Job Hunt

A Practical Playbook From Someone Who Has Done It From Both Sides of the Table

I have been making video games since 1981.

Over a career spanning more than forty years, I have changed jobs roughly every 3.8 years on average. That means I have done hundreds of interviews across every kind of market cycle this industry can throw at you.

I have also started, scaled, and led projects, teams, and studios multiple times. I have been the hiring manager. I have reviewed mountains of resumes. I have sat on interview panels. I have watched candidates succeed, fail, and unknowingly sabotage themselves.

So when I give advice about getting hired, it comes from both sides of the table. I have danced this dance as a candidate, and I have evaluated others doing the same.

Right now, the game industry is going through enormous change. Budgets are tighter. Teams are smaller. AI tools are reshaping workflows. Many talented people are suddenly looking for work, often for the first time in years.

This is the approach that has worked for me, and advice that has directly helped others land jobs during this downturn.

First, Kill a Dangerous Myth

If you are telling yourself:

  • “I’m bad at interviewing.”
  • “I’m terrible at job searches.”
  • “I always choke.”

Stop.

Interviewing is not a personality trait. It is a skill.

Skills improve through repetition.

Even when you are good at this, you will still bomb interviews.

I have bombed interviews.
I have blanked on questions I absolutely knew.
I have hung up calls and immediately realized I could have answered something better.

That is not failure. That is part of the process.

You are not going to play football and never get tackled. You fall off the horse, you get back on, immediately.

Treat the Job Search Like Your Job

Do not “take time to recover.”
Do not wait until you feel ready.
Do not drift.

You get up in the morning and you go to work.

The only difference is that your job is now finding your next job.

That means:

  • A daily schedule
  • Clear goals
  • Consistent output

Momentum matters. Employment gaps work against you. The longer you wait, the harder it gets.

This Is a Numbers Game

Even if you are excellent at interviewing, this is still math.

Set a goal. Two to three applications per day is realistic and sustainable.

Expect ratios:

  • Many applications lead to fewer recruiter calls
  • Those lead to fewer interviews
  • Those lead to fewer offers

Apply to jobs you do not even want. Those interviews are practice. Practice removes fear, and fear is what causes people to underperform.

Confidence Is a Signal, Not Arrogance

As a hiring manager, I can tell you this clearly.

Desperation reads as risk.

“I can do anything, I just need a job” is not reassuring.
“I am very good at exactly what you are hiring for” is.

You are not begging for work. You are offering value.

Project that.

Customize Everything, Quietly and Systematically

Every job gets its own resume version.

Use modern LLM tools to tailor your resume to the job description, in your own voice, without rewriting who you are.

Create a folder on your computer for each company and role:

  • Save the job description
  • Save the tailored resume
  • Track the submission in a spreadsheet with date and job title

Important detail:
Do not put the company name in the resume or cover letter filename.

You want it to look like your standard resume that just happens to fit their needs perfectly, not something that screams “I edited this five minutes ago for you.”

When a recruiter calls weeks later, you should instantly remember why you applied.

Never Talk Negative. Ever.

Not about your last company.
Not about your manager.
Not about the industry.

Layoffs are business decisions. Full stop.

People hire optimism, emotional control, and forward motion. Bitterness, even justified bitterness, is a red flag.

Always Look Employed

Start a consulting brand. A studio. A side project.

Build a simple website. Put screenshots up. Show that you are active, learning, and shipping things.

“Currently working” beats “currently looking” every time.

Networking Is Not Optional, It Is How People Stay Employed

Part of your daily job search needs to be networking.

That does not mean awkward cold messages or begging for referrals. It means reaching out to people you have already worked with and saying something simple and honest:

“I’m looking right now. I enjoyed working with you, and I would love to work together again if the opportunity comes up.”

That is it.

This is one of the most reliable ways people stay employed in this industry. Not because they are the loudest, but because they are known quantities.

There are two reasons this works:

First, people want to work with people who help projects succeed. If you make other people more effective, that gets remembered.

Second, people want to work with people who are not terrible to work with. You do not have to be everyone’s best friend. You just have to be professional, reliable, and additive.

Here is an important truth most people do not say out loud:

Even if someone does not personally like you, if they know you can help the project succeed, they will still hire you.

That has happened to me more than once. I have gotten calls from people I knew I did not get along with particularly well, and who did not get along with me. They were not calling because we were friends. They were calling because they needed someone who could do the job.

This is business.

Your network is not about popularity. It is about trust in your ability to deliver.

Most jobs are not won through postings. They are won through trust built over years.

Prepare Like a Pro, Use AI Like a Pro

Before every interview:

  • Re-read the job description
  • Research the company
  • Look up the people you will be talking to

Use LLMs to prepare smart interview questions:

“I’m interviewing with this person, with this job title, about this role. What are thoughtful questions I can ask?”

Print them out or have them ready.

That final moment when the interviewer asks, “Any questions?” is your opportunity to finish strong. Thoughtful questions leave a lasting impression.

Your Video Setup Is Part of the Interview

If you are interviewing over video, especially for a remote job, your setup matters more than you think.

From the hiring side, this is not about vanity. It is about signal.

You are showing whether you can present yourself professionally in the exact environment you would be working in.

Here are the basics:

  • Your camera should be at eye level. Nobody wants to look up your nostrils.
  • Your face should be well lit from the front, not backlit by a bright window.
  • Use a simple, neutral background or a clean, organized workspace.
  • Sit somewhere that looks like a place where real work actually happens.

You do not need an expensive setup. You do need to look intentional.

A messy room, bad lighting, or a camera pointing up from a laptop on a desk quietly communicates a lack of preparation, even if everything else you say is strong.

For remote roles especially, this is how people will picture working with you day to day. Make that picture easy and comfortable for them.

The Easiest Interview Win Most People Miss

People love to talk about themselves.
People love to hear their name.
People love to feel noticed.

Especially in panel interviews, this is a huge advantage.

If you know someone worked on a specific project or game, ask about it:

  • “You worked on X. What was that like?”
  • “I loved that project. What part were you most involved in?”

If they are inside or outside your discipline, it does not matter.

If you can get your interviewers talking about their work, their projects, and their experiences for most of the interview, that is a win.

They leave the room feeling good, and that good feeling gets associated with you.

Use their first name. Ask real questions. Let them talk.

Stay Regulated Under Stress

Job searches are stressful. Stress leaks into interviews.

Breath work, exercise, meditation, whatever keeps you regulated, do it.

Calm people perform better.
Calm people inspire confidence.

Final Thought

You are not broken because an interview went badly.
You are not behind because you got laid off.
You are not failing because this takes time.

This is a process. It rewards structure, repetition, confidence, and human connection.

I have walked this path for decades.
I have stumbled.
I have recovered.
And I have helped others do the same.

Get back on the horse.
Show up tomorrow morning.
Do the work.

You will get there.