The voting will close at 6pm CST on Friday the 13th (ominous).   Work on the post will start that weekend!

Vote here (quick sign-up or Facebook log-in required):  https://www.voteit.com/v/0e34bbb

If you’re there, let me know how it’s going!  Good luck, everyone!

If you’re going to GDC, what are some things that you can do to increase your chances for success in the Career Pavilion?  Here are some suggestions, from someone who has wandered a few such conference job fairs (including GDC’s):

1. Be prepared – before you even set foot in the Pavilion, do some research and come up with a plan.  Here’s a map that shows which companies will have a booth.  Research some of them.  Hell, research all of them.  You’ll see studios that you recognize, but you’ll also see some that you probably don’t.  Know what games they make, know where they’re located, know a little something about the history of the company – facts like these will help you when you strike up a conversation with the recruiter working the booth.
2. Start early – Zach WIlson, Senior Level Designer at Visceral Games, has this to say – “lay some groundwork – remind recruiters you’ll be there and try to pre-schedule meetings.  That’s how I got my current job.”
3. Be presentable – don’t look like a bum, basically.  Take a shower.  Wear deodorant.  Maybe hold the garlic and onions from that sandwich at lunch.  I’m not recommending a suit or even anything very dressy – just don’t wear that wrinkly,unwashed t-shirt that you’ve been wearing for 3 days.  Hotels have irons (they even work on t-shirts).
4. Be courteous - That recruiter that you’re talking to will be working that booth for many days.  Working a booth is draining – you’re standing all day, and you’re saying the same thing over and over again to a LOT of people.  Hey, that’s what they’re there for, just be aware of it – ask them how they’re holding up.  Once you’re talking, don’t get carried away – express your interest, ask a few questions, hand off your resume, maybe ask about time frames/next steps, thank them, and move on.  There’s always exceptions, of course!  If you’re chatting with someone, and they want to get more in depth (potentially even with an on-the-spot interview), roll with it.
5. Get there earlier in the day – towards the end of the day, thoughts are starting to drift towards a comfortable seat and a cold drink.  You’ll get more attention if you catch them while they’re fresh.
6. It’s not just about the Pavilion – be prepared wherever you’re at!  Parties, hotels, on the street – you’re bound to hear someone mention that they’re hiring who doesn’t have a booth in the show.  Don’t be afraid to express interest.  They’re not mentioning it in the hopes that no one hears them, they’re looking to get the word out.  Take advantage of the opportunity!

This list is by no means exhaustive – ask around to other people who’ve been to the show. They’ll have lots of great advice to offer.  Good luck!

• Studio recruiter – in-house recruiter, employed directly by the studio
• 3rd party recruiter – external recruiter, working independently or for a firm that specializes in recruiting

With this post, I’m focusing mainly on 3rd party recruiters.  Whether or not you should use one depends heavily on your circumstances.  It’s key to understand how 3rd party recruiters work.  They can either be working on a contingency (they get paid when they place someone) or a retainer (they get paid a set fee to help a studio with the recruiting process).  The contingency can often be something like 20%-30% of the employee’s first-year salary.  In either case, there should be no cost to you, and they can often assist with resume reviews, interview tips, salary negotiations, etc.  They often have deals worked out with certain studios, so they’re going to try and point you towards a studio that will pay them if you get hired.  I was contacted by a recruiter during a job search years ago, and told him I was interested in moving to Austin.  He kept mentioning a specific studio in the northeast to me, which struck me as odd.  It’s clear now that he had a deal with that studio, and was looking to send applicants their way.  I was naive about the process, and didn’t know how it worked.

So think about your circumstances – are you a junior artist going up for a position against 200 applicants?  A studio might not want to pay that 20%-30% fee if they have a lot of options.  Are you a senior programmer or executive?  In that case, a studio might be more than happy to pay the fee to get the right candidate.  They might also not be publicly advertising the position, and allowing the recruiter to conduct the search quietly.  If you’re not using that recruiter, you might not hear about it.

So should you use a recruiter?  It’s really up to you – hopefully some of this info helps de-mystify the process a bit.

• Initial contact – sending in resume and cover letter
• Phone interview with HR
• Follow-up e-mails
• Phone interview with a department manager
• On-site interviews

You might have several more steps involved before ultimately receiving a job offer.  It’s very important to realize that each of those stages is an opportunity for the studio to weed you out.  Don’t underestimate what impact a poor interaction during any of these stages might have.

I have a friend who was responsible for several hiring decisions at a large developer, and he always uses the term “coarse filters”, which I like.  If a candidate submitted an application, but didn’t follow an instruction he had in the job description, he’d immediately dismiss them.  That was his “failure to follow instructions” filter.  It showed that the candidate probably hadn’t spent the time to fully read through the job description.  He had similar filters for cover letters with lots of typos, e-mails that didn’t reference the right job, and more.  It might sound harsh, but you have to realize that you might be up against 100 (or more) other candidates.  The hiring manager just doesn’t have the time to personally get to know each candidate.  They have to look to make quick judgments to get that stack of resumes down to a manageable number.

Keep that in mind in every interaction you have with the game company you’re talking to, and you’ll have a much better chance at advancing to the next stage in the interview process!

We’ve had a lot of interesting posts over the past week – new ads from WB Games, The Art Institute of Fort Worth, Games That Work, Demiurge Studios and more!

As always, good luck in your job search!

Are there any features that you’d like to see added to the site?  We always love to get feedback, so let us know what you think.  Thanks for continuing to support GameJobHunter!

Paul

They’ve got a site up, and they’re looking for talented, experienced people to apply.  Please share with as many people as possible!

www.jobsinnola.com

It’s a great opportunity to be part of a new studio in an exciting city.  I’m actually a recent transplant, and I’m loving it here.  If you’ve got any questions, let me know.

• Playbrains – Ottawa, Canada
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• EA – London, UK

It’s been really rewarding to watch the site take off over the past few years, and it’s been especially cool to see it start to find a worldwide audience!