RECRUITMENT
Cherry picked advice to help you reach the next level in your career
Conor Clarke, marketing and communications at the National Videogame Museum, talks about the need to constantly be learning – and to listen, as well as talk.
What is your job role and how would you describe your typical day at work? I run the marketing and communications for the National Videogame Museum (NVM) and charity for games culture, the BGI. This means that I often consider myself working in a games-adjacent marketing role. Fortunately, I don’t often have a typical day at work. Every day sees me working on a new project or initiative, and I feel incredibly lucky to have that element of variety in my job. Mostly, I’m focused on NVM audience development, engaging local communities, and shouting about how great games are and that they should visit the museum on their weekends. This is a broad role, which starts with building a communications strategy, goes all the way through to realising that strategy with marketing and outreach campaigns, and then cultivating a community on the back of that. The other ‘half’ of my job sees me working
on projects with other amazing charities and organisations such as Into Games and Grads in Games, where together we launched Games Careers Week in March 2021. This is often a much-more supportive role, assisting by building direct marketing campaigns, managing various websites, and consulting where appropriate.
“Every day sees me working on a new project or initiative, and I feel incredibly lucky to have that element of variety in my job.”
16 | MCV/DEVELOP March 2022
What qualifications and/or experience did you need to land the job? All my qualifications were in unrelated fields, prior to working at the NVM I worked as a theatre producer and lecturer!
That being said, many of my peers have followed similar routes, instead gaining experience self-starting small or personal projects, such as festivals, community game nights, and much more. With that in mind, experience working with people is incredibly important. Being able to understand what audiences are looking for is invaluable in my position. It’s important to keep training too. Every few months I’m looking to sign up to a different Chartered Institute of Marketing course, or ace training programmes such as the Safe In Our World Mental Health First Aid for Community Managers course. It’s vital to constantly be learning about changing marketing strategies and trends.
If you were interviewing someone for your team, what would you look for? I’d be looking for someone who shows initiative, diligence, and creativity. If someone could demonstrate being proactive and passionate about a project they’d worked on, then that tells me they’ve got the right attitude for this kind of work.
Alongside this, openness and the ability to communicate is vital. I’d be looking for people who are as comfortable listening as they are talking.
What opportunities are there for career progression?
Many games-adjacent businesses, and
particularly visitor attractions such as museums, bars, and cafes, haven’t had the easiest of 24 months, with much of their work relying on the general public being out-and-about. That being said, there is a genuine bounceback happening across the sector, with audiences returning in numbers even higher than pre-pandemic levels. There is an appetite for experiences that can amplify and enhance a player’s gaming passions and habits, in particular through community events and conventions. In that sense, out of this adversity, there are lots of opportunities for people to get involved in making festivals, working with communities, and more.
Of course, remember that career progression
doesn’t necessarily need to be linear! Identify and understand your skills, and how they can be applied to a whole range of roles
Want to talk about your career and inspire people to follow the same path? Contact Chris Wallace at
chris.wallace@biz-media.co.uk
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