Partner Article

The great beyond: attracting talent to games industry

Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, shares his views on recruiting to the UK games industry and ensuring a flow of talent.

Preparation and planning is imperative for success in recruitment. Once you have put plans in place to deal with legislation issues; created a satisfying work environment for existing staff by implementing modern work practices and laid the groundwork for a thorough recruitment process, the next step is to advertise job roles externally.

Although, in my previous recruitment article, I highlighted alternative hiring options including internal recruitment and employee referral schemes, the majority of applicants to games industry roles will be attracted via the conventional means of external advertising. Advertising jobs on company websites, in the active and dedicated trade press (e.g. Gamesindustry.biz, Develop and EDGE) and even on traditional online job sites will ensure that an advert reaches a wide and varied audience.

Typically an advert will specify the job role available; indicate the level of experience necessary; give some information about the developer and provide details on how to apply. It is common for larger developers to place nonspecific adverts – sometimes in the form of eye-catching, full page ads in the trade press – to let readers know that they are hiring for numerous positions and projects; with further details available from a cited source.

One of the core messages of TIGA’s Best Practice Guide for Recruitment and Selection in the Games Industry is that communication – both within the company and between the company and candidates – is important at every stage. Jagex, an independent games developer and TIGA member, for example, has an FAQ section on its careers site to provide applicants with advice on how to make a successful application as well as further information on what to expect from the company throughout the recruitment process and employment. Making the application process as simple and straightforward as possible will ensure that top candidates are not deterred from applying.

Flexibility in recruitment advertising is also crucial in marketing roles more effectively to potential employees. Another TIGA member, Blitz Games Studios, calls upon all of the resources and knowledge of its HR professionals in order to maximise the chances of finding appropriate candidates through direct advertisements and social media channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

For large studios, the question of hiring a dedicated internal recruiter or using numerous external recruitment agencies will arise but for smaller studios, recruitment will either be dealt with in-house by senior figures or with help from an external agency. When outsourcing any part of your recruitment it is best to check that the agency is a member of a trade body, such as the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), which sets industry standards by which members must abide.

Broadening the Appeal

The Dignity at Work Act, brought into force in 2002, has made employers more mindful of the environment in which their employees work and has also brought to the fore existing inequalities in the workplace. Like many other industries in the UK, the games industry remains male-dominated, but there is a determination to see the employment of women, and other minorities, increase. Earlier this year TIGA and global human resources consultancy AON Hewitt carried out a survey which revealed that the number of women working in the UK games industry has increased from 6.6% to 9.2% between 2009 and 2011. Progress is being made, albeit slowly, but there are practices that individual games companies can implement in order to attract more applications from minority groups.

UK law prevents employers from using positive discrimination practices, e.g. employing a woman simply because she is a woman or choosing a candidate based solely on race, but positive action – that is, encouraging women or other minorities to compete on equal terms – is perfectly legal. A well- crafted job advertisement including references to equal opportunities; flexible, family-orientated work schemes and ‘dignity at work’ policies can increase the confidence of women and minorities when applying for jobs.

Making use of internships and work placements can also be a valuable stepping stone to hiring people on a long term basis. Building relationships with schools, colleges and universities in the local area is therefore imperative if studios want an opportunity to work with talented students before they gravitate elsewhere. Many large developers implement internships, work experience programmes and graduate recruitment schemes and although smaller studios may not have the means to establish such exhaustive programmes, there is an opportunity to offer work experience placements and internships on a smaller scale.

By exhausting all possible avenues for talent acquisition and using the skills outlined above to promote job roles correctly, studios can maximise their chances of unearthing enthusiastic workers that can drive a company onwards and upwards. Nurturing this next generation of games developers and making the industry more accessible to the widest possible range of suitably qualified candidates is crucial if we the UK games industry is to fulfil its potential.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Wilson .