay by verifying your links regularly.
Remember to add your contact information; you’d be shocked how many folks forget.
Include a brief personal profile after your name and contact information to let the hiring manager know who you are, what you can contribute, and what you want to accomplish next in your career.
Make your CV unique to the position you’re applying for. Examine the job description and make sure your cover letter and CV meet the criteria.
If you’re a student or recent graduate in the United Kingdom, be sure to highlight your A-Level grades, especially if they’re relevant to the position you’re looking for. Studios, for example, will adore your Math or Science achievements if you’re applying for programming jobs.
If you’ve attended university or college, be sure to include all of your coursework, as well as the project or projects you’ve worked on and the role you played.
If you have previous work experience, list it in reverse chronological order, with the most recent at the top. When mentioning each position you’ve held, provide the job title, employer, dates, and a synopsis of the responsibilities. Then go into further depth about your duties, talents, and accomplishments.
If you worked in a group, establish a distinction between what the group accomplished and what you were accountable for.
List any relevant extracurricular activities and accomplishments, as well as any hobbies or interests that reveal more about you and your passions to a potential employer. All of this information might be useful in customizing your CV to the job you’re looking for.
Don’t forget to include any languages you know that could come in handy if you obtain a job in a different place. Don’t go overboard with your writing. If your part-time employment isn’t related to your future profession, don’t go into too much detail about them; just summarize them. Use a limited number of typefaces.
Show Case Your Work:
Don’t simply tell a potential employer what you can accomplish; demonstrate it by making sure your portfolio is up to date and in good shape. Recruiters will gain a strong grasp of your abilities and originality if you include tech demos, your finest work, and your thought processes.
If you need assistance with polishing your portfolio, contact a recruiting firm; they frequently give free assistance and coaching to prospective applicants.
Hobbies and Interests:
Employers want to know what sets you apart from other grads, yet virtually everyone will say something in this section like “viewing movies, listening to music, and socializing.” On a games CV, this should be viewed as an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the industry. What are your favorite games and why?
Sell yourself Smartly:
Whatever question the interviewer poses, use it as a chance to show why you’re the best candidate for the position. This entails correlating your responses to your professional achievements, education, or related initiatives and experience. The purpose of the interview is for the employer to learn more about you, so try not to oversell yourself.
Consider your Options:
Consider if you want to work for a major corporation or a smaller studio. Both have advantages and disadvantages. A major studio typically has greater chances for internal career advancement, better perks and benefits, and you may identify yourself with a triple-A games IP, which is fantastic for your CV.
On the other hand, you risk being ‘lost’ and missed, as well as being tied into a specific job. In the meanwhile, a smaller studio may allow you to have more impact on projects, develop new talents, and establish a name for yourself. In general, with a smaller organization, you may have greater career growth freedom.
Research Process:
When you’ve determined the positions you’d want to apply for, do your homework on the studio and the projects they’re working on. Make references to their games, business culture, and more in your covering letter to demonstrate to the recruiters and hirers that you’ve done exactly that.
Social Media Channels Check:
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated, professional, and aligned with the CV you’re submitting. List all of your talents and experience, and request endorsements and recommendations from previous coworkers, employers, or course instructors.
Create a Strong Network:
Get out there and meet new people since this is a very social industry. Of course, because of the epidemic, this hasn’t been simple during the last 18 months. The gaming business, on the other hand, has evolved effectively, and there have still been opportunities to network and learn — with more to come in the future.
Experience Problem:
You’re unlikely to have any professional industry experience as a recent graduate, but if you’ve interned at a studio or have any games industry experience, brag about it! Pull out the essential information for the position you desire, read the job requirement attentively, and offer examples of the abilities you’ve learned if you have commercial art or programming expertise.
Most studios will not immediately disqualify applicants who lack certain experience, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t meet all of the job spec’s requirements. This is especially true for females. According to a well-known statistic, males will apply for employment even if they only satisfy 60% of the qualifications, whereas women would only apply if they meet 100%.
However, if you want to get additional experience before applying for your first job, an apprenticeship or internship could be a good option.
Don’t worry if you haven’t worked in the games business before! Concentrate on previous employment and work experience, and discuss what skills you obtained and how you may apply them to a position in the sector.
Communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership are all useful and transferrable skills, so bring them up.
Recruitment firms exist to assist job seekers in locating suitable employment opportunities. That is exactly what they do. They may help you polish your CV and portfolio, provide interview tips, and alert you to job openings that match your qualifications.
The gaming business is known for its fierce competition, but it also has a high (and growing) demand for skilled employees.