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

[Jon Morrow]

> -----Original Message-----
> From:rayzam
> Sent: Friday, May 25, 2001 11:41 PM
> To: mud-dev at kanga.nu
> Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] JOB: How to get into Game Design / Game content

> A lot of the advice has been on the end of a portfolio, be it levels
> from an fps, areas designed on a mud, etc. So here are 2 more
> general questions:
 
>     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.

Forget about sending anything to the address for job inquiries.
Thousands of college students and high school dropouts read Internet
sites about how to make the "winning resume," and the best
corporations are absolutely flooded by job requests.  Your portfolio
may distinguish you from the masses, but I'd argue that the volume of
inquiries heavily damages your chances of it even getting a look.

The best way to get a job is having the respect, acknowledgement of
competence, and friendship from the employer himself.  Barring that,
here's my idea of the most effective method (not tested, personally).
Send your resume to your contact in their company (you *do* have one,
right?), and humbly ask them to 1) hand deliver it to the decision
maker and 2) encourage the decision maker to set up a face-to-face
interview with you.  Most employers realize the value of face-to-face
interviews before hiring a candidate, and your contact's
recommendation might be all that's needed to get you there.  If that
doesn't work out, the hand delivery might have earned you the extra
spark of recognition that will encourage them to take your resume
seriously.

But what it really all comes down to is the face-to-face interview is
key.  Do *anything* you can to get in that office as quickly as
possible, and be prepared to sell yourself effectively and answer
their difficult questions.  If you make a favorable impression, your
chances of getting hired are good, even if you are not the most
qualified.

>     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?  Example of this is
>     medical schools, where for many schools, the cutoff is 10 X GPA
>     + MCAT score. If it's 70 or more, your application will
>     definitely be viewed by the admission committee. [The actual
>     number cutoff depends on what level of school, of course]. In
>     the case of the game industry, would there be something like 5
>     years MUD experience, CS degree, 1 game title, etc?

Depends on the company.  Look at their WebSite and talk to some of
their current employees.  The trend for getting a paid position in
this industry seems to be at least 3 years experience on a couple of
different titles.  Some require the CS degree and some do not.

  --And here is some abnormal advice.  Take it or leave it, folks--

Being an employer in a different industry, here's a few nuggets from a
different perspective.  In the end, when I give my input on whether to
hire someone, their resume has little to do with it.  Most people
believe it is a logical process, and I disagree heavily.  The people
that I cherish are the one's that gave me the best feelings during the
interview process.  I'm not talking about them being good at selling
themselves, demonstrating outstanding communication skills, or even
having all of the answers to the questions in their field.  It's more
like a soul link; a deep assurance that they fit the company culture,
and, regardless of their current place in life, they will take us
somewhere or show us something that is both equally unique to them and
essential for the company.  Once I have that assurance, I look at
their resume for qualifications.  So far, everyone of them has met my
qualification standards.

Is this all mystic gibberish?  Maybe, but it's gotten the results I've
wanted every single time, and I would never turn back to the solely
logical method.  Also, when examining the decisions I have made based
on logic alone, I am currently regretting most, if not all, of them.

But back to the perspective of the job hunter.  All of the best
experiences I've had in different MUD projects were tied with several,
if not dozens, of "strange coincidences."  The worst I've had were
from going through the normal hiring process.  When you come in
contact with the company you are supposed to work for, your resume,
portfolio, and reputation will be secondary.  Both you and your
employer will have that odd sense of assurance.  If you feel it, run
with it.  You'll never regret it.

-Jon

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