Interviewing and Getting a Job 101
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The document provides advice for students seeking jobs in the games industry after graduation. It discusses creating a resume, searching for jobs, preparing for interviews, and what to expect in an interview. Tips include highlighting relevant experience, tailoring resumes and cover letters to each job, practicing common interview questions, and following up after interviews. The overall message is the importance of gaining experience such as internships, networking, and developing job-related skills to be competitive for games industry jobs.
Interviewing and Getting a Job 101
- 2. How many of you want a job when you graduate? ( A real job related to your major ) How many of you want to work in the games industry when you graduate?
- 3. Matt Vorce (aka Vorce, Vorcebaby or Gandalf ) Senior in Computer Science Starting full-time employment at Pixo Entertainment after I graduate
- 4. Making a resume Searching for jobs Preparing for an interview What to expect at an interview
- 5. There is no best way to write a resume There are many things not to do on a resume
- 6. Start by creating a bare bones resume… Work experience Outside of work experience Education information Relevant skills you have gained Contact information…
- 7. Dates of employment Job Titles Bullet points Expected graduation date GPA (Ideally you have over a 3.0) Talk about what you learned not just what you did Make resume one page one sided
- 8. To include or not to include GPA… Ideally your GPA is a 3.0 or better If not be prepared to give reasons why If under 3.0 consider providing a major GPA if higher
- 9. List every job you have ever had if it is not relevant Focus solely on the job responsibilities Be vague or make generic statements Put down skills you wouldn’t be comfortable answering questions about
- 10. Highlight what you did and learned at each of your experiences Statements should be short bullet yet be meaningful and grab the readers attention Use verbs
- 11. Get it looked over by several different people Utilize outside resources such as The Center to get your resume critiqued
- 13. Go to on campus career fairs Utilize online resources such as MySpartanCareer.com Use social networking (Make sure you have a linkedIn) Who you know is often better than what you know
- 14. Always provide a cover letter when applying even if it is not specifically asked for Helps you stand out and show you really care about the job you are applying for not just spam sending resumes
- 15. 3 – 4 paragraphs in length First Paragraph Introduction to yourself, what you are applying for and why Second / Third Paragraph 1 – 2 paragraphs about why you are a good fit for the position Last Paragraph Express that you would appreciate an opportunity to speak further with them and reiterate how you an be contacted
- 16. Very important especially for artists and designers Don’t clutter it with shitty Tetris remakes Showcase your best and ideally complete work
- 17. Having relevant work experience is extremely important How do you get a job when you have no previous experience?
- 18. Lots of paid internships available Don’t be afraid to look outside of big names (Microsoft, Google etc) Less exciting sounding internships are a lot easier to get and can still pay well / provide good working experience For programmers even non game related programming internships are valuable
- 19. Good internships do exist but you need to work hard to get them Don’t be afraid to spend a summer at an unpaid internship it will do much more for you than a summer working at McDonalds
- 20. Varies from company to company Typically an initial screening interview Over the phone On campus interview Over Skype Usually less technical but not guaranteed On site interview
- 21. Interviewing is a skill Some people are naturally better at it then others Like anything else practice makes perfect
- 22. Google “Top 40 interview questions” and read through them Make sure you have stories you can easily talk about that demonstrate situations when you did something That class project when you did something great That job assignment when you impressed your boss
- 23. Look up the company online and know stuff about them Glassdoor.com is a great resource for this Sometimes contains sample interview questions / information about the interviewing process Contains information about what its like to work there
- 24. Go to practice interviews on campus (strongly advised) You don’t want to sound rehearsed when being interviewed but it will help you to practice
- 25. Found a list of popular interview questions Wrote out how I would answer such a question if I received it Helped me a lot in brainstorming stories / situations from my past that I could talk about at an interview
- 26. Preparing for the technical portion of an interview can be very hard For programmers you can find lots of resources online for sample technical questions. “Cracking The Coding Interview” is a good book with sample questions / information about preparing for these interviews
- 27. Introduction stage Behavioral Questions (STAR) Technical Questions Opportunity for interviewee to ask questions Conclusion
- 28. You will get asked the question: “So tell me about yourself?” Don’t tell them your life story Interviewer may talk about the company or position Don’t be surprised if asked: “Why do you want to work for us?” First impression is key
- 29. Interviewer will ask you a question… “Tell me about a time when…” Situation Describe a challenge / scenario for the interviewer Task What did you have to achieve? Action What action did you take to meet the challenge? Were there any alternatives? Result What was the outcome of your actions?
- 30. Vary widely from company to company Vary depending on what job you are going for
- 31. Often involves programming on the whiteboard Interviewers are more interested in how you approach a problem and problem solve and less about the answer The key is not to panic and talk through everything you are thinking in detail They usually aren't as bad as they sound…
- 32. Interviewers are interested in how you would design something (big surprise) Might ask questions like: What is your favorite game and why? ▪ Why is it your favorite game from a designers perspective? What is your favorite map and why? ▪ What design aspects make a good level? They are also interested in your workflow
- 33. Always come prepared with questions for the interviewer If the interviewer asks “So do you have any questions” and you respond “No” you will look dumb
- 34. Don’t ask stupid questions Never mention money or self centered questions (time off, overtime etc) Obvious questions that could be answered from their website
- 35. Always ask for the interviewers business card If they don’t have one make sure you get their name and email Always send a thank you to everyone you interviewed with Google “interview thank you letter” for information on how to structure it
- 36. Seek an internship early and often Gain as much technical skill as possible Make good connections whenever possible