[MUD-Dev] JOB: How to get into Game Design / Game content

[Geoffrey MacDougall]

---- Original Message ----
From: rayzam at home.com
To: mud-dev at kanga.nu, 
Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] JOB: How to get into Game Design / Game content
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 23:40:51 -0400

>    1) Is it appropriate to send a portfolio with your resume? Most
>    adverts ask for a cover letter & resume. Outside of the game
>    industry, if they want a portfolio, they ask for one. I'm
>    wondering if a portfolio is implied with a resume for these sorts
>    of jobs.

Some employers can be really picky about people who submit unrequested
information.  For example, I specifically ask people not to call the
office when applying, and automatically disqualify anyone who breaks
that rule - solely on the basis that they did not follow the
instructions.  The most extreme example I've ever come across is one
employer I've worked with, who runs a lumber yard, won't hire anyone
whose resume is on recycled paper.  He views it as a political
statement against his industry.

However, in the constant struggle to set yourself apart from the stack
of resumes, it's always a good idea set things up so that the employer
has to expend as little effort as possible.  So, if a portfolio is not
specifically requested, include a link to an online portfolio in your
cover letter.  For an employer, looking at a personal web page is the
quickest way to tell whether or not the '3d Max' proficiency listed on
a resume is genuine.

>    2) At least for the bigger companies, the resumes are to go to
>    HR. Does a game designer/producer, etc, see the applications, or
>    are they triaged based on some semi-standard formula prior to
>    reaching the person who makes the decision?

I know that for entry level positions, big companies like IBM, and
Labatts (up here in Canada) scan resumes through OCR systems to look
for specific keywords.  (Note: That's why it's always a good idea to
word things exactly as they are written in job advertisements.) Also,
when I was the HR Director for an IT firm, I had members of the
department for which I was hiring sit in on the second round of
interviews.  I'm not a tech, and couldn't tell when the applicant was
blowing smoke, but the programmers beside me definitely could.

Beyond that, however, I'll leave it to someone who's hired in the
games industry...

G.
------------------------------------------
Geoffrey MacDougall
Executive Director / CLO
The Sapience Group
www.sapiencegroup.com

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