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Unique Hiring Ideas Games are made by teams and genuine team loyalty frequently results from time spent together in "crunch mode." In a tight market like the game industry, particularly when searching for qualified programmers, companies should consider hiring "package deals." Package deals can range from two people to an entire team. One recruiter recently worked with a team considering a move from a major game developer. The team appointed one person to speak for them and he made it clear they would only leave as a team. A new game developer who had just received funding retained the recruiter to help put their new team together. She presented the team looking for a new gig with the newly funded developer. Based on the team’s past work, the new developer hired the team intact. Not only was recruiting time shortened considerably, but the company also lost no down time while the team established a working rapport. Variations on the team theme, of course, are hiring the boss, the mentor, the sibling, spouse or significant other. This could be particularly valuable recruiting tool if you are recruiting in an area that is a growing, versus established, game community, such as Utah or Nevada game companies trying to recruit California talent. Of course, I am not advocating simply making up previously non-existent positions. "Why, yes. Your spouse would be perfect as our new West Coast Children’s Media Para-Liason." But if a programmer you really want has a wife with sales and marketing background, keep the wife’s potential as an employee in mind as well. Many deals have fallen through simply because a candidate’s spouse didn’t want to move to a new town and try to find a new job. Professional Search Firms Headhunter. Executive search consultant. Job placement specialist. Demon seed. Along with lawyers and used car salesmen, recruiters are often the people that people just love to hate. Admittedly, there are unprofessional recruiters in almost every industry, including the game industry, just as there are unprofessional members in every profession. But an experienced, ethical, and competent recruiter can mean the difference between your dream candidate and no candidate at all. Your HR department may receive hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes for every position from secretary to CFO. A qualified resume for that PSX programmer you’ve been seeking for months on end probably landed somewhere in that pile where it remained until the busy HR staff had the time to sort and distribute to the appropriate hiring manager. These folks get tons of calls and inquiries and there is just so much time in a day. Search firms can help your HR departments and hiring managers cut to the chase with immediate access to a database of resumes and contacts to quickly focus in on qualified candidates for your particular search. A good recruiting firm should be able to provide the best candidates in the shortest amount of time. So, how do you find a good recruiting firm? The best way is by word of mouth. Generally speaking, the good ones should have established a reputation in the game industry. If you’re thinking of looking for a new job, ask industry colleagues. Well-established recruiters frequently appear as contributors in game industry publications such as Gamasutra, GIGnews.com, etc. You can also do a web search for recruiters. A Yahoo! Search for "game jobs" or game recruiters" would be a good start. Visit the recruiters’ website. Is it professional? Does it give you information about the firm? You can also find recruiters at conferences such as GDC. Ongoing Process Don’t make a strategically parked truck or a movie theater ad the sum total of your recruiting program. Thoughtful recruiting should be an ongoing process. Even if you’re not looking for an animator today, doesn’t mean the best animator on your team won’t walk into your office tomorrow and announce his intentions to leave for a Tibetan journey to find his true soul’ s path. Maintaining an updated and informative website, keeping your name circulating via game industry articles and PR, and establishing a relationship with an external recruiting firm can help prevent future down time. Marc Mencher is a software engineer by training and worked for game companies like Spectrum Holobyte and 3DO, before founding Virtual Search, a game industry recruiting firm. Marc's articles have been featured in Gamasutra, GameWEEK, GIG, and other industry publications. You can contact Marc directly at marc@vsearch.com or 800.779.3334. Visit the Virtual Search website for more game industry jobs information at www.vsearch.com ________________________________________________________ |
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