Making a Good First Impression at You New Job

I know this topic too well, as I have just got a new job at WB Games in Washington. For me, wanting to impress your colleagues and your boss/lead is extremely important early on, because the quality of work and amount of trust you are given will be a snowball that is directly related to the first couple of tasks you complete.

For me, being the competitive person that I am, I work as fast as I can and take little breaks browsing the internet or socializing with other team members. At the studio I'm at, the people are not the most social, so it's easy to stay focused on the task at hand. I spent the first couple of days in my new position transferring all of my preferences and settings of my software--such as Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop, etc. to be able to make it feel like "home" and so that I am not reteaching myself something I don't know. It is like using the language you are best at instead of trying to use a secondary language to describe the same sentence. You want to use your strengths on a job and make those even stronger. You should be focusing on your weaknesses at home because if your boss finds out you are slow on a particular task, chances are you will not be receiving repeat tasks of that nature.

Another tactic I have been using is to be friendly and outgoing. I have found that in the video game industry, people don't really come to me to offer their friendship. I have to fight for theirs and come to them to be outgoing. I target the major influencers in the company to be able to instantly gain trust with the higher employees and managers, as they already have respect for those rockstar employees and I am respected by association. Also, with them as your friend, they will offer more revealing tips and will want to see you succeed.

A third tactic I use to gain respect at a new studio is to be quiet and observe everyone around me and their demeanor. I don't want to be the one loud person in a quiet office, so I follow the flow and do not want to rock the boat. I have already done some of that in the past, thinking I was going to shake up the whole studio and improve things left-and-right. Employers don't want this type of person. They have the studio setup as comfortably as they could possible manage, so you should be trying to fit in. You wouldn't crash a skateboarding competition with a unicycle, for instance...

The last strategy I use to gain acceptance and likability is for my boss as well as my colleagues. I don't ever, ever want to complain about the type of work that I am doing. Maybe in a fun way to show that I know what I'm doing and not specifically related personally to the boss's choice of giving me a particular task, but more of a "isn't it funny how...." and describe something about a particular piece of the task, but not the task itself. This is only if you don't have anything else to talk about. Other than that, be polite and thankful that you are getting tasks and don't complain early on or in public and especially not in the office, because the lead will think you are selfish and don't understand that all tasks are important and it is a team effort to make the game great. Sure, if you know people well enough and you feel like you are invincible then say anything you want as long as it's work-appropriate. I have seen people get away with it before but I honestly think they must sleep with one eye open. It is hard to be a dick at work and have everyone be okay with you, so don't shoot yourself in the foot--especially early on in your new position. If you are hired at the same time as someone else and you notice them getting better tasks than you, bring it up with your boss--but not immediately. You should wait a couple of weeks to see if it is actually true, then, go into your bosses office and make sure to close the door to show them respect for privacy. Let them know you are concerned that the tasks you are getting are not challenging enough for you and that you would prefer X (the type of task the other person has been doing, but don't make it a complaint and don't insult the other person). The boss should feel social pressure to not want to be mean to you, so you should be able to start getting those tasks to. I have had to resort to this at a couple of studios in the past, because somehow some people just get better tasks, and I believe that it is always because they know tons of people at the studio before they got hired their and they must be talking in secret about wanting to get better work, and they know a producer or someone who can make that happen. It sucks how office politics work, but you have to be ready to deal with them...

I hope that this has helped and if you want more tips check out this great article that highlights even more information, but is a little general in its content (because most people don't work in the video game industry).

http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/impress-job/

-Ken

Relocating to a New City for Work: How to Do It, Cheaply

I have recently relocated to a new city for work. I will be starting to work at Monolith, which is under WB Games as of now. This move has brought me from Austin, TX, to Kirkland, WA. I must say that the move and cost of living have impacted my finances and balancing everything is a necessity in order to survive and make it to your first day of work. Here are some tips that I have come up with and the procedures that I have taken to make the most out of relocation:

1. Make sure you have money saved before relocating. This is especially true if your position is planned to be temporary in the future (designers and artists), or if the company is not willing to pay relocation expenses. I thought that most companies would offer something for relocation, but this is not the case. Overall, my gas money through car travel, staying in inexpensive hotels, and stocking groceries and amenities items for a new apartment have been close to $1000, altogether. Add the cost of an apartment near $800-$1000 a month and the security deposit fee and a relocation will be about $2,500. And that is about the most inexpensive that I could make it.
2. Find a living condition with a short-term lease. My first choice was to do a short term lease in a shared housing situation, say three months, with month-to-month payment after that. You never know how long a contract position will last and you want to plan on being able to end your rental contract at the same time as your employer ends your employment contract. If you get a full time position out of it then it would be the time to look for an upgrade. I eventually ended up in a one bedroom apartment that was offering a 3 month or 11 month lease. I asked for a 6 month lease, since my contract is around 10 months in length and I did not want to have to pay the extra month on the 11 month term, but I also didn't want to ask for the full 10 months in case I find another job elsewhere or the contracted is ended early. This happened to a colleague of mine: his contract was ended a few months early and he is now staying in his apartment in New York to look for jobs because he doesn't want to deal with the hassle of subletting and finding someone else to cover his rent payment.
3. Try and find a place to live that is already furnished. An included bed, desk, and kitchen/cooking-ware and furniture is all a plus. This is why I usually prefer to share a house with someone rather than finding an apartment. Buying a new bed, desk, cleaning supplies, plates and kitchenware, etc., are all expensive and if you will be moving soon anyway you are not going to be able to store those things anywhere. I barely made my trip with all of my luggage packed into my smaller-than-average car, and now I have a couple of more items that I am either going to have to try and sell quickly on Craiglist, donate, or throw away once I move. The apartment I found thankfully had temporary tenants in mind and includes a bed, desk, microwave, mini-fridge, bookcase and chair. I've never seen anything like it before and it's in a nice building. SCORE!
4. For anything that you do need to buy that you won't be able to bring with you if you have to move again, buy it at Goodwill or a thrift store. I can't stress this enough: buying used and better-quality furniture is possibly the best tactic and secret for saving money than buying new junk that is higher priced. By the time you've used it for a few months it will used anyway. Also, this is the definition of recycling and you are reducing all of the unnecessary waste that is already putting too much stress on the environment. I like to go to the Goodwill locations in the best areas of town because they always have higher-quality items and are usually the same price as the poorer locations. Even though I can easily afford new items, I like to save money and use that for other things such as vacations or new video games or items that I am really passionate about: not another set of plates and eating utensils.
5. Don't make the trip a vacation unless you really needed one anyway. For my case, I had already taken a long vacation beforehand. I did not want to make additional stops along my road trip as this would add to extra nights booking hotels. Hotels are the single most expensive item in travel, other than gas costs--which are unpreventable--so I prefer to not have to spend many days on the road and get an apartment or room to rent as soon as I reach my location. After all, you are moving to work, not to have fun. You can have fun once you've settled down at your job and started earning a new paycheck and have some savings coming in. Again, I have savings already but I want to choose to go on a vacation on my own terms and I usually want to visit locations that can't be seen from a road trip (such as to other countries, or a beach or unique town that is away from common interstates).

This is my advice for relocating for a new job and keeping in practical. It is a bit daunting with the cost and time that it takes to get setup in a new location, and you still are not mentally-settled until a month or more. I think that most people are too afraid that they can't afford it because they are thinking in terms of retail and top price for everything, but this doesn't have to be the case. The last thing you want to do is to use a credit card for traveling and get into debt. Although I used mine so I don't overdraft my main checking account, if you are already in debt I suggest you learn how to handle your own financing before trying to use a credit card to solve your financial problems. You will be using the first couple of weeks at the job just to pay for your relocation expenses. I hope that I have encouraged you to take the risk and choose to relocate for a new opportunity. I am not sure about doing this if you do not already have a job secured, but it is definitely worth it if you do.

-Ken

A Discussion About Art Tests

I have recently been hired for a new studio and this is after having multiple art tests for different studios across America. Most have been in California, with some in Texas. I have had discussions with multiple HR managers in an initial phone screening and salary-requirement phone call and also in-person interviews with developers. I can discuss all of this in detail in future posts, but today I would particularly talk about the art test.

Format of an art test:
When you send in an application to a studio and they like your portfolio, but don't have a good enough referral as to find more about your positive track record, or they feel like you may not be able to match their style, you will be given an art test to prove to the developers that you have the skills necessary to complete tasks for their studio. If you already have been working in the gaming industry and have built a reputation and you have a compelling referral, a studio has a level of trust that they can hire you and not have to worry about you not being able to perform well on their team. Since most of the studios that you will be applying to may not know anything about you--this is especially true if you are applying out of state--then you will most likely be given an art test anyway. Unless your portfolio is nothing but pure gold and to the highest quality standards of the current generation of video games, then they have reason to be doubtful. I must admit that it is hard to keep your portfolio to that high and updated standard unless you have been working for one of the top AAA studios, which happens to work on the same style as the studio that you are applying to. It takes a lot of time for an artist to release a personal project, and even more so if it is a full-scale environment. This means that the work in your portfolio will best be utilized if you focus on making small and digestible props so that you can really polish the hell out of them. A senior artist who was in charge of hiring applicants told me that it is what separates a hire-able applicant from someone who is a novice: their work must look AAA, no matter what they are working on. If you choose to complete a full-fledged environment, you are shooting yourself in the foot--because it will take longer to complete and will be judged as not appearing top-quality/AAA unless you put in even more time to make it look even better. So, you should be focusing on beautiful corners and smaller areas of an environment and not worry about being able to see the model from every angle (unless it is a prop/single asset).


With that said, when you get an art test from a studio, this is how it usually happens:

• They email you confirming that they would like to send you an art test, and would like to know when you would like to receive the materials. They do this because most art tests require a deadline of about a week to complete, and they want to make sure that you are ready to meet that time restraint. If you are working overtime you may want to start the test on the weekend, to get your best foot forward, for instance.
• Once you confirm you are ready for the test, they send you a zip file that usually consists of a style-guide/instructions document and a few reference images. These can vary from a painted concept to some in-game screenshots.
• The level of sophistication and complexity of a test varies wildly among studios: some are okay with having just a few screenshots (shaded and another with wireframe only) as a submission, others want a certain file structure and exact naming conventions in the file and supporting textures and want all textures and models submitted for reviewing the cleanliness of the modeling and UV work. Some require modeling only and supply their own textures, while others want all of the textures to be made from scratch (this is especially important in a stylized/cartoon art test). Most tests fall somewhere in-between: they want you to create your own textures and submit the files, but they usually don't care much about the naming conventions or file structure--as long as everything is clean.
• Once you finish your test, make sure to compress the files into a .zip format (as most studios will be able to have a .zip reader but may not have a .rar reader) and email them back to the person who gave you the test (which is most likely Human Resources). Note: some email systems may not be able to accept files over a certain size, and one studio couldn't accept files over 10MB! This makes it hard to turn in a complex test. So, the best solution to this is to host the file as a downloadable link on your website (if you are website-savvy or download the free application Dropbox and let them access the file from there). Make sure to include a link to the downloadable file in the submission email.
• Even though tests have a deadline, it is acceptable to go above the time restraint--within reason. I turned in one test a day late and it was still passed. A colleague of mine turned in a Zbrush test for a prop a week or two late and was still able to land a job! The quality of the test matters more than the time frame you completed it in. Developers understand you are busy and also that good art takes a while to complete. If your competition is turning in tests early but are not to par with yours, the company will put you at the top of their list even though you were over the time limit. Make sure to make a note about why you were late in your email so that they know that you still took the test seriously.
• Now, is the not-so-fun part of the art test: waiting. It usually takes a few days to a week for a studio to get back to you with an answer, especially if you past the test because now they are interested in you. If you don't hear back, it is acceptable to check in about the test weekly. Note that one particular studio in California that was working on an MMO did not get back to me for a month and when they did they failed my test, because I had not used the most pleasant of words in my last email since I was fed up that it took a month for the studio to reply back to me about my test. Don't let this happen to you: always act professional even if the studio is not acting professional themselves. This may be a sign that they are a disorganized studio or it may have been a fluke on their part. Either way, you don't want to pass up a potential opportunity. Sometimes, when a studio does not get back to you soon it is almost a tale-tale sign that you flunked the test. I checked in with one studio a week after a test and they got back immediately saying I failed the test. It seems that they were waiting for me to email them to tell me anything.
• If you have passed the test, great! You are far from getting hired, though: as you still need to pass the HR "salary" phone call (because that's really the question they want to know about you the most) and the in-person interview. These are both grueling and studios like to take their time in making their selection so it could still be a week or more before you know if you have a chance at a job. If it is a top studio with lots of funding they will fly you out for an interview. If it is a local studio they will get back to you sooner. If it is a distant studio with not much funding, they will either interview you on skype/video conference call or a simple conference call with no video.

Concluding Notes:

Make sure to triple-check your work before submitting an art test because some studios will be turned off by the smallest mistake and will not give you the chance to fix it once submitted. It seems that the video game industry like to be particularly harsh on artists and that is why it is necessary for you to spend the extra time making sure that everything is clean and organized. I have been doing some reading of Brenda Brathwaite's book, Breaking into the Game Industry, and she states that programmers have tests that only last a few hours while designers have tests that can be completed in a few days. Artists, though have tests that take one week. And, you'd better take that whole week to make the modeling and texturing the best it can be. Don't turn in a test too early because a studio won't care that you got the work done really fast if the quality is not up to par. So, now you know how to complete an art test. The biggest obstacle from getting an art test is a referral. I have found it difficult to hear anything back from a studio, much less been given an art test, unless I list a referral in my application (someone who works their that you know). So don't forget to keep networking, as some people will tell you to "focus on your art" but you probably won't get very far without the connections to get your art into the right hands.

Good luck!

-Ken

P.S. For a good laugh and to see what not to do for your portfolio, check out this art demo reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiARsQSlzDc

Video Game Designer is Voted A Top Ten Career in America

In 2012, CNN Money voted video game designers to have one of the best jobs in America. I am thinking that they rated this based on the amount of job satisfaction, as voted by interviewed employees, and also the amount of pay. The study even states that availability of the job is an issue, so it seems that it is something that the video gaming industry will always be dealing with. Just like movies: there are only so many pictures produced a year and it doesn't take that many people to make one. It is interesting that the "experts" predict a 32% growth increase in the next ten years. This is great news, but I'm not sure how they are calculating that figure and we all can attest to how unexpected the future of games will be--especially in the next ten years.

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/2012/11/01/best-new-jobs-in-america/index.html

A Free Script for a Follow Up Call

I've been having quite a lot of interviews lately, and in each one there is usually a preliminary phone screening or art test followed by an in-person interview. But, there can be a delay between each. If you are finding yourself without a response from an HR manager that you talked to during your initial phone screening, then you will want to check back with them so that you can show your interest and initiative for the job. In the past, it may have been okay to just wait it out and let them contact you. In the current times, with all of the bustling competition, it is almost required to check back in about the status of your interview to separate yourself. It is just as required as a thank you letter after an in-person interview. Some good etiquette for a call back:

• Don't call back too soon. At least three days should be given so that the HR manager can sort through other applicants and make sure to have the team review your details. I prefer to wait even longer--at least a week--because I know that in this industry time flies and everyone is usually so busy and there is so many other applicants that you don't want to agitate them by calling too soon. It's better to call too late than to soon, in my opinion: by that time, you may have heard something back anyway.
• Be polite. Make sure to keep a positive and pleasant mood the entire time regardless of how flaky the person you are talking to may be.
• Talk to the person that you talked to originally. If they called you from their cell phone, call them back on their cell phone. Don't call outside of business hours (usually 9AM-5PM). If you get a receptionist or the only phone number you got was the HR manager, then ask to be transferred to the actual hiring manager that you spoke to (this is only if you already had the in-person interview). If you just had the initial phone screening, then you should be talking to the HR manager or whoever contacted you.
• Have a script ready, so that you keep the conversation short and simple and to make sure that you ask all that you wanted. Here is the script that you can use:

Follow Up Phone Call Script

1. This is [Your Name] calling you back. We had an interview for the [Position Name] last Wednesday (or whichever day you talked to them).
2. I am intrigued by the work that your studio does and the games it works on, such as [Game Name] (this part is just some sort of compliment as to why you like the studio and reiterate that it would be a good fit for you. Make it sincere).
3. I would like to know if there has been any decision made?
4. [If there has been no decision made] Are you still considering my application? (only if you feel comfortable with this one. You may want to wait to say this until it has been a few follow-up calls later).
5. Will it be okay for me to call again within a few days, to see how the process is going?
6. Again, thank you for your time.

*Note: This conversation begins and ends with a thank you. You want this so that you show that you are serious about having a good mood and impression about the position

*Note 2: It is very likely that the HR manager will not answer your call. Many times, the HR department may not answer calls they don't know. They will especially not answer your call if they remember your number and this is more likely if you check in too soon. In this case, you will want to leave a message on their answering machine. It is still preferable that you talk to them in person, though, so it may be worth waiting until the next day to call in and see if they pick up. You don't want to be making multiple calls with no message, though, so if you attempt multiple calls in the same day and they never pick up, make sure to leave a message on the last one.

This strategy has to be the least-utilized of all when applying for a job. That is more reason for you to use it, because other applicants are not even considering it. This one call may be the deciding factor for the employer, if you were previously on the fence about a decision. So use it!

-Ken

http://work.chron.com/proper-way-call-back-after-interview-2720.html

Great Article About Upholding Your Reputation in the Gaming Industry

It is true, once you start college you are being judged from day one by your professors. Some students may want to goof off in school and have a huge social life and not focus on their school work. Well, the competition is already hard enough among the people who are avidly crafting their skills and applying themselves, so if you are not focusing in school you should have not attended in the first place. The whole reason why you are attending school is to prove yourself to your professors, as they are supposed to be connected to the gaming industry and will give you a referral whenever studios come looking for college graduates. You also want to prove yourself to your fellow students, and the students that are working hard gravitate to each other: so if you are not friends with or in the crowd of the rockstar students in your game development courses, you are probably doing something wrong. You should always make them your friend and work with, learn from, and collaborate with them. They will be the most likely to transition into a real job once they graduate, and will want to refer you if the studio they are working for is looking for new hires. These relationships last forever and you want the best people to have the best impressions of you.

A quote from my book, "4 years of hard work for 40 years of enjoyment are better than 4 years of enjoyment for 40 years of hard work" is true: if you want to slave at a regular job and regret the rest of your life then blow off college and don't expect following your dreams or goals that you have set out at an early age. Sure, you can always change this later in life, but it will be exponentially more difficult with more responsibilities--such as having kids or a home mortgage to have to pay for. It's hard to go back to school once you have been dependent on a full time job for years. This is why college is the prime time for you to work your hardest and really learn as much as you can because you have freedom and time to do it.

I just read this article by Zuby Ahmed and I must agree that it is 100% correct and I have hit on all of these points in my book. It is good to hear it from a different perspective, though. If you want to find out how to truly make the most of your schooling and how to keep up with the rising demands of the video game industry, then take a few minutes and read it.

http://careers.guardian.co.uk/get-ahead-video-games-industry

-Ken

Some Ways of Unlocking the Hidden Job Market

It should be becoming clearer and clearer that most industries thrive from referrals and networks. In fact, entrepreneurs have a saying that goes: "Your network is your net worth." For an industry like video games, this could be altered to: "Your network is your next job." It is definitely job security and also the ability to move on to new companies, because when you know someone who knows people at a studio that you want to work for, and you have a good rapport with them, you better believe that getting a job interview will be a walk in the park at that point. Sure, you do have to have the skills yourself and also be good with marketing yourself, but you won't get far unless you reach out to people that are relevant to your job search. People make the World go 'round, and all companies really are, are a collection of people who share a similar vision and interest. Opportunity many times comes down to knowing the right person at the right time, instead of being in the right place at the right time. You could be in China and know someone in San Francisco. There may be hoards of people in San Francisco looking for a job. But, if you knew the CEO or a manager at a company in San Francisco, it doesn't matter if you live there or not: because your relationship to that person has the ability to last forever, yet your location is only temporary. Here are some ways that you can tap into the hidden job market:

1. Use your network. This is the long and hard method, as it takes years to build your reputation and most of the time your network is only as strong as the impression that they have of you: so you can't simply be friends with someone on LinkedIn that you met once on at a conference and expect them to refer you for a new job, since they don't know your work ethic or skill level. Go out to lunch with people at work and also to social events. Get to know them on a deeper level and make sure to have all of their phone numbers. Call them. A lot. Calling people is the best way to keep in touch, because it shows that you've set aside time for them and that they are in a special reserved spot in your friend circle. Simply sending emails or social network updates to them just means you are an acquaintance.
2. Contact people on LinkedIn, who work for the studio that you would like to be at. You may not be able to filter and find these people unless you already have a large network on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is very good about drawing similarities between your contacts to help you find new ones. I will go into finding the right people at the right studio more in depth, in the future, and have considered saving this for a new book that I am planning on writing. Let me know if this is something that you would like to see!
3. Informational Interviews. You can't be shy anymore in this competitive world. I know that most developers are introverts and I have had to snap out of that really fast whenever I am at a conference. The best way to get an informational interview is to meet someone at a conference or be able to be introduced from a friend and go out for lunch with the new acquaintance. This way, you can ask them things about the job without sounding too desperate and also show that you are capable and that you would like working for their studio. Just talking to someone face-to-face makes them remember you, and you are already way ahead of the others out there sending in their electronic applications with no face or personality.
4. Attend mixers or game-industry events. When a company throws a party or a mixer, they are not doing it just for fun or to show off how much money they have. They are trying to find new employees. You must make an effort to talk to the HR manager and whoever else may be there representing the company. You may feel like: oh, well I asked the HR manager some questions but they had scripted responses like they always do. Wrong! You need to get on a personal level and ask them about them-self and the studio and also share your own personality and interests. You may not know it, but if you send in your application and mention briefly how you met them at the mixer and what you talked about, they will remember you (especially if you gave them a business card). They want to help people they know, so they will get you lined up with an interview rather than passing over or second-guessing your resume--if they knew nothing about you.

Some other articles mention that you should target the company's job listing directly on their website. I agree, that are some job listings that are not listed on the more public national job boards and have less competition since not everyone knows about it, but, technically this is not the hidden job market. Just the fact that they have the listing online means that they are not serious about hiring someone immediately and that they still have quite a few people that will be applying for the job. You want to get in on the hidden job market, where there is little competition other than a few people. The job search is more personal and will move a lot faster than waiting to hear back, like in a normal application process. The hidden job market is awesome and you will most likely not even notice it when you find it, because by that point everyone will be your friend and it is really just friends helping friends. So make a lot of friends in the industry, and keep producing top-quality work!

-Ken

http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/5-ways-uncover-hidden-job-openings/