Headhunters might ask you for recommendations of
candidates for projects that aren’t directly relevant for you – this can be a good way of building a relationship. Industry events like Gamescom provide an opportunity to meet headhunters in the sector. Try and avoid just having transactional relationships
with recruiters – where you only interact when you are a candidate for a job they are looking after. I’ve always remembered and valued candidates who have helped me out and who I’ve got to know on a more personal level. A good headhunter should also be able to give you good
career advice – whilst they can’t tell you how to be a better finance professional or product manager, they do know a lot about how to get access to senior roles and build a successful career. They can provide you with advice on offer negotiations and valuable information on potential employers. Remember that if you are a relevant candidate in their
world, headhunters will naturally want to network with you. A huge part of their proposition to their customers is that they are experts in their sector and know who the best candidates are. Networking with clients and candidates is in the essence of their role. If you find that a headhunter is unresponsive and not
engaging with you there could be a few reasons behind that. Most typically that’s either because they’re super busy and focussed elsewhere or because you’re not the right fit for them for whatever reason. Be fairly decisive in where you focus your time and networking efforts. Spend twice as much time building relationships where there is a good fit and interest and move on quickly from places where you aren’t getting much traction.
WORKING WITH HEADHUNTERS AS A JUNIOR OR MID-LEVEL CANDIDATE Whilst most headhunters tend to work on senior-level roles, there are specialist recruiters for junior and mid- level roles that can offer a lot of value from a networking perspective. If as a recruiter you specialize in junior or mid-level roles, you tend to have lower fees per placement compared to a senior level headhunter. However, a junior or mid-level recruiter can make a
very good living by specialising in a certain function and industry – e.g. hiring game designers for games companies, or software engineers, or any function. Their methodology is different to headhunters – theirs is more of a volume game. Because their placement fees are lower, they can’t spend as much time working on each project, and rely on having a strong brand in their area to attract relevant candidates which they can then place amongst their clients. In a sense they are looking to organically attract candidates to their roster rather than proactively headhunt them.
There will likely be a few specialist recruiters in your
function who it would be worth building a relationship with. As a placeable candidate, it should be in their interests to want to get to know you.
WHEN TO ENGAGE WITH HEADHUNTERS Generally, it’s best to engage with headhunters a few months before you intend to change jobs. Today’s job market is tough and it can take time for the right role to come around. Think about how you can build your personal brand and position yourself as an expert in your field. Platforms like LinkedIn are very much a “shop window”
and it’s a great place to showcase your achievements and track record. Recruiters can’t value what they don’t understand—make sure your achievements are clear and measurable. If you’re a game designer, I want to know what games
you’ve worked on, what your responsibilities were, which aspects of game design you specialize in, whether you are an individual contributor or manager of others and so forth. If you can show growth and demonstrable success –
working on a hit game, growing the revenues of a company, a successful company sale perhaps – then this is all valuable information to a potential hirer. Speaking at industry events and writing articles show
thought leadership and expertise in your craft. A personal website can be a great way to showcase your portfolio and experiences. The market is highly competitive and so the more you
can do to build a strong personal brand that naturally attracts headhunters and potential hirers, the better it’ll be for your long-term career prospects. If you’re considering a career move in the next year, start
engaging with headhunters now. Identify specialists in your field, optimize your LinkedIn profile, and start networking at industry events like GDC or Gamescom. The best opportunities often go to those who are well prepared.
April/May 2025 MCV/DEVELOP | 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
