Continuing Gamasutra's series of game-specific recruitment articles (see the first installment
here), HR veteran Marc Mencher discusses the particulars of identifying desirable candidates, advertising open positions and dealing with the interview process.
Mencher likens finding great employees to finding the right additions to an MMO guild -- what's true for one's hobby is crucial for one's company, he says.
Once you know who you want to hire, the next step is selecting a recruitment method. There are many of these, but one good place to look is internal recruitment, as Mencher explains:
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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."
Mencher also discusses advertising through various channels, and finally, using a professional recruiter. For this method, as with any of the others, there are things hiring managers should know first:
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When you think you have identified the right recruiting firm for your company, punch their name into any search engine and verify they have the skills and expertise you seek. Ask for game industry references and a record of successful placements. If they have legitimate expertise and success in our industry, they should be able to provide you with a list of prior satisfied game clients.
The last thing you need is to engage a recruiting firm weak in game industry experience. This is a recipe for wasting your limited time with 40 unfocused resumes being thrown at you per day by a recruiting agency whose staff can only match buzzwords off a candidate's resume. "
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