There is an urgent need for competence in the games industry. Still, junior talent struggles to land a job interview because they lack sector-specific experience. One solution to this problem could be transferable skills, Tove Oldebäck, CEO and founder of Recommended by, believes. She says that the industry and the individual need to understand better, use, and leverage transferable skills.
Recommended by is a Recruitment and HR partner for growing companies specializing in the Tech & Gaming industry. The founder and CEO, Tove Oldebäck, has extensive experience attracting, recruiting, and retaining talent within the Games Industry at companies like Paradox, Mojang, and Star Stable.
GamedevStation is thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down and chat with Tove. Here’s her take on fueling talent acquisition and landing jobs with transferable skills.
The “I know a guy” hiring
In a short period, the games industry has grown into a global powerhouse. Although not too long ago, during the early days of games, the industry was more of a tight-knit squad where everybody knew each other. And even though that’s not the case anymore – the industry never really grew out of that costume, Tove Oldebäck says.
— Still, studios want to hire “someone from the industry” with experience in games and they keep searching in the same pool of talent over and over again, she continues.
Even though schools are doing a great job educating and graduating new people to serve the industry with the competence it needs, the first-hand talent pool isn’t getting any larger since newly graduated students lack industry experience.
— Historically recruitment has been a lot about ‘I know a guy’ and so the industry has become more and more homogeneous, rather than diversified. Even the thought of, for example, hiring from another industry has been unthinkable.
Tove Oldebäck, CEO and Founder, Recommended By
How transferable skills can benefit
If this synergy works, magic can happen, Tove states and shares an example.
— I have a colleague with experience in PR and Marketing, she has been a leader and CEO and after that, she came to us with zero experience in HR. She managed to convert her previous experiences into great learnings, and what she brings to our team is unique and something we would never have gotten from someone with a pure HR background.
Another one of Tove’s colleagues has been working in sales and now recruitment – no one is faster and offers a better candidate experience than she does, Tove says. Probably a lot thanks to her previously acquired skills, she continues.
— The industry needs to get better at hiring for these types of skills. It has opened up a bit for the film and TV industry, where many of the same special effects can be used in games. But we are still far from good at it, there is a great deal of good expertise from other industries to make use of in games.
Solving the talent crisis with education
The industry continues to face a shortage of the right skills, and even if it is hard for people to land a job directly after graduating, sooner or later, many of them do. Tove thinks we need a broader range of schools and ways to educate.
— A massive problem with schools is finding the right teachers for them. The good ones often already have a job where they are well paid and appreciated, Tove says.
If we find a way to open the door to people from other industries, the lack of competence will decrease, and industry professionals will be able to move to teaching jobs and support talent education, Tove continues.
— I think we need to solve the urgent need first. For example, employers need to grant staff leave of absence to teach and/or mentor students. There is an obvious need for greater understanding and broader engagement, with the industry taking responsibility and acting for the best of the industry, she says.
