NEW YEAR, NEW JOB: Craft a perfect CV

Every day in January – and thanks our ‘New Year, New Job’ series’ huge popularity – well into February, Develop is helping job-hunters and employers with advice and tips from the industry’s finest developers, experts, HR specialists and recruitment execs on a range of topics.

Today we bring you essential advice on perfecting a games industry CV, with advice from recruiters, managers, studio heads, developers and HR specialists.

15 ways to improve your games industry CV

• "Leave the fancy fonts and tables for your portfolio. A lot of companies store resumes in an applicant tracking system, so the more straightforward your resume is, the better.”
Tim Johnson, recruiter, Epic Games

• "If you want to do something a bit crazy with your CV to stand out from the crowd, this is fine but research who will be receiving it and the type of company you are sending it to."
Richard Chipchase, recruiter, Mind Candy

• “Shorter CV’s can often be more impressive, especially when you have the confidence to remove interesting information, and the self-awareness to understand how to tailor your personal presentation to the role on offer.”
Julian Widdows, VP of Development, Codemasters

• "Take time to personalise your application for the specific company – explain briefly why you really like that company and how your experience is relevant. A personalised CV demands to be read – and will be taken much more seriously than a generic CV."
Charles Cecil, founder, Revolution Software

• “Make it clear, concise and relevant – and remember that what will actually get you the interview is the quality of your work.”
Kim Blake, Senior Events and Education Coordinator, Blitz

• "Here’s something simple and basic: choose a logical order and check your spelling."
Hendrik Mainka, head of human resources, Goodgame Studios

• “Improve top placement in keyword-searchable databases; be sure to use the key words from your job description and/or from the job offer.”
Sophie Dosière, Executive Assistant, Asobo

• "Often a reviewer is thumbing through a pile of pretty stale almost identical documents. Just changing the layout to landscape might be enough to make your CV memorable."
Trevor Williams, COO, Playground Games

• "Show some personality. If you wrestle lobsters or are a short wave radio ham, put it in. Being an interesting person is worth almost as much your education."
Will Luton, Creative Director, Mobile Pie

• “Keep a CV to two pages or less. If you feel you need to include more then you are likely over-stretching for the job you are applying for.
Michael Burnham, Head of Production, Rebellion

• “If you have creative skills, don’t be afraid to use them. At Jagex we love opening up CVs that are different. The graphic designers amongst you can show us straight away why you stand out from the crowd.”
Peter Lovell, Talent Acquisition Specialist, Jagex

• “Include website links to your portfolio, blog or Twitter page. In your covering letter, clearly state why you are interested in working for the company.”
Torsten Reil, CEO, NaturalMotion

• "Make sure you use LinkedIn as everything else is pretty much pure pony. Don’t overate yourself, just say it like it is and keep it lean."
Mills, Co-founder, UsTwo

• “Always make sure your CV answers the question ‘What value/benefit do you bring to the company/role?’."
Andy Campbell, CEO, Specialmove

• “Spend your money on a cool, but professional photo.”
Wiebke Burrichter, HR Marketing Manager, InnoGames

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Our daily ‘New Year, New Jobs’ series of articles are extracted from the February issue of Develop magazine – currently available in several forms – which boasts an essential compendium of advice, tips and tricks on getting a new job and improving your employment prospects.The same issue brings you all the results from our sweeping games industry Salary Survey. Check back with Develop Online every day this month for more.

To find out more about advertising opportunities relating to our New Year, New Job series contact Alex.Boucher@intentmedia.co.uk or call him on +44 (0) 1992 535 646.