Read the horrors of developer job interviews!
by Dene and Simon Carter

June 28, 2002 - With a deal in hand we realised that we were no longer forced to sit in Peter Molyneux's back bedroom with a small team, producing publisher friendly demos and game design documents, wondering which member of the team we'd have to eat next. We suddenly had all the money we needed, and we urgently required a new office and a team to fill it.

The office side of things we found relatively easy to sort out, and managed to secure a nice, cheap place next to a river in a quiet country village. At lunchtimes we still have to avoid the hordes of pensioners who descend literally by the bus-load to do a spot of grocery shopping, but we really can't complain.

Getting a team together proved slightly more problematic. Finding people who are immensely talented, hugely enthusiastic, and who will get on with the rest of the team is a surprisingly difficult task; we worked our way through some 700 CVs, 18 recruitment agencies and 50 interviews to get our current team of 20. In general, our unsuccessful interviews fell into one of three categories.

Interviewer: Wow, you've got excellent credentials, and the 5 companies you worked for previously have all mentioned your enthusiasm. Any particular reason why you've moved around so much?

Candidate: Actually, yes, it's because I have an ego the size of a small planetary satellite. Bow before me, mortal, and bask in my glory.

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Candidate: I love games! (bounce bounce bounce) . And I love you all, and I'll do anything for you!

Interviewer: Yes, and many thanks for bringing in your art portfolio. I notice that you mostly use crayon and glitter in your work. Nice.

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Interviewer: Goodness, you've worked on a number of well respected games, and you seem like a really nice chap. Why are you looking for a new job exactly?

Candidate 3: Because I worked for an evil, black-hearted company that crushed every last vestige enthusiasm I ever had. Sigh I really think this industry is going down the toilet. Shrug I mean, computer games, you know, I haven't played one in months, they're all rubbish really, aren't they? Sigh We're all doomed. Can I go home now?

We made a decision at the beginning of our hiring process to only hire people we felt were absolutely right for the position, and for the team. This sounds like an obvious aim, but it cannot be overemphasized how important it is for a small company to make sure that every addition really fits in well. These are the people you are going to work with closely for years, whose every single annoying habit you will become achingly well acquainted with. You need to get it right, no matter how long it takes.

Ultimately, with a bit of patience and a whole heap of luck, we managed to build up a team of really fantastic people. Only time will tell how annoying and smelly we find each other at 3am the night before a major deadline...

Next month: The Importance of Grass.