Reader,

On a call yesterday, someone asked if they could pick my brain for free.

I don’t usually do that. But the question they asked is one I hear constantly: “What would you actually do if you were looking for a role in games right now?”

So instead of answering just them, I’m answering all of you. Here are the five things I tell anyone hunting for their next role in games.

1. Stop applying. Around 90% of roles get filled through relationships, not applications. So flip your time. Spend 90% of it building relationships, not feeding the pile. One of my clients stopped applying cold and started having two real conversations a week with people in his target studios. He had an offer in six weeks, for a role that was never posted.
2. Stop using the front door. The job you want probably isn’t on a job board. People are landing roles through Instagram, X, DMing indie devs they found on Steam, showing up at meetups. One client slid into a studio’s DMs after spotting they were struggling with something he was great at. A month later he was Head of Ops with equity.
3. Get to a hub. Seattle, LA, Austin, San Francisco. Remote roles are rare and shrinking. Proximity is leverage. You’re far more likely to meet your next boss in a room than through a portal. The people who move where the work is get found faster.
4. Be willing to sacrifice for the work. Game devs are artists. No artist worth anything got there without giving something up, time, comfort, the safe option. If you want this, be honest about what you’re willing to trade for it.
5. Be patient. Your next role might be months out. Maybe longer. It took me years to land my first games job, and more years before I was ready to lead. That’s not failure. That’s the timeline nobody advertises.

Some of you will agree with all of this. Some won’t. It’s drawn from my own path and the people I’ve coached, so take what fits.

Here’s the part I’d sit with, though: the market is hard, and you still have more control than you’re using. The industry isn’t keeping you from your next role. That’s on you, which is the good news, because it means you can do something about it.

If you want help figuring out the next right action, that’s exactly what a Strategy Call is for. One hour on the single thing blocking you most, and a plan you can run the moment we hang up.

Book one here: https://square.link/u/t5pbqWGU​

Talk soon, Adam

​gamingcareers.gg​