Missed our Recruiting AMA Panel? Here’s your TL;DR.

The Tespa AMA series invites professionals from the gaming industry to discuss career development and to provide insight about different careers within the gaming industry. Topics include career paths, networking, and tips for applying and interviewing for jobs and internships.

Our fourth AMA featured gaming industry recruiters from Blizzard Entertainment and Riot Games.

AMA Summary

1) Customize your resume and cover letter for every job application!

There are a lot of ways to express yourself in an application for your dream job. These recruiters share some of the best ways to stand out in the crowd.

Mina: Your resume should call out and quantify the scope and experience of the roles that you've had and your areas of interest, so that online application systems can easily identify keywords in your resume. In your cover letter, make sure to be honest and feel free to be creative. Be clear, authentic, and specific about what you want out of an opportunity - this applies to any company! It's very obvious when a cover letter has been copied and pasted. Try to put in an effort to connect your cover letter to the job description.

Erika: It's key to customize your application to the job. Make it easy for a recruiter to easily identify why you're the perfect match for the position. The biggest requirements for positions are usually located at the top of the job description, so make sure that your resume aligns -- if a bachelor's degree is at the top of a job description, put it at the top of your resume! Recruiters are skimming resumes quickly. In cover letters, you can talk more extensively about things that are not included in your resume. Cover letters set applicants apart.

2) Research is key!

Want to know the best tip for making  a first great impression? Know something about the company and the job you’re applying for.

Erika: Do your research! Understand the company's culture, know their core values -- it's like armor coming into an interview. The more knowledge you have, the more comfortable you'll feel answering their questions. When you're confident, you can show your natural talent and your true colors.

Mina: Utilize Glassdoor and LinkedIn to do preliminary interview research. With Riot in particular, they use the STAR method to ask for behavioral examples to examine experiences from the past, and how candidates reacted, learned, etc. Also, please don't lie! Be honest. If you don't know the answer to a question, it's so much better to say that you don't know the answer rather than try to come up with something. Be authentic and humble -- being able to admit the areas where you need to grow is better.

3) Always ask questions!

A lot of people were curious as to what type of questions to ask when the interviewer says “do you have any questions for me?”. Here are some great examples!

Mina: What is important to you in a company? What values resonate with you in a workplace environment? Any concerns that need to be addressed that may affect the rest of the hiring process (relocation etc.)

Erika: I like when candidates ask me more personal questions. Questions like what do you like about the company? Also questions that show the applicant has done their research. (ex. questions about culture, growth opportunities etc.)

4) Prepare to be concise!

Erika: Be prepared to give a concise summary of your background and be ready to give examples. Recruiters like to walk through situations and understand your thought process. Lastly, be ready to ask questions. This isn't just an interview on you, it is also your opportunity to interview the company as well.

5) Some departing words from our guests

Mina: There are a lot of resources out there, so be honest, look into internships, feel free to message me on LinkedIn with questions, and GOOD LUCK.

Erika: I'm happy to answer any questions on LinkedIn. Someone helped me early on in my career, so I want to pay that forward!