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Gamasutra
March 13 2008

Nailing The Interview, Part 2: Recruiting: What, Why & How?

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Nailing The Interview, Part 2: Recruiting: What, Why & How?

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[In the second in our series of Nailing The Interview articles, HR veteran Marc Mencher discusses the particulars of identifying candidates that you want to interview and the proper tactics to take in the interviewing game. To read the first article in the series, click here.]

You've set up your MMO guild, chosen your tabard and selected a couple of officers. Now you need more players. You could spend time watching other people in the game, which means you probably won't be doing much leveling yourself.

You could ask everyone to keep an eye out for possible recruits (which you'll probably do anyhow). Or you could find someone outside the guild to help you find great players who would be perfect for your team.

Finding great employees is a lot like finding great guild members. You want people whose skills complement the rest of the group, who understand the game, who know how to play their class and who will fit in with the other players. As true as this is for your hobby, it's crucial for your company.

After drawing up a job specification, you need to choose a method of recruitment, which can range from advertising in the general press to using a professional agency.

Recruiting Internally

One way to recruit for open positions is to hire from within your company. Interviewing internal applicants is easier because they already know the company and understand the culture. (On the other hand, internal recruitment doesn't always cut costs overall because unless you consolidate positions, there will still be an opening that needs to be filled.)

Many companies encourage internal recruitment first, which may include advertising in-house before releasing information on job openings to the general public.

In certain states, regardless of whether the company has already identified an internal candidate, the job still has to be posted publicly. The upside is the influx of potential hires, even if it's not for that particular job.

Advertising Jobs

Where you advertise and what your ad says will determine the type and number of applicants who apply, and go a long way to helping you find the right person for the job from that pool. Consider using trade publication for jobs that require specialized skills.

For a broader approach, use the general press; some papers allocate different days to particular professions. Advertisements in non-specialized press aren't cheap but can elicit a sizeable response. If you lack the time or resources to cope with hundreds of applicants, advertise in a publication with a limited circulation. These decisions are all part of your overall recruiting strategy, which should be defined before you ever post your first ad or call your first recruiter.


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