In the fast-paced world of the mobile games industry, finding the perfect leader for a casual project can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. This case study delves into the journey undertaken by Values Value, as we embarked on the mission to unearth a visionary leader for a mobile casual project in Ukraine. With the goal of finding a candidate who possessed a unique blend of product knowledge, marketing expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ability to manage large teams, this endeavor was set against the backdrop of several challenges.
Project: Casual, Mobile.
Profile of the desirable candidate
We needed a person with product knowledge, marketing expertise, entrepreneurial experience, and the ability to manage companies/teams of 200+ people.
Challenges
The main challenge was the narrow market: the company wanted a candidate from Ukraine. We began the search for candidates from the most relevant Ukrainian companies (or global companies with offices in Ukraine) with a focus on mobile casual/midcore projects. We looked at positions such as CEO, Head of Studio, as well as other high-level specialists (CPO, CMO, etc.). The difficulty was that often the main offices of these companies were not in Ukraine, and C-level specialists in these companies were foreigners.
Next, we explored the hyper casual direction, as experienced producers were starting their hypercasual studios at the height of its popularity, opening branches of foreign companies – which meant that candidates could have the entrepreneurial experience we were looking for. Unfortunately, there were few relevant candidates, and the rest seemed too weak for the CEO position.
We also reviewed large PC companies and IT companies with games divisions. After that, we started exploring gambling companies and the crypto market (as interesting candidates with entrepreneurial experience could be found here).
What helped to fill the vacancy
- Very thorough preparation: syncs with the founders and key employees of the company to determine the role’s profile and risks. It was revealed that everyone had different expectations for the new CEO.
- Formation of a role profile that is accurate and accepted by the team.
- Our rich candidate database.
- Maintaining relationships with industry veterans.
- Involvement in the search for the founder of Values Value, Tanja Loktionova, which influenced the influx of candidates willing to engage in negotiating.
- Preparation of in-depth and structured HR interviews, specifically tailored to the role’s profile, which helped identify risks and filter candidates based on soft skills.
Great job, dream team!
