How to make it in the gaming industry industry? A recruiter’s perspective…

It is a fact, recruitment processes can be quite confusing and look like a giant monster for a candidate. To apply for a job in the gaming industry, as for any job in any industry, is a stressful thing to do, since your profile will be viewed by recruiters, technical directors and experts. Many people tend to think that a recruitment process starts from the interview, and ignore that a lot of the work has to be done before that, even before you actually apply for a job! Here are the steps to follow to make sure you leave a good impression and you raise your chances of getting your dream job.

1- Resume preparation : The first impression you leave to an employer is your resume. It is mandatory that your resume represents you well and that is describes well what you have done in the past as well as what you are looking for. It is very important to have a very well structured, well written and clear resume. It is very important to describe your past responsibilities in your previous jobs, but many people tend to forget to put all the achievements, what YOU made that brought something to the company (you could include a special project you’ve worked on, a process you thought of, or a new idea you brought to the team).This may seem like a lot of work, but this process will actually give you a lot more to talk about in the interview!

2- Artistic demo : many artists/animators have to apply with a demo. You are lucky if you have the time and knowledge to have your own website, but sometimes a simple link with files is more than enough. Many artists make the big mistake to put ALL the material they have, which is a huge mistake. What you have to include in your demo is your BEST material, what you say is impecable, flawless! Remember that your demo will be viewed byt a technical director that will see your good work, but he will also remember your ”less good” work if you put everything that you have on there. Keep a clean, easy to ready, efficient demo that will show your excellent work.

3- Send your resume : A few click and your done, but many mistakes are often made by candidates. First, make sure you read the job description, and make sure your resume reflect the seniority level if the position. For example, a graduating student applying for a senior / director position will lose a lot of credibility.  Apply on what you think suits you best, and avoid applying for every position. Being referred internally by a current employee is also a great way to apply, since you have a reference that is stating that you are worth hiring.

4-The interview : THE stressful event in the process. I have 3 advices for you : preparation, preparation, and preparation! Read your resume, and try to find concrete examples of what you state in it. It will help you give more details to the interviewers, and it will reduce the chances of getting questions you might not find the answer right away. The interviewer will probably welcome you with a handshake, demonstrate a good confident posture, a solid handshake  and make sure you keep an eye contact as you speak to them. Also, sometimes people can perceive silence as a bad thing, it is not! It is good to actually stop and take a minute to think about what you will answer, it demonstrates that you analyze things.

5- The job offer : After all these steps, the job offer comes. It is sometimes very tempting to accept right away, but there are a few details you might want to look at when you make your decision : is this a reasonable offer? What are the social benefits? Is there an intellectual property clause in the contract? Make sure you ask the right questions, and do not be shy to do it, companies have excellent human resources councelors that are there to answer your questions. It is better to ask the questions before, so you don’t have any bad surprises once you start your job.

Please remember that looking for a job is not a full time job, so the more effort you put in it, the better the chances of getting exactly what you are looking for! Be prepared, confident, and talk to you network of friends to know what could be out there for you!!!