Why a Job Description Isn’t Enough: Recruitment is a Team Sport

I recently had the pleasure of working with an indie game studio that reminded me what “great” looks like when it comes to the relationship between a talent agency and internal recruitment professionals.

But the principles that underpin what they did don’t just apply to internal teams and external partners. They make sense as well when it comes to how internal teams work together around hiring.

A Case Study in Getting It Right

They were looking for another producer, and although we’d found a producer for them previously, they didn’t skimp on the detail; they briefed it as a brand-new role. Providing:

• A Job Description
• A call to discuss in detail what they’re looking for, including extra details about absolute “must-haves” and “red & amber flags”
• Selling points about their studio, specific to why a producer might be interested
• Details on the makeup of the production team they’d be joining, their roles, and their future plans
• A detailed outline of each interview stage and the panel
• Questions they’d like us to cover in the screening call, and what they’ll cover
• Culture and personal attributes appreciated in the production team and across the studio
• Things they’d like highlighted in candidate summaries
• How many they’re currently interviewing, and why the search had struggled thus far
• The salary banding

This was so refreshing. Like drinking an icy cold glass of lemonade on an unusually hot day in May. (UK friends, if you know, you know 😉)

It didn’t just help us, though; it was clear they were aligned internally, and that the hiring manager, recruitment, and leadership all knew what they were looking for.

The Problem With Just Sending a Job Description

Sadly, but thankfully not too often, a studio will commence working with an agency but feel that sending over a job description is enough. It is the most basic and minimal requirement, and doesn’t set anyone up for success in finding a long-lasting team fit.

These are often the situations where we get a selection of candidates excited about a studio, and then they never hear back due to an uncommunicated internal “pivot,” or they go through a few stages of interviews only for the hiring team to realise they had all assumed they were on the same page about the person they were looking for, but through interviewing, only then discovered they weren’t.

You can understand why candidates can be left feeling frustrated. In a small industry, employer branding matters. Not to mention the hours that could be saved internally and redirected back to making the game.

A job description alone can never beat an actual conversation about a position. Like many things in life, you’re often required to read between the lines. Situations have nuance, and teams are complicated. The job description is essentially a shopping list and an advert combined. At best it will act as a set of rules and catch someone’s eye.

What Any Talent Partner Needs to Know

Whether internal or external, a talent partner’s effectiveness is only as strong as the information they’re given. Here’s what makes the difference:

• First-hand experience of the team culture, so we can vouch for it when speaking with candidates. If we’ve never even met you, we can’t.
• What the hiring manager wants and what they’re like. This is for getting candidates on board and vouching for a key relationship in their next role. Remember, people leave jobs because of their manager, and stay for them too.
• What really stands out. When speaking with hiring managers, they will always mention just one or two things that go beyond the job description, or aren’t even listed there.
• For an external agency partner: show us you’re invested in working together, that you value our time, and that you trust us to find the best person knowing we have all the facts.
• Give your recruitment professional the feeling that they can ask questions, seek clarity, and problem-solve alongside you.

It Doesn’t End at the Briefing

With this case study, the internal recruiter was exceptional, and it didn’t stop at the briefing. They kept us updated throughout the process, so we could manage candidate expectations and uphold their brand. Candidates reported feeling well-informed and genuinely enjoying the process. I’d love to see more processes like this, for the sake of everyone involved.

The Data Backs It Up

Our 2025/26 Games and Immersive Salary and Job Satisfaction Survey reported that 31% of candidates turned down a job offer due to:

•      Lengthy interview process

•      Lack of urgency

•      Bad communication

•      Too many tests

•      Slow feedback

•      Irrelevant and unfair questions

It’s worth underscoring the point here; these are job offers. At this point, internal stakeholders have done all the work, found the person they want to hire, and even in an employer’s market, have come undone at the final hurdle. Not because the salary was wrong or the benefits were lacking, but because the candidate had a poor experience earlier in the process.

Let’s Talk

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