Hiring in the gaming industry: the top tips

The gaming industry is one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving fields, driven by innovation, creativity, and technology. With new games and platforms constantly emerging, the demand for skilled professionals has never been higher. However, hiring in this competitive landscape requires more than just posting a job ad and hoping for the best. It involves a strategic approach to attracting and retaining top talent who can bring unique ideas and expertise to your projects.

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In this blog, we’ll explore the top tips for hiring in the gaming industry, from crafting targeted job descriptions to building a company culture that appeals to creative minds. Whether you’re a startup looking to build your first team or an established studio aiming to expand, these insights will help you navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities in the world of game development.

So how do you give your gaming studio the best chance of securing top talent? The overall answer is to create a hiring journey from a candidate’s perspective. If you were applying for a job in the gaming industry, what would you like to know? How would you like to be communicated? How frequently would you like to be updated?

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In a candidate’s market like the gaming industry, it’s up to the employers to sell themselves, not the talent. 

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In order to stand out from the crowd, your hiring process needs to be focus on the candidate experience. Here are six ways you can improve your hiring outcomes, leading to sourcing better talent, more quickly, with less effort.:

1 Are your job descriptions hitting the right note?

If it’s not through your reputation, the first contact an individual has with your company is via a job listing. But in a competitive labour market, are your job descriptions attracting the right person?

Executed badly, a job description will put off the right people. This, of course, makes hiring more difficult and laborious than it should be (and increase the chances of a bad hire).

Done well, and your job listing can inspire, encourage and excite the next band of employees to come into your business. 

How do you write a good job description?

The answer to this question is to provide all the relevant information that a candidate will want to know, in the most straightforward way possible. Avoid overly long descriptions, in-house jargon or minimal detail. And wherever possible, work in ways in which the applicant can get some impression of the company culture - via photos of the team on the careers page, or including a notable accolade, ie ‘Listed in the top 50 best places to work’. 

When it comes to structuring the spec, the following is recommended:

The job title: There was a trend a few years back of creating vague, elaborate job titles to lend an air of extra importance to the role, “field nourishment consultant” for a waiting staff position, anyone? Despite the creativity, this type of description comes across at best confusing, and at worst, disingenuous. The rule is: keep your job titles concise, accurate and comprehensive.

Introduction: As we’ve discussed, this could be the first interaction an individual has with your organisation, so this is the golden moment to wow. In fifty words or less, drop in your business’s achievements, awards, growth etc, as well as a description of the role, its purpose and the departmental aims. 

Key responsibilities: In this section, you’re describing the essential duties within the role. For ease of reading, list them in bullet points, using simple, straightforward language. Avoid jargon or any internal terms. 

Requirements: What are your non-negotiables with your applicants? Do they need a certain number of years’ experience? A university degree? To be fluent in a particular language? Make sure you outline the must-haves to help the reader understand the minimum requirements.

Working arrangements: Most job applicants now have a desire for a particular working environment: on-site, hybrid or remote. Ensure you outline your expectations clearly in your job spec.

Salary and benefits: This is the carrot on the stick of the job description. While some organisations have rules around the sharing of salaries in job specs, be sure to list as many ‘what’s in it for me’ details as possible. Whether that’s a generous pension contribution, holiday allowance, health plan and so on.

Extra details

It’s also recommended that this description uses relevant keywords and phrases throughout it to improve visibility in online searches. Use industry-specific terms, skills and job titles in order to get your job ad in front of the people searching for similar roles.

Finally, issue clear instructions about how the candidate should apply - whether it’s a job application form online, an email with a cover letter, or a link to your company’s career page.

2 Background screening can be a memorable experience

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Often seen as a necessary hindrance in the hiring process, background screening has evolved to become faster, and more intuitive than ever before. Partnering up with a screening provider can remove the admin burden from a busy hiring department, improve accuracy and reduce your time to hire. But how can a process perceived by most as perfunctory at best, contribute positively to a candidate experience?

Provide clear instruction about the next steps: Provide candidates with clear and concise information about the background screening process from the outset of their application. Explain the purpose of each check, what information will be verified, and how it aligns with the job requirements and company policies.

Ask for consent and assure privacy: Obtain explicit consent from candidates before initiating any background checks, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. Assure candidates that their personal information will be handled confidentially and only used for the purpose of screening.

Use tech that is candidate-friendly: Choose a screening partner that provides a seamless, user-friendly portal that allows candidates to consent, upload any documents and communicate, either on a desktop, tablet or mobile. This will improve your candidate retention during a stage which sees significant drop-off.

Lay out the timelines: Strive to conduct background checks promptly to avoid prolonging the hiring process unnecessarily and keep candidates informed about the progress of their background checks and any expected timelines for completion.

Offer support: Provide assistance to candidates who may encounter challenges or have special circumstances during the screening process. Assign dedicated points of contact or support personnel to address candidates' inquiries or concerns promptly and empathetically.

Positive brand representation: Frame checks as a positive by using the process to showcase the organisation's commitment to integrity, compliance, and fair hiring practices. This will foster trust in your brand.

“The candidate experience now is the difference between night and day. It’s so easy to do - a process that works for the candidate as they only have to provide information once. 

“The communication and engagement with both Veremark and OVO is one where it’s just adding and adding to improve the experience. When people start, they’re already excited about being at OVO - we haven’t lost any of that initial enthusiasm by a delayed or complicated onboarding process.

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3 Measure and improve!

The important thing to remember when it comes to working on a process is that there is always room for improvement. It’s important to take onboard feedback from the people involved in the process, from candidates to co-workers in your department. What’s working? What isn’t? How can it be improved? 

By promoting a culture of continuous improvement, where feedback is actively sought, valued, and acted upon throughout the hiring process, you’re sending a powerful message out to the organisation and the candidates interested in working for you.

As demonstrated throughout, by providing a positive experience for all candidates, regardless of the outcome, you’re not only elevating your employer brand but also contributing to a more inclusive and supportive talent ecosystem.

In today's competitive labour market, where candidates have plenty of choices and expectations are high, organisations that prioritise the candidate experience will undoubtedly emerge as employers of choice. So, let this guide serve as a step-by-step guide to transforming your recruitment approach, enriching the lives of candidates, and ultimately propelling your organisation toward greater success in talent acquisition.

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Veremark’s digitised employee screening and reference check platform enables businesses to screen candidates for all mandatory and optional checks. This level of automation optimises turnaround times, saving days compared to traditional, manual screening processes.

London-based financial technology firm, Zilch, partnered with Veremark for its pre-employment screening, successfully increasing its team from 35 to 180 in less than 12 months. Veremark ensured Zilch remained compliant in accordance with the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) while conducting all required checks, enabling Zilch to expedite hiring and optimise the candidate experience.

Security through Blockchain Technology

Veremark’s 'Verepass Career Passport' is an innovative, blockchain technology-enabled service or wallet that securely stores individual professional history and career credentials.

Once the individual’s data is collected and verified, it is stored in a tamper-proof Ethereum blockchain network. This enables companies and their candidates, employees and contractors to verify and then securely store professional qualifications, work experience, references and any other checks that have been carried out previously, thus saving time by avoiding repeat verifications.

Third Party Alliances

Veremark has forged strong partnerships to offer banking clients access to a global pool of vetted and verified professionals who can be hired and onboarded within days.

Veremark’s alliance with Codemonk, for instance, allows Fintechs to hire skilled individuals to help scale their technology teams. Through Codemonk, companies can assemble and manage teams remotely through one single and convenient platform.

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