So you want to start a high-level raiding guild in WoW with people who really know how to play and won't dump the guild after they get all the best stuff. You could broadcast on a recruitment channel that everyone is welcome... or you could be a little more efficient and spare yourself at least some of the inevitable drama and attrition that comes with an open invite.

Does it really matter who you pick to play in your MMO guild? Sure it does, because you've probably invested a fair amount of time and money in the game. So you can understand that it matters even more if you're looking to hire people to build an MMO, because you're going to be investing a whole lot more than $14.99 a month!

Recruiting and hiring new employees is one of the most stressful aspects of management. Whether you're asking the questions or answering them, hiring the right people is crucial to a company's success and ultimately to its survival. Both employers and employees need to understand the process so that they can eliminate many of the problems that can keep the right people from getting the wrong job (or the wrong people from getting any job at your company.) This involves doing your homework, having the confidence in your information and honing your social skills to get through the process from initial job posting to finding the employee (or job) of your dreams.

Before You Start "Looking for Signatures"...

We'll assume for the sake of these articles that you've already defined your company's mission and know how you want to build, or keep building, a strong successful team. Whether you're recruiting for a new position or seeking a replacement, first things first -- you need to write a job description. This means that you need to figure out where the job fits in the company's hierarchy, what the employee's role will be in the division, department and/or team, how the reporting structure works both up and down the ladder, and the really tricky one -- personalities and methodologies throughout the company.

That brings us to the vacancy. Job openings are created when someone vacates a position for whatever reason, or when you obtain approval to open a new position. In the case of vacancies, use that opportunity to reassess the job, clarify the duties and refine the job description. It's safe to assume that you're going to need a healer for your guild but what kind of priest is best? Shadow Priest or Holy Priest? For your company, let's say you're looking for a designer. Content or Mechanics? Do you need a stronger writer or a stronger stat person? This is why it's important to evaluate your needs and then customize the job description so that you get the person you really want. That doesn't mean one type of designer is intrinsically better than the other; it's a question of using your funding and headcount intelligently.

Evaluate your current team, including people who have the skills you're looking for but might be in another division. Some companies have a policy about not switching teams or divisions until after a certain amount of time, and there are good reasons for that. However, that doesn't mean that managers can afford not to know who does what. You may have a Lead Tester who has written a couple of successful fantasy novels so there's a potential member of the Design Team. Or you may have a member of the Design Team who is adept at database management and technical writing. The important thing is to know who can do what before you look outside the company. Bringing in some new blood can be good but it can also generate resentment if members of the team feel that they have been overlooked.

Consider whether you need to fill the job in the same way. If part of the job (or the whole thing!) has become obsolete for some reason, consider appointing a part-time replacement. Use a job-sharing plan if the role needs different skills or consider keeping an employee who wants to work part time. If the work occurs only at certain periods, you could use freelancers or contract workers. There are a lot of questions you need to ask (and the odds are that even after you've posted the job description, you'll think of something else you need and/or want!)

• Changes in the game business occur so rapidly that the need for a job may exist only for a short time, so use a vacancy as an opportunity to reassess the reason for a job and check whether the qualifications required for a job have changed.
• A vacancy may also be a good time to review all job descriptions for your team when a vacancy is created.
• Currently unfulfilled tasks and duties can be added to a job description or combined to create a new job but only if you can support it financially.