3 Years At Electronic Arts. What Have I Learned?

On Friday 11th September, I hit the 3-year mark at Electronic Arts and it got me thinking about all that I’ve learned and achieved over the last 12 months. But before we get into that I must apologise, when I reached my first work anniversary I wrote this article but I didn’t recap my second year (the shame!). Time for content creation has been squeezed somewhat since my smelly, dribbly and yet incredibly beautiful daughters were brought into the world. My aim now is to form new habits so I can consistently start producing articles again. Well, I guess that’s actually my first lesson right there. Nice.

COVID, LOCKDOWN AND CHILDBIRTH. OH MY.

Honestly, I could write so much about the learnings from the last 6 months, and I will one day perhaps, but at the moment I feel like there are a trillion articles about the impact of the global pandemic on work that I’d rather keep this section concise.

A couple of weeks after my last day at the EA Guildford office, my second child (Rose) was born. In the UK this was the initial peak of the pandemic and, understandably, the last place my wife and I wanted to be spending much time was at a hospital. Yet, despite the added stress at times, I can’t help but look back and think about all the positives.

Here’s a list of the things that the lockdown has taught me:

• Time with my family is invaluable. So much so that going forward I will try to work from home as much as possible.
• My wife and I are a great team and that’s because we communicate our true feelings, give each other space and appreciate our roles.
• I miss seeing my team in-person (a lot!). This situation has made me appreciate them so much more.
• Over-communicating to colleagues, family and friends is key. And in many cases lockdown has strengthened relationships because of this need.
• I’ve had to form new habits to ensure I’m happy, productive and healthy (both mentally and physically). Examples include, doubling up listening to audiobooks while running every morning before I start work, keeping a strict time to when I finish the day, ensuring the best workspace possible in my home (turns out that’s in my bedroom).

HIRING AND THE NEED FOR SPEED

In February 2020, EA announced that Criterion Games will be developing future titles in the Need For Speed franchise. And that has meant that most of 2020 has been focused on doubling the size of the studio as fast as possible (check out the Criterion careers page if you’re interested).

On the theme of positivity and blessings in disguise, the lockdown has helped with hiring in multiple ways:

1. Faster Interview Process: interviews are currently entirely remote which has sped up the hiring process. I’m finding that candidates are quick to respond, they don’t need to take time off to meet with us and there’s no need for back-to-back final interviews which helps with calendar management (e.g. we can spread out a final interview over multiple days if needed).
2. Improved Remote Working Policies (and mindset): Electronic Arts moved fast to implement new remote and flexible working policies, I’m so thankful for this on a personal level but also it means we can cast a wider net to help hire exceptional talent.
3. The Games Industry Is Booming: The games industry is in a good place right now due to people being at home seeking entertaining ways to escape, to connect with others or both. And with next-gen technology only a matter of months away, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be in games.

THE POWER OF COLLABORATION

This year, I have collaborated more with others from EA’s Talent Acquisition Team than I have ever before. We talk a lot about “One EA” and the need for global teamwork, I’m so happy to see it in practice. Some of these projects have included sourcing, talent mapping and pipelining, workload balancing and employment branding. 

The diversity of thought is the biggest win here and it’s just a lot of fun getting to know others at EA across North America and Europe. The difference in locations, time zones, cultures and opinions can make it challenging sometimes but that’s where the learning is! Again, this could be its own article.

I’M LUCKY TO BE AT ELECTRONIC ARTS

Yep, this is where I get a little mushy and take a double shot of Kool-Aid but I mean it, I’m lucky to work at Electronic Arts. I’m so impressed with how our leaders stepped up during this global crisis and moved fast with transparency to make sure we all felt safe and our voices were heard. New remote working policies, generous budgets to kit out home offices and most importantly a culture that puts people first has been amazing. Thank you!