Portfolio Building:

Application Letter:

When you write an application letter, personalize it for the company you’re sending it to. If you really want the job, state why you want to work for their company. They want to know you are really interested.It says more about your character than you may realize.

 

Portfolio Formats:

Websites are the fastest, easiest, *cheapest* way to get people to see your work. I consider websites complete must haves.

An employer can see your work at their leisure on any computer. You aren't forcing them to pop in a cd or a tape or flip through a pile of prints.

My first step in a job hunting battle plan is to have an up to date website. I usually email my potential employer first with a job inquiry and promote the website in the email. When I submit my work officially I send an organized CD of art, a cover letter, a resume, and I make sure the website is there again on the resume. When interviewing I bring a CD and a printed portfolio.


Website Guidelines:

Keep it simple! An intro page with a few basic categories to choose from works best.

Stay away from flash, as large downloads and waiting periods are major nuisances when browsing.

Make thumbnails of the work in each section. It is best to use square or rectangular thumbnails.

Categorize the Art:

Divide your portfolio into sections. Include the following categories. Try to include at least three examples of each type of work in these categories.

Things to keep in mind and No Nos:

Be original. It's better to do original art with your own ideas than "fanart". An employer wants to see what you can do, not what you can mimic.

No Photoshop filter lens flares! They just make you look inexperienced.

Ask friends/family/peers to review your portfolio beforehand to try and weed out weak pieces. It can be difficult to judge things on your own sometimes.

If you really don't have any good work to put into one of the categories above and don't have time to make anything then just cut it. You don't want to show weak pieces just to fill in a category.

Stay away from anime style art unless you happen to be AMAZING at it or are applying to a company that does anime style products. Most companies will toss your portfolio away the moment something remotely anime style pops up. It has alot of bad associations with it unfortunately, so avoid it if you can.

Never use premade textures that came with a program or that you found online. Everyone in the industry has seen them and will know right away that you didn't make them. I was guilty of this one myself when first looking for work because I didn't know how to make a texture yet. I used an awful 3D Max wood grain and a scale texture in my final project that hurt me alot.

 

Job Hunting Tips

Be sure to study the company you apply to.

When you go to an interview be sure you know all this information beforehand. You will want to be able to talk about the company's games and games like theirs from other companies. Also remember what games you like. Often you will be lead into a conversation about games. They just want to see if you are enthusiastic about the industry. Don't be discouraged if you don't like playing games! Keep up your enthusiasm and let them know how interested you are in the job. Not everyone has a specific industry they want to be in. Some folks just want to make good art and you shouldn't be discouraged from the games industry.

One especially important tip when interviewing is this: Treat everyone you meet at the company with respect and be friendly. I can guarantee that after you are done someone will ask the receptionist what their opinion of you was. Just because a person isn't directly in the field you are applying to doesn't mean they don't count towards hiring you.

 

Links that helped me get jobs:

You can use my resume as an example, but it isn't necessarily the best way to make one.