I know the writer of this article means well, and I am not going to ridicule him because of the title, no how matter how much I may be tempted to do so. He does make a strong point — finding youself suddenly jobless is a very real issue in the games industry. There are some great tips about how to keep on top of what your company is doing and if you need to watch your back. Warning signs (and reactions) include:
- The game company you work for has announced hiring freezes. Work harder than ever before to show your value.
- There are new rules regarding vacations or internal processes, such as expense reports. These are often a process to weed out dead weight.
- A merger has recently taken place resulting in two people for each position. Show them how much they need you and that the job you’re sharing was made for you and not “the other guy/gal.”
- You notice trends in our industry that lead you to believe that change is on the way for your company. Keep on top of these trends and show that you can adapt.
Hopefully you’ll never have to be in this unfortunate position, but if you are, it helps to feel you can be prepared in some way to bounce back and find your way to something better. If you’re too angry to think of objectivity, you could pen a text adventure based on the topic. It would go something like this:
Front of Building
You are standing in front of the office with a box of your belongings in your hand. The door behind you was just slammed shut. There is a signpost at the fork in the road in front of you.
>examine signpost
The signpost reads “You’re F*cked” and has a small box of unemployment leaflets attached.
>Take leaflet
[Pic from Married to the Sea — Thanks Justin!]
