Glu Mobile has been a big name in mobile for a long time now.
From the ever-popular Deer Hunter series - the first entry of which dates way back to 2009 - to more recent licensed efforts such as Katy Perry Pop and James Bond: World of Espionage, it's adapted to the changable nature of the industry with relative ease.
And, with studios located all over the world, the sheer presence of the San Francisco-headquartered firm cannot be denied.
Seeing as there are currently vacancies at all nine of its studios, both within the US and internationally, we reached out to Sheila Ryan, VP of Global Human Resources at Glu Mobile.
She told us what she's looking for in candidates, gave tips to those sending an application her way, and explained how Glu endeavours to maintain company culture across international borders.
As always, this should be essential reading for those interested in applying.
PocketGamer.biz: Could you give us some background on Glu Mobile and what you do?
We make free-to-play mobile games! We’re well-known for successful franchises like Diner Dash, Deer Hunter, Tap Sports, and Eternity Warriors.
If you check out Glu on the App Store and Google Play, you’ll find those titles as well as hits like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and Racing Rivals.
Our teams are hard at work on another 10+ titles for release in 2016.
All of our studios are currently hiring bright, hungry, innovative developers.Sheila Ryan
Glu is headquartered in San Francisco, with development studios in San Mateo, CA; Long Beach, CA; Bellevue, WA; and Portland, OR.
Our global presence extends to Toronto, Moscow, Beijing, and Hyderabad, for a total of nearly 800 employees.
My role as Glu’s VP of Global Human Resources allows me to focus on the most important aspect of the production process - our people!
My team and I are dedicated to hiring and developing top talent, and keeping Glu among the best places to work in gaming.
What specific areas/disciplines are you currently hiring in?
All of our studios are currently hiring bright, hungry, innovative developers who are psyched about the surging mobile game development industry.
Studio roles include Designers, Product Managers, Engineers, Artists, QA, and Producers.
Candidates looking to make an impact in operations will find opportunities in Creative Services, Business Intelligence, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Marketing, and Sales.
As you're overseeing recruitment at Glu, what do you look for in candidates?
The common success factor amongst our most impactful Glu-ers is their dedication to collaborative and cross-functional teamwork. We love to hire smart, motivated individuals and support their path to success.
It’s important to us to take risks and evolve with our industry, so someone who sees mobile gaming as the future of entertainment is a great fit for Glu.
A candidate doesn’t need to be an expert in any specific technology or genre, but the drive to build skill and knowledge through practice is important.
Why do you think Glu Mobile is a good place to work? How will you be trying to encourage a strong company culture across your domestic and global studios?
The best part of coming to work at Glu at any of our locations is the people you work with - the development environment truly supports collaboration, creativity, and innovation.
Across all locations, our goal is to encourage organic development of culture and identity.
Whether it’s nerf gun battles, mobile beer carts, playtests doubling as ice cream socials, or ugly sweater competitions… Glu supports whatever makes a team feel like a team.
What advice would you have for someone trying to get into the games industry?
There are so many things you can do in the games industry! Whether you aspire to be a hands-on developer or part of the behind-the-scenes work, the industry has a role for just about any skillset.
Game development, especially in the mobile space, has seen rapid growth over the past several years and shows no sign of slowing down.
In recent years, development tools and resources have become abundantly available through open-source channels and online communities.
You can research and learn at your own pace, whether you’re a student or a professional looking for a career change.
To see all vacancies at Glu Mobile, and details on how to apply, visit its jobs page.
