23 Dec 2022
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Mike Boland
AWE Talks: Building Careers in XR
AWE USA 2022
Welcome back to AWE Talks, our series that revisits the most engaging content from AWE’s catalog of conference sessions. With an extensive library from AWE USA 2022, there's still plenty to dive into.
This week, we examine career paths in XR. Since it's a relatively new field, there's a talent gap. This represents opportunities to shine. A panel of recruiting and hiring experts weigh in on XR career dynamics today.
See the summarized takeaways below, along with the full session video. Stay tuned for more video highlights each week and check out the full library on awe.live and AWE’s YouTube Channel.
Speakers:
Kavya Pearlman: Founder & CEO, XR Safety Initiative
Ferhan Ozkan: CEO, XR Bootcamp
Brandon Samuel: Public Policy Recruiting Manager, Meta
– Because XR is younger than many other tech sectors, there's a smaller talent base.
– Thie gap introduces challenges for companies like Meta that need to build XR teams.
– Covid created additional headwinds because culture and mentorship were constrained.
– The talent gap conversely represents opportunities for candidates to launch XR careers.
– According to Samuel, this gap changes the calculus for recruiting and hiring in XR.
– Because resumes in XR are diminished, other signals can be used to project success.
– For example, Meta sometimes looks for general aptitude and capacity to learn.
– Early-career candidates can also sometimes be in a more impressionable stage.
– There are also certain skills that can be transferrable, such as 3D modeling or VFX.
– In a similar sense, Ozkan asserts that the sizable gaming space can breed XR talent.
– XR bootcamps can also fill a gap, as academic curriculum lags behind the XR market.
– For example, XR Bootcamp can get candidates job-ready sometimes in 5 months.
– Passion projects are another place where candidates can exhibit their XR skills.
– Hackathons can likewise give candidates formal accolades in lieu of job experience.
– Like any other field, says Pearlman, it's about hustling and aggressive self-advocacy.
– This is pronounced in XR due to elevated willingness for non-traditional hiring signals.
– XR's talent gap will only grow as the economy improves and companies staff back up.
For more color, check out the full session below.
Want more XR insights and multimedia? ARtillery Intelligence offers an indexed and searchable library of XR intelligence known as ARtillery Pro. See more here.
Speakers:
Kavya Pearlman: Founder & CEO, XR Safety Initiative
Ferhan Ozkan: CEO, XR Bootcamp
Brandon Samuel: Public Policy Recruiting Manager, Meta
– Because XR is younger than many other tech sectors, there's a smaller talent base.
– Thie gap introduces challenges for companies like Meta that need to build XR teams.
– Covid created additional headwinds because culture and mentorship were constrained.
– The talent gap conversely represents opportunities for candidates to launch XR careers.
– According to Samuel, this gap changes the calculus for recruiting and hiring in XR.
– Because resumes in XR are diminished, other signals can be used to project success.
– For example, Meta sometimes looks for general aptitude and capacity to learn.
– Early-career candidates can also sometimes be in a more impressionable stage.
– There are also certain skills that can be transferrable, such as 3D modeling or VFX.
– In a similar sense, Ozkan asserts that the sizable gaming space can breed XR talent.
– XR bootcamps can also fill a gap, as academic curriculum lags behind the XR market.
– For example, XR Bootcamp can get candidates job-ready sometimes in 5 months.
– Passion projects are another place where candidates can exhibit their XR skills.
– Hackathons can likewise give candidates formal accolades in lieu of job experience.
– Like any other field, says Pearlman, it's about hustling and aggressive self-advocacy.
– This is pronounced in XR due to elevated willingness for non-traditional hiring signals.
– XR's talent gap will only grow as the economy improves and companies staff back up.
For more color, check out the full session below.
Want more XR insights and multimedia? ARtillery Intelligence offers an indexed and searchable library of XR intelligence known as ARtillery Pro. See more here. 
