Becoming a video game developer is not as difficult as you might think. To get a job at Riot Games, all you need are the necessary skills and qualifications for the job.
How hard is it to get a job at Riot Games? Believe it or not, you don’t even need to attend college to work there. Instead, in its hiring process, the company focuses on talent and whether the applicant can collaborate with others. If you meet the prerequisites, then launching a Riot Games career will be easy.
To ensure your application is successful, you should learn about the company and its goals before you apply. This guide will help you find out more about the company and what it’s looking for in its new hires.
Riot Games: Company Background
Riot Games is an international company that develops online video games. It was founded in Los Angeles in 2006 to change how video games are developed and published in a way that would better benefit players. Today, the company has over 2,500 employees at 20 offices worldwide, including in Dublin, Istanbul, Moscow, São Paulo, Seoul, St. Louis, Sydney, and Taipei.
In 2009, the company released the popular multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends. The online game is now played by over 65 million people around the world every month.
In terms of workplace satisfaction, Riot Games has earned a reputation as one of the best tech companies to work for.
The company is experiencing massive growth as online gaming experiences evolve. It has even branched out into other areas, such as comic books, board games, music, and eSports competitions. The yearly League of Legends World Championship features teams from 12 international leagues and is the most followed tournament in the sport.
What It’s Like to Work at Riot Games
Employees say working at this company is fulfilling and interesting. The company is constantly working to create high-tech gaming solutions, which means the work environment is fast-paced. As an employee, you will be expected to collaborate with your colleagues to achieve results. Below are some of the things that you can expect from a career at Riot Games.
A Lot of Games
Riot Games is a gaming company, so you can expect to play a lot of games on the job. As a matter of fact, playing their games can increase your chances of getting hired. According to online reviews, the company dismisses certain applications depending on the applicant’s gaming experience.
Collaborations
At Riot Games, you will work in conjunction with engineers, designers, and producers to deliver the next big thing in the fighting game arena. You must demonstrate leadership skills to inspire your coworkers. Working with external partners is also common in the company.
Highly Inclusive Workplace
The company sets the bar high when it comes to diversity and inclusion. It is serious about leveraging their strengths to succeed. It calls out racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism, and any form of bigotry.
Getting a Job at Riot Games
Jobs at Riot Games come with excellent job benefits and high salaries. The average Riot Games employee makes $104,000, including benefits and bonuses. The highest-paid non-executive role at the company is that of the group engineering manager, who earns $285,000.
You will have a much easier time getting a job at Riot Games if you have valid experience and exceptional skills. However, this is not enough to get you through the door. You also need to have an effective resume and cover letter tailored to the position you want. You should also polish your interview skills to make it through the company’s rigorous screening process.
How Hard Is It to Land a Job at Riot Games?
Riot Games is one of the most competitive companies in the gaming industry. It is seeking passionate and driven new hires who love technology. As with any other company at this level, Riot Games has a series of screenings you must go through to prove you are right for the job.
The process is not complicated, but it is challenging, especially if you are not a good cultural fit. Below, we’ll go over each step of the company’s intricate interview and application processes.
Applying for a Job at Riot Games
Applying for the job is straightforward. The company posts all available opportunities on its website. If you want to succeed, you must follow the guidelines that recruiters use in the selection process, especially now that COVID-19 has re-written the rules for job seekers.
Ensure that you have an attractive resume template for showcasing your skills. Tailor your resume to the job description, listing your gaming experience as well as your other work-related skills to demonstrate your qualifications. Ensure that you are including unique experiences that will grab the attention of recruiters.
It is important to submit a cover letter with your resume. This will give recruiters a better idea of who you are professionally, as well as on a personal level. Make sure you follow these guidelines for writing a cover letter.
Riot Games Application and Interview Process
Riot Games prides itself on hiring employees who are excited about helping the company achieve its objectives. Each employee plays an essential role in designing, creating, executing, and maintaining Riot Games’ products and services.
If you want to be part of the team, you should visit the company’s official website to see their available opportunities. There are plenty of jobs to browse. Make sure that you read the job description very carefully before applying.
If you have gaming experience, chances are you will find at least one position among those posted that you are qualified for. However, if you are applying for more than one job, don’t submit the same application for each position.
You will get an email notification once your application has been received and approved. This can take up to two weeks, depending on how many applicants have applied for the same job. Be patient and check your spam email to ensure that you don’t miss any notices.
Due to COVID-19, the company has switched from phone interviews to Google Hangouts meetings. You will undergo an initial screening interview either by phone or Google Hangouts to discuss your background and qualifications.
If you get past the first round, you will then need to complete two more interviews in Google Hangouts. In these, the hiring manager will ask about your skills, knowledge, and past work experience, and how each of these aligns with the company’s values.
After you have completed these three interviews, the recruiters will give you a take-home assessment. This test is usually only given to those applying for work as a designer, developer, writer, or engineer. The deadline for this test is flexible, so ask the recruiter if you need more time to achieve your desired results.
Normally, you would also complete an onsite interview, but the pandemic has caused this step to be temporarily altered. The company now conducts final interviews by phone. At this point, they will answer any questions you have and give you more details about the role for which you applied.
Riot Games Career Opportunities: Job Titles and Descriptions
There are plenty of job opportunities at Riots Games, and not just in game design. Many applications stream in every day from people aspiring to join the team. Below are some of the excellent opportunities at the company.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
Network Engineer
- Salary: $80,000 – $100,000
- Benefits: Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, parental leave, and PTO
- Level: N/A
- Required experience: Less than 5 years
- Required education: N/A
As a network engineer, you will troubleshoot production issues, implement new solutions, and contribute to the evolution of the network monitoring platforms.
To qualify for this position, you need to have three years of experience in a network delivery setting. You should also learn Python as well as have experience with security appliances and network operation at a service provider.
Quality Assurance Engineer
- Salary: $80,000 – $100,000
- Benefits: Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, parental leave
- Level: N/A
- Required experience: Less than 5 years
- Required education: ISTQB Foundation Level Certification
In this role, it will be your responsibility to map your team’s work to maintain quality standards. You will also be responsible for reporting metrics, calling out risks, improving product pipelines, and communicating progress.
As a quality assurance engineer, you should have experience in remote testers and work with developers and content creators. In addition to having excellent teamwork skills, you should know how to create custom test coverage reports.
Staff Software Engineer
- Salary: $100,000 – $150,000
- Benefits: Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, parental leave
- Level: N/A
- Required experience: 5 – 7 years
- Required education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related degree
This staff software engineer role is for the Player Platform Services Team. This position is essential in carrying out maintenance and enhancing existing platforms. You will create and operate microservices to enable new gaming features. The staff software engineer will also write functional tests for high-quality software.
To excel in this position, you must have mastered Java or Golang. You should also have experience developing large-scale systems, microservices architecture, and cloud platforms.
Senior Software Engineer
- Salary: $80,000 – $100,000
- Benefits: Retirement benefits, paid time off
- Level: N/A
- Required experience: 5 years
- Required education: N/A
As a senior software engineer, you will write code and create architectural designs. You will also develop, test, and maintain platforms while working with other engineers. You will drive automation tool developments and interview and mentor junior engineers.
To get this job, you will need to have experience in operating and maintaining web services, developing fault-tolerant systems, and defining software engineering best practices. You should also have experience in coaching other engineers.
What Does It Take to Get a Job at Riot Games?
So, how hard is it to get a job at riot games? Like every established company, the gaming developer is focused on employing people who are talented, skilled, and dedicated to excellence.
If you want to work for this company, it is crucial that you know the landscape of the gaming industry. The company doesn’t hire novices, and looks for those who have at least a few years of relevant experience. Therefore, it is very important to include your professional gaming experience in your cover letter, as well as the challenges you have faced in previous jobs.
There are a lot of qualified people vying for a job at Riot Games. You must demonstrate how you are unique if you want to join the team. The average employee makes $92,000 per year, which means you will have to beat out a lot of competition to land the job.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
