GDC 2010 Online: Industry recruiters from 38 studios, Foundation 9, and Obsidian Entertainment to tell aspiring game of what it takes to get a job making games.
Who was there:Lindsay McQueeney (recruiter for 38 Studios and Big Huge Games), Dino McGraw (recruiter Foundation 9, the double helix, backbone Entertainment), and Jim Rivers (the hiring manager for Obsidian Entertainment).
What they talked about:Although most of the GDC Online is designed for developers is designed to network and swap the lessons learned from years in the industry, also show the game career seminar for beginners of the game.
Lindsey McQueeney holds the keys to working on 38 Studios' Kingdoms of Amalur.
Rivers began the talk by stressing that every studio recruits people differently, but there are some common themes. For starters, McQueeney said the team wants to see resumes and online portfolios. Rivers stressed that a Web site is absolutely necessary, whether a person is looking to become an artist, a programmer, or any other discipline. Rivers said prospective employees should be wary of the banner ads they allow on their site, as male organ enhancement ads can distract from the quality of their work.
A good, well-organized Web site can be a great differentiating factor, McGraw said, as applicants need something to make them stand out from the crowd. For example, artists should separate their samples by genre, so a studio making a sci-fi game doesn't need to wade through samples of fantasy art. Rivers echoed that sentiment, saying that if he has to search around for what he wants, he has probably already moved on to the next resume. On a more fundamental level, McQueeney said it's important not to have typos or grammar errors on a site.
While it's important to stand out from the crowd, Rivers said it's important not to stalk developers, saying that comes up far too frequently. Dropping by the studio unannounced is also frowned upon. He also said that AAA developers aren't looking for jacks-of-all-trades, so applicants should focus on a specialty and pitch themselves as that one thing. McQueeney said talents in other disciplines might make for a handy bullet point on a resume but should be considered secondary to a primary proficiency.
"We've been doing this a pretty long time, and we can see through BS pretty quickly," Rivers said.
As for how to get a recruiter's attention, Rivers said it's fine for people to approach them politely. McGraw said that's a great way to separate themselves from the herd. If someone goes to his LinkedIn page and sees he's a Yankees fan, that's a good hook to start up a conversation. On the other hand, McQueeney said she doesn't want people doing background checks on her or talking to her about what she did on the weekend.
"That would just be creepy," McQueeney said.
One piece of advice Rivers gave for approaching recruiters at a show is to think friends first, business later. If they've just come off a long day of work, they probably don't want to go right back into work mode to deal with an applicant.
Rivers said he's looking for people that constantly grow. If Rivers tells someone when they apply, "You're not quite there," he might go back to that applicant's Web site in six months to see if they've improved. If they haven't changed anything, Rivers writes them off.
While much of the advice sounds generic, McQueeney said the panel wouldn't be here talking about simple spelling and grammar mistakes if people didn't make those mistakes every single day. It's heartbreaking to reject people for the smallest things, she said, but if a programmer doesn't care enough to put together an error-free cover letter, there's no way the hiring manager can assume his code will be clean.
There's something to be said for personality as well. Developers work in close proximity for extended periods of time, so they need to be able to get along. Rivers said the biggest cancer a studio can have is one jerk. People need to learn to play well with others, and McQueeney said it might be enough to axe an applicant if they simply won't make eye contact with her during an interview.
"We don't hire five-star technicians with two-star personalities," she said.
And above all else, be clean. Rivers said he had one applicant with what appeared to be algae on his teeth, and the interviewers couldn't focus on his qualifications because they were too distracted. Odor has been another problem in the past, as people who come in to an interview smelling funky are probably going to come in to work smelling the same way. Tics like stuttering or pausing are less problematic, unless the job position in question relies heavily on being able to quickly communicate with others.
\\ "We haven 't reached a place in the industry even where you' re must have a degree," McQueeney said. "It 'S, are useful, but it' s no need yet."
McGraw added, "If you rock, I don't care where you learned how to rock."
On the other hand, the entire panel said a formal education can help greatly in ensuring people understand their field and how their work needs to be created to work in a game development context.
For some positions like concept artist and character artist, there are so many applicants that Rivers said it was like finding "a needle in a stack of needles." On the other hand, there are few people who pursue jobs like user interface artist, so talented programmers in that field are highly prized. McQueeney cautioned that people shouldn't go into a niche field like that unless it's what they have a passion for; good interface artists and designers are so prized that developers are not always willing to hire them for other positions.
Quote:\\ "You guys are the future of our industry, so we want you to be better that you aren 't fight as often. - Rivers
Takeaway: There are dozens of possible pitfalls for prospective developers, but many of them can be avoided with a little common sense. The rest are made easier to navigate with a little forethought and careful preparation.
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