Dovetail Games hiring over 50 people

The new year always prompts a wave of studios looking to bolster their workforce with fresh talent, and one firm keen to expand its development team is the UK’s Dovetail Games.

A specialist in simulation games such as Train Simulator, the firm ramped up its games development efforts last year following a deal with Microsoft to not only re-release Flight Simulator X but also build new titles based on the same tech.

As part of this new chapter for Dovetail, the company is hoping to attract more development talent, as VP of HR and facilities Gemma Johnson-Brown explains.

“Over the next year we plan to hire over 50 people across all areas of development and are particularly interested in those looking to for the next step in their career,” she says.

“At Dovetail, we strive to create an environment where people can deliver the best work of their careers whilst working sensible hours. We discourage crunch periods and keep an eye out for people working over their contracted hours.

“We have a strong ethos of promoting and developing within, and are working at developing a training and growth strategy that not only develops those that can lead a team, but those that are specialists in their areas but don’t wish to move into management roles.”

Johnson-Brown lists a number of perks that should appeal to job-seekers – including plenty of holiday, pension, flexible working hours, and vouchers for child care and eye care – but one of the main benefits is the studio’s location.

Based in Chatham, Dovetail’s HQ is close to London, the seaside and Ebbsfleet, which offers strong European connections. Many of Dovetail’s staff have also relocated in order to come and join the team.

Given the company’s specialist focus, Johnson-Brown advises that applicants think carefully about whether or not they have the relevant skills for simulation projects.

“Dragons and fantasy characters might look great,” she says, “but we’re looking for people that have an ability to create photo-realistic train stations and fishing lakes, so we like candidates to show us how they can be a good fit for our company.

“We spend a lot of time creating our job descriptions so take your time to read them. If you don’t have the essential skills we’re looking for, do you have transferable skills that can compensate for that? If so, ensure that we know about them.

“We offer our employees the opportunity to make real decisions and really make a difference to the products we create and publish, whilst being part of a team supported by a company that cares about you and your career.”