5 Tips to Land a Job as a Game Developer

As someone who’s worked as a game developer for numerous years and have even had experience with recruiting my own development team, I want to share some of my most valuable tips on how to land a job as a game developer and excel in your career.

Tip 1: Communication and Teamwork are the most valued soft skills

The nature of work as a developer is technical, so naturally, hard skills are going to be far more valued by recruiters than soft skills. However, soft skills are still very important, and among all the soft skills out there, communication and teamwork reign supreme. Why? Because development projects are always done in teams – especially with how complex games have become over the years. You’ll always be communicating and working alongside other coders and developers within your team so the value of having someone who’s not just good at developing but good at communication and teamwork is crucial.

Tip 2: Resume writing services are available if needed

One mistake I see a lot of developers make is overestimating their writing abilities. Our English writing skills usually aren’t required to do our jobs so it makes sense that we would be weak in this area. If this is the case, don’t shoot yourself in the foot by writing your resume. After all, writing a job-winning resume is a lot different from coding an amazingly fun game. If you feel the need to, definitely consider investing in a resume writing service that you think will do the trick for you. Be sure to do your research of course, as the quality of the resume writing service you choose will vary  significantly.

Tip 3: Show your passion for games

When I was working for Blizzard, everyone on my department were gamers. The philosophy was games built by fellow gamers. During your interviews, you should try to build rapport with your interviewer by finding a common interest in a game you play. You may think it’s unprofessional or a bit out of place, but if you use some finesse to bring up the subject, it can work wonders towards increasing your chance of being hired.

Tip 4: Play the games that your potential employers developed

The topic can come up during your interview. When preparing for your interview, always go through and play the games that were developed by the company you’re interviewing for. This is part of researching your company and it’s pretty easy to do and actually fun. After all, you’re just playing a game.

Tip 5. Use LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a staple to finding a job. You need it to build relationships and connect with recruiters and hiring managers who may be interested with what you have to bring to the table. Even more importantly, having a LinkedIn profile allows you to include it on your resume. This will take your resume to the next level and allow you to shine above the other resume applications that don’t include it.