Amiqus’ Prince: ‘the number one challenge is access to talent when the pool of people is in such high demand’

Liz Prince, Amiqus’ business manager, was our Final Boss for April’s issue. The issue was focused on recruitment, so Prince was the perfect choice. 

What are some of the challenges in recruitment in 2018?

There are wide-reaching economic and legislative challenges impacting the UK’s ability to attract talent and influencing how people work – Brexit of course is high on the agenda, as well as off-payroll working rules and gig-economy workers’ rights to name a few. In general, the recruitment industry has a great voice with government and we work hard to maintain the most flexible workforce model we can for the UK so that employers can make the best choices for their businesses.

In terms of recruitment for the games industry, I’d say the number one challenge is access to talent when the pool of people is in such high demand. The skills we use to make great games are now being used widely outside of the industry in other areas such as automotive, pharma and architectural design. We need to extend the pool and make sure the industry is visible to as many people as possible. The time is right to start thinking bigger about where and how we attract our talent, including the type of employment models we offer.

What is Amiqus doing to ensure a diverse range of candidates?

There’s definitely a lack of diversity in games, especially when it comes to dev teams. We’ve recently launched an initiative, Putting the G Into Gaming, to focus on attracting more women to the industry who have chosen a different career path, but whose skills are spot on for what we need. We feel strongly that there’s a lack of awareness of games as a career and the creativity it offers in contrast to other roles outside of games. Right now, we’re reaching out to an audience of 21,000 tech-focused women in the UK with targeted content. Our aim is to be able to intro them directly to studios to see what the games industry is all about.

How has the recruitment business changed in the last decade?

Recruitment is evolving at a really rapid pace. People’s values and expectations of their life goals determine the type of career they pursue, the type of employment they want and, importantly, the type of employer they look for. Standing out, telling your brand story and delivering a personalised experience through all the hiring stages have become paramount to attracting star candidates. There has always been an element of marketing involved in recruitment but now in such a competitive market we, as recruiters, not only manage processes, we’re also subject matter specialists, content creators and social experts, sharing knowledge with our candidates. We have to stay current and keep diversifying our skills to stay relevant and valuable.

How important are personal relationships in recruitment?

Relationships are key to recruitment because we’re dealing with life-changing decisions for candidates on one hand and helping a client to grow their team on another. We’re in a really privileged position and we take that seriously. In order to attract quality candidates, we have to know how to effectively market vacancies, how to engage and establish a more personal connection. Getting to know and trust one another is the key to engagement and when both parties believe in one another this invariably leads to success, in our experience.

If you could give any business one tip for recruitment, what would it be?

Can I have two? The first would be that the best person for the job isn’t always the person you know. Spread your net widely to make sure that you experience a real choice of candidates. Getting the right person can be a game changer for your business so it’s worth that extra investment in time up front.

The other is about engaging with your recruitment partner. If you want the best from the service a recruiter can offer, then invite them to know as much about your business and team as possible. They’re your PR, your voice and the amplification for your opportunity. Bring them as close as possible and see the benefits of their commitment to you, taking their advice on best practice processes to ensure you get the right people when you need them for your team.