Why Are Qualified Candidates Still Struggling to Find Jobs in iGaming?

With 10 years in recruitment and 25 years of experience in iGaming overall, Adri Montealegre shares her perspective on what makes recruitment difficult, where candidates go wrong, and how they can improve their chances of getting hired.

In this conversation with Surya Palli, Host of iGaming Real Talk, Adri discusses CVs, interview preparation, communication gaps and practical ways to approach a job search.

Companies say they can't find the right talent, while candidates say it's difficult to find jobs. What do you think is broken in recruitment?

I don't think it's broken. I think it's easily fixable. It's mainly a communication problem between the three parties involved: the company, the recruiter and the candidate.

Candidates don't always understand how the recruitment process works or how to present and prepare themselves properly for an interview.

On the company side, there's sometimes a lack of clarity about what they actually need. They need to consider how the person will fit into the company culture, how they will be onboarded and what will be expected of them. Will they need to hit the ground running, or will they have time to analyse things before executing?

As recruiters, we sometimes don't spend enough time speaking with hiring managers, companies and candidates to understand expectations on all sides.

Let's focus on candidates. What do you think they're doing wrong when looking for their next opportunity?

There are several things to consider, starting with your CV.

Your CV needs to show that you have the experience required for the position. There's no negotiation around that. Either you're a good enough fit for the role to progress towards an offer, or you're not.

Even if you don't have the full brief, the job description should give you a good idea of whether you qualify. I would say you should meet around 80% of the hard qualifications. If you're not there, you're probably not going to get a second interview.

Another problem is preparation. Some candidates rely entirely on their experience and don't prepare enough for interviews.

Just because you've been doing something throughout your career doesn't mean you'll automatically be able to communicate it properly in an interview.

Understanding the job description and researching the company can make a big difference.

I've experienced that myself. Sometimes you know your job well, but when someone asks for a specific example during an interview, you go blank. I also see candidates who have good technical skills, but their CV or LinkedIn profile doesn't reflect their experience. Do you see that often?

All the time. But it's something that's quite simple to fix.

You can work on your CV yourself. Look up a basic structure online and keep it simple. You don't need anything complicated. A clean, black-and-white Word document is enough.

Briefly explain what you've done, what skills you have and include all your contact information.

Your LinkedIn profile should also match your CV. That's how recruiters can find you, even when you haven't applied for a position.

With more candidates using AI to write their CVs, is that becoming a reason for companies to reject applications?

I can't speak for companies because I haven't worked in-house for a while. I personally check every CV manually.

It takes less than 20 seconds to go through a CV and understand whether someone is qualified.

If you're not able to clearly explain what you do, you're going to have a difficult time.

Recruiters have to move quickly because companies want talent immediately. When other candidates are prepared, have a clear CV and match the requirements, it's difficult to spend extra time trying to understand someone's experience.

Sometimes candidates miss opportunities simply because of how they present themselves.

You mentioned that you also help candidates prepare for opportunities. What does that involve?

I try to create content and share tips that help candidates understand what the recruitment process looks like from the recruiter's and the company's perspective.

With candidates I've worked with for a long time, I try to prepare them as well as I can.

I can make recommendations and help polish their CV if needed. But their experience is their experience, and I can't change that.

I'm good at finding people, but I don't know how to do every job. I wouldn't tell candidates exactly what to say in an interview.

What I can do is advise them on how to communicate their answers, explain their experience and get their point across to the company.

I can't change someone's ability to do a job, but I can help them communicate that ability better.

How do you help candidates find the right opportunities? We have job boards and LinkedIn, but finding the right role can still be difficult.

Generally, I don't go looking for opportunities for individual candidates unless I've known them really well and worked with them for a while.

In those situations, I know what they do and can reach out to companies.

But normally, when I'm recruiting for a particular role, I look for candidates who match that profile.

When I was looking for jobs, I used to apply for around 15 positions a day, hoping some companies would respond. But many applications never received a reply. How should candidates approach their job search?

First, get the full job description and read it thoroughly. Make sure you actually meet the requirements of the role.

Second, have a clean, sharp and well-prepared CV. It doesn't need to be complicated. It just needs to clearly show where you've worked, what you've done and what you've achieved.

Third, prepare for the interview. Learn about the company, understand what it does and think about how your experience relates to its needs.

Those three things can make a real difference.

What other advice would you give someone trying to find their next opportunity in iGaming?

I think a lot of people would benefit from understanding their own strengths better.

Once you know what you're good at, you can search for jobs using more specific keywords on Google or use LinkedIn's filters more effectively.

LinkedIn also has AI-powered job search, which allows you to describe what you're looking for in more detail.