Hiring a developer as a small indie studio (in 2025)
12 days ago
- #indie-studio
- #hiring-process
- #game-development
- Hiring in 2025 is challenging due to lack of funds and high applicant volume.
- Small indie studios like Ballard Games handle hiring manually without fancy tracking software.
- Initial triage involves two passes: first to filter irrelevant applications, second for a fair review.
- Key initial questions for candidates: expected salary, availability, and full-time/part-time preference.
- Indie studios compete on freedom and control, not salary, compared to big companies like EA or Microsoft.
- Take-home assignments are practical and relevant, avoiding sterile LeetCode-style puzzles.
- Final step involves video chats with the team to review the take-home assignment.
- Use Gmail labels to manage the screening workflow efficiently.
- Design take-home assignments to reflect real job tasks and respect candidates' time.
- The entire hiring process took about 4 weeks to complete.