This presentation is given to students in secondary education game development programs preparing to enter the job market. The Hiring process is given from an Art Director's insider perspective and from my experience in reviewing thousands of resumes, conducting hundreds of interviews and hiring over 50 new employees and interns for video game companies.

1. PREPARING FOR YOUR
CAREER
AN INSIDERS PERSPECTIVE ON
GETTING HIRED
A N D M A N A G I N G YO U R C A R E E R
BRIAN PELLETIER
BPELLETIER@LEARNINGGAM.ES

2. WHO AM I?
 20 years in games industry
 Helped build Raven teams
 Developed 16+ retail games
 Art Director & Creative Director

4. CAREER JOURNEY
 Marvel Comics:
 Freelance Artist
 Raven Software - 5 years
 Artist - 2D/3D/Animation
 Art Manager
 Lead Artist

5. CAREER JOURNEY
 Activision / Raven – 13 years:
 Art Director
 Project Leader/Creative Director
 Artist 2D/3D
 Games Learning Society / Learning Games Network
 Art Director
 Creative Director
 Head of Project Development

6. CAREER PATH
 Production Path



Increase skills and experience over time
Become and expert at your craft
Mentor and Train others
 Management & Leadership Path >> Me

Learn management skills



Organize production for others
People Leader


training
personnel issues
More responsibility – more pay

More headaches!

7. WHY IT MATTERS TO YOU
 Hired over 40 people
 Reviewed thousands of resumes and Portfolios
 Conducted 100’s of interviews
 I’m still at it

8. THE HIRING PROCESS
 RESUME
 PORTFOLIO
 PHONE INTERVIEW
 ON SITE INTERVIEW
 COVER LETTER AND THANK YOU

9. RESUME
WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR

10. RESUME: WHAT I LOOK FOR
 Easy to Read
 Skills
 Do you fit the requirements
 Software Programs
 Doesn’t matter which ones
 Experience
 Yes! even for entry level position >>

11. RESUME: EXPERIENCE
 Hiring for a team position:
 Experience working with others

Group projects – class project or with friends
List the projects
 Number of team members
 What your roles were

 Internships
 Join a Mod group
 Create your own game/s

Shows passion / self motivation / proactive

12. PORTFOLIO
WHAT I WANT TO SEE

13. PORTFOLIO: WHAT I WANT TO SEE
 Blogs vs. Websites
 Quality – eye for detail
 Instant reaction
 Well rounded skills
 Area of Specialty
 What is your focus?
 Quality over Quantity

14. PORTFOLIO: WHAT I WANT TO SEE
 Consistency
 Diamond in the rough syndrome
 3 examples with same quality
 Compare yourself to others
 Internet – world at your fingertips
 Never plagiarize!
 See internet…
 Differentiate yourself from classmates

15. PORTFOLIO: WHAT YOU SHOULD SEE
 Comparison of entry level art
1
2

16. PORTFOLIO: WHAT YOU SHOULD SEE
 Comparison of entry level art
3

17. PORTFOLIO: WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
 Continue to build your portfolio
 Work on new art to better your portfolio
 After school – it took me 3 portfolios to get Marvel Gig.
 During Career – continue to build portfolio
 Catalogue your work
 Be prepared
 I didn’t save enough images of my game art
 Create Process Images
 Create step by step images to show your process

18. STEP BY STEP EXAMPLE

19. PHONE INTERVIEW
WHAT I WANT TO KNOW

20. PHONE INTERVIEW: DIGGING DEEPER
 Okay, so we like your Resume and Portfolio
 Screening process overview:
 Did you do what you say you did
 How well do you know your programs
 Passion enthusiasm
 How well do you work with others
 Your potential to get better
 Personality / Culture fit

21. PHONE INTERVIEW: DIGGING DEEPER
 Be prepared to answer the questions
 Did you do what you say you did, and…
 …How well do you know your programs
 Tell me the process and programs you used to create “X”?
 How did you get your reference?
 What stock models or textures did you use?
 What part of “X” was created by someone else?
 What feature of the program did you use to create “A & B”?
 What problems did you encounter?

How did you overcome?

22. PHONE INTERVIEW: DIGGING DEEPER
 How well do you work with others?
 What was the project you worked on?
 What was your role?
 What was main factor in the success of project?
 What was the biggest issue facing the project?



Tell me a time when you disagreed with a teammate?
Explain a situation where you disagreed with your instructor?


How did you overcome?
How did you work through the issues?
Besides the tasks given to you, how did you help your team succeed

23. PHONE INTERVIEW: DIGGING DEEPER
 Passion, Personality and Culture Fit
 What Artists inspire you?
 What games inspire you?


Where/what do you see yourself doing in 5 years?



Be truthful if not the games (or kind) the company makes
Be honest! Don’t pander to what you “think” I want to hear
What do you do for fun?
Who are your heroes?

24. PHONE INTERVIEW: DIGGING DEEPER
 What are YOU screening the employer for?
 Prepare questions to ask
 Do your homework on employer
 Are they a good fit for you?
 Be respectful and grateful

25. ON SITE INTERVIEW
DO YOU FIT IN?

26. ON SITE INTERVIEW: HOW DOES IT FEEL?
 Congrats, We like you enough to spend money on you.
 If we weren’t serious about hiring you, we wouldn’t be flying
you out. Or spending our precious time with you.
 Be courteous, appreciative and respectful.
 Dress to impress
 This is our first date
 Do we want to commit to a relationship?

27. COVER LETTERS
WHAT IT TELLS ME

28. COVER AND THANK YOU LETTERS
 Written communication skills – it matters.
 Communicate Passion and Enthusiasm
 Show knowledge of potential employer
 Follow up with any extra info or clarification
 Thank by name and be appreciative – mean it!

29. THE BIG SECRET
I HIRE PERSONALITIES FIRST
SKILLS SECOND

30. CREATE OPPORTUNITIES
 Get Discovered:
 Create Fan Art…with a twist!
 Re-imaging their universe – be original
 Put on message boards / fan sites
 Post your Artwork on Art sites
 Enter Contests
 All the art sites do them

31. LAST WORDS
“Choose a job you love, and you will
never have to work a day in your life.”
Confucius

32. LAST WORDS 
THANK YOU
BRIAN PELLETIER
bpelletier@learninggam.es