Friday the 6th marks three years since I started in games recruitment, and it feels like a good moment to pause and take stock. Not just of the wins, but of what the job has actually taught me. The good bits, the hard bits, and the parts nobody really explains to you when you first get into this industry.
When I first stepped into this role, everything moved fast. Within nine months I had been promoted twice, every role felt placeable, and in all honesty, I was loving every single day of it. There was momentum everywhere. Studios were hiring, candidates were confident, and conversations turned into outcomes quickly.
Then the layoffs really began to hit.
Almost overnight, every role became thirty five to fifty percent harder to fill. The work did not stop, it just became heavier. We still filled roles, but each one took more effort, more care, and more resilience than the last.
Now, two years on from that shift, it finally feels like there is some grease back on the industry wheels. Things are moving again. Clients, for the most part, are starting to recalibrate expectations into more realistic spaces, and candidates have largely come to terms with the fact that the market is unlikely to return to the extreme highs of the pandemic boom. It is not easy, but it feels healthier. More grounded. More honest.
Three years in, I still very much want to help people. That part has not changed. What has changed is time. I have far less of it to spend on things that are unlikely to go anywhere.
Am I more cynical than I was at the start. Yes. Is that because I have been burned. Also yes. Does that change my motivation to make things work and help people find exciting new roles. Not in the slightest.
If anything, it has made me more focused on where I can actually add value.
💥 Pain Is Part of the Job
There is no sugar coating this part.
I genuinely do not think there is a more disappointing feeling in recruitment than hearing a candidate has been rejected for something completely beyond anyone’s control. A last minute change in spec. An internal restructure. An expectation that quietly shifted after interviews were already underway.
Those moments sting, because you know how much emotional energy someone has invested, and there is nothing you can do to soften the outcome.
On the flip side, it is just as difficult to hear that a candidate has taken a counter offer, decided relocation is no longer viable, or simply lost interest in a role late in the process. Nobody is wrong in those situations. They are human decisions, often driven by fear, security, or changing personal circumstances.
Holding space for that reality, even when it derails months of work, is part of the job whether you like it or not.
🎤 Conferences Are Exhausting
Conferences can be brilliant, but they are also genuinely draining. Long days, constant context switching, noise, movement, and social energy all stack up fast. Going in without a purpose is a sure way to burn out by midday. Know why you are there, who you want to speak to, and what a “good day” actually looks like for you.
Bring a portable charger, because your phone will die quicker than you expect. Give yourself space to step aside and make notes while things are still fresh. Do not forget to eat or drink, even when the day runs away from you. And always remember that everything is an extra five minutes away.
The next meeting, the next hall, the next coffee. Build that into your expectations, and be kinder to yourself because of it.
🎯 Studios Expect Perfection
One of the biggest shifts I have seen over the last three years is the rise in expectation. Studios want very specific experience, very exact backgrounds, and very little risk.
In theory, that makes sense. In practice, it often creates paralysis.
The industry is too specialised, and the talent pools too narrow, for perfection to be a realistic baseline. Availability is an ability in itself, and waiting endlessly for a flawless match often does more damage than hiring someone who is ninety percent there and supported properly.
🔁 Asking the Same Questions More Than Once Is Normal
Candidates, through no fault of their own, do not always realise why certain information matters.
We speak to studios every single day. We hear the same feedback loops repeatedly. What feels like over explaining from a candidate perspective is often the exact clarity a hiring team needs to make a decision.
Sometimes that means asking the same question more than once, or framing it differently. That is not incompetence, it is translation. Good recruitment sits in that gap.
🤝 Working With Good People Is Absolutely Everything
This industry is tough, and the career path is not always easy, but I can safely say that the last three years at @Skillsearch have been 100% worth it even if just for the chance to work alongside so many brilliant people. We are a lively, realistic, collaborative, and genuinely bubbly group, and at the heart of it, we all want the best result for everyone involved.
I am a relatively kooky guy. I wear bright, colourful clothes, I dive deep into a bunch of different franchises and hobbies, and even though we are all very different people, everyone is able to be themselves here.
That freedom to be authentic, quirky, or passionate about the things you love is incredibly freeing, and it makes coming to work every day something I genuinely look forward to.
📝 It Is Okay To Ask For CV Changes
Over the last three years I have run CV workshops, built resources, and worked directly with people on reformatting and rewording their CVs.
The simple truth is this.
Recruiters see hundreds of game CVs a month. That volume gives us access to patterns and data that a standalone candidate simply does not have. If I ask for changes to a CV, it is not criticism. It is because I have heard something on a call that I know will be gold dust to a client if it is written down properly.
🏢 Remote Work Still Is Not The Default
Despite how often it is discussed, remote working still is not the norm for most studios.
As a candidate, I would never go into an interview now assuming remote is workable unless it has been explicitly confirmed in the job spec. Most studios still want people on site, or at least hybrid. They want the collaboration, the culture, and the creative friction that human interaction brings.
Personally, I see both sides. I work hybrid myself. I value my work from home days, but I also find them challenging at times. Focus looks different for everyone, and pretending there is a one size fits all solution does nobody any favours.
🧠 People Make Mistakes
This one applies to everyone, myself included.
Messages get missed. Notes do not always get made. Intentions are good, but busy working lives get in the way. Most people do not ignore others on purpose. The issues usually sit in follow ups, context switching, and sheer volume.
Understanding that, while still holding ourselves to account, is important if we want healthier processes across the board.
Three years in, I am still here because the wins matter.
The moment someone messages to say they are genuinely happy in a new role. The relief when a team finally fills a position that has been open too long. The quiet satisfaction of making something difficult work.
This job has made me tougher, more realistic, and more selective with my energy. But it has not taken away the part of me that wants to help. If anything, it has sharpened it.
Here is to year four. 🍻
