Recruiter Hotseat: Sumo Group on the job opportunities available across its 15 worldwide studios

Sumo Group is hiring across its 15 studios worldwide! Head of talent acquisition Kieran Holland gives us the inside story.

 

Kieran Holland, head of halent aquisition at Sumo Group

Which of your studios has the most open vacancies right now?

Across the group, we currently have 403 vacancies. Our studios across the globe are looking for people across a myriad of disciplines, including coding & programming, art and production.

What differentiates your studio from other developers?

Within the group, we have over 40 live projects in development across PC, console and mobile in a wide range of scales and genres – we’ve been a part of some fantastic projects over the last couple of years and can’t wait to share everything currently in the pipeline. As part of our mission in creating a safe, stable and welcoming home for all, we’re delighted to be able to offer our people a completely flexible approach to their working environment, with them able to choose to work from their studio, from home or a hybrid of the two.

How many staff are you currently looking to take on?

In 2021, we welcomed 514 people to Sumo Group. As we continue to grow, we’ll be looking to hire over 550 people this year, with well over half of those being opportunities at our UK studios. We’re delighted to once again be working in partnership with Women in Games, Mission Gender Equity, the Ahead Partnership and Disability Confident, as well as running the fantastic Sumo Academy and paid internships, to continue towards our goal of creating an inclusive and diverse workforce.

What perks are available to working at your studio?

We’re very proud to offer a range of great perks, including a 35-hour working week, five learning days for personal development, bolstering skills or volunteering, 27 holiday days including a duvet day and birthdays, free refreshments in all our studios, and a range of social and learning events unique to each studio. We’re also big fans of celebrating with our teams, offering events (virtual and, when safe, in-person) and care packages all year round, making sure we recognise both the big milestones and the little victories.

What advice would you give for a successful interview at your studio?

Beyond being on time and being prepared, make sure you’re honest with yourself and the interviewer – if the role, project or studio is right for you, you’ll get it. Don’t be afraid to share your experiences and achievements you’re proud of – it can take a lot of preparation but is critical to ensure you put your best foot forward in the interview. We also love when people have clearly done their research about the role or studio to determine if it’s the right fit for them ahead of time.

What is the culture like at your studio?

Each of our studios has a culture that’s unique to them. Our core pillars across the group are Family, Security, Trust & Collaboration, combined with our values of Respect, Innovation, Determination, Accountability, Recognition and Fun. It gives our studios the feel of working as a team and pulling in the same direction to achieve our common goals: to create thrilling game experiences and achieve wonder together. As part of our commitment to supporting our people in learning and development, we also have an evolving culture of training, learning and collaborating, and our internal learning platform, Dojo, allows our teams to share resources, connect with each other and skill-share.

About Chris Wallace

Chris is a freelancer writer and was MCV/DEVELOP's staff writer from November 2019 until May 2022. He joined the team after graduating from Cardiff University with a Master's degree in Magazine Journalism. He can be found on Twitter at @wallacec42, where he mostly explores his obsession with the Life is Strange series, for which he refuses to apologise.

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