SD Hiring [July 07, 2005] <Anyone apply>

(Enforcer) #1

I applied for the Level Design Position did anyone else apply for a position?

(carnage) #2

i didnt aplly but is there any chance we could have a link to some of the stuff submited as a portfolio? ime just interested in the level of quality shown bu aplicants

thanx

(Zombie13) #3

Yeah I threw some random emails at them. :eek3:

(Enforcer) #4

Actaully i was gonna look into setting up a planet account for “Developers” Mod Developers and such to allow people to put their work up in their account so companies can preview their work and so on. Ill look into it once i get my pc back. I was working on a online portfolio, but due to pc problems ive had to temorarily stop but hope to finish soon. if you want a sneak peak you can visit this temp site here.

http://www.planetdoom.com/theevil/newsite/portfolios/JCaternolo/

I still have alot to fix up and tweak, thats a slightly older version i havent had time to upload a newer version. The doom 3, RTCW, Models. Textures, and some maps dont work yet becuase its a WIP but i think it will do justice eventually.

(DWM|Commando) #5

thats a nice idea, and nice setup so everyone can see everything youve done. nice

(carnage) #6

nice site enforcer

this raises another question though, as one day i would like to set up a portfolio of my own with the intention of breaking into the games industry, you have a lot of text on your site, some saying very much common scence stuff about how maps should be visualy memorable, do they realy want to know this or would they rather just have lots of screens of work?

(m3rl1n) #7

Most recruiters will tell you they only want to see your work - as quickly and easily as possible. If it’s a hassle, if they can’t find it, if they have trouble finding it/loading it your resume will hit the trash bin without a second thought.

A Cover Letter is for selling yourself via text, a portfolio is for selling yourself via visuals

Consider their position when you create your portfolio - they have to look through possibly dozens of these things daily. That means that the easier it is to cut someone from the list the better they like it.

Consider what you would send them if you sent them a physical portfolio - a small number printouts of your best work with descriptions attached describing what you did and what they are seeing in no more then a few sentences that are to the point.

And remember above all - a portfolio is for your BEST work only. It does NOT help you to have a lot of sub-par work in your portfolio. More is not necessarily better.

A personal site is for your rants and raves and whatever else, a portfolio is for selling yourself to an employer.

However I will add having articles you have written (tutorials for example) on your trade which are easily accessible via your portfolio never hurt either - if the employer sees your work, thinks you can talent, they can then access those articles to learn not only more about what you know, but see further demonstration (past your Cover Letter) of your communication skills, among other things.

Anyway, that’s basically all I’ve learned about over the past years on the subject - hope it’s helpful once you get going on it :drink:

(Q.) #8

I think I could apply in terms of revolutionary talents, skills, ideas and potentials but totally lacking in generic(not language specific) communication skills which keeps me away from any kind of jobs. :banghead:

(Enforcer) #9

Well it depends i think on the portfolio and what its for. For Computer stuff you want as much info on the stuff you worked on that way you can prove you can do certain types of things. For game dev i think its both becuase of the vast info and tool you use to creategames or mods for that matter. You want info on how it was done along with visuals. I’m not happy with the way some things are placed on my site but i will fix them once i get my comp back. But i think its on the right track. As far as alot of info, naw i really dont think it stoo much i will b editing alot of the text as its just to remeber how i made the maps. I need to be a bit more professional with my portfolio. But hopefully it gets me in to the buisness and it just shows how much work im willing to do to get into the buisness.

Q. Depending on where you live most community colleges offer english communication skills. It may be a couple hundred dollars but its probably worth it in the long run.

(m3rl1n) #10

If you don’t have experience generally it doesn’t matter what you say, the only thing they’re going to be concerned with is if you can do the job significantly better then the next guy or the guy who does have experience, and they’ll judge that by looking at your maps/sources files and they’ll decide if it’s worth looking at those by what you show in your portfolio, not what you say. A picture is worth a thousand words.

(However, as I said above, tutorials can be an exception to the rule.)

And when you’re dealing with big companies talent isn’t their biggest concern, it’s all about experience which they perceive (among other things, but primarily) to be an indication of the ability to make and meet deadlines and the ability get to work as soon as possible, and without a lot of guidance (because you’ve been there before).

Independent studios are a little better at hiring people without experience, but you still have to be extremely good at what you do and if you’re not in the same country, heck the same city, as they are you better be 10 times better then the next guy who is.

If you’re out of the country it means time and money trying to bring you over for interviews, time and money trying to get you work permits. However if you’re just down the street it doesn’t cost them a thing.

In my experience the hiring thought train follows this path, in order of importance:

Experience (Resume), Location, Ability (Portfolio), Communication Skills (Cover Letter) - the cover letter often being a tie breaker between multiple candidates.

I’m not trying to cut you down or discourage you by any means, or act as if I’m all knowing on the subject, but if you know what they want you can attempt to tailor yourself to their needs and increase your chances of getting in the industry without a lot of hassle or waiting around.

Even if you don’t have any experience as a level designer, having experience working in a game studio, around games, is a plus in their eyes. If working QA doesn’t interest you then you’re portfolio has to packed full of amazing work. Not only is a picture worth a thousands words, but actions speak louder then words, so the more time you spend on your maps the better it’ll look in their eyes.

A portfolio that has too much text or too much “glitter� is going to make employers think you’re trying to make your portfolio seem bigger then it is, or cover for a lack of something else. If you have something to say keep it short and to the point.

(Wils) #11

I thought I’d clear up a few points. These won’t be the same from company to company, but here’s our perspective:

Being a small independent developer, we’re way more interested in talent than experience. Think of it as an exam, where talent is worth 60% of your mark, and experience is worth 40%, and we’re only interested in A-grade students. Also note that experience only counts on top of raw talent - if we’re hiring a level designer and you’re only good at it, it doesn’t matter if you’ve worked at seven different developers over the last ten years; we’re not interested.

Location doesn’t matter very much - we’re based in the UK and have hired people from few miles away in central London, to half way round the world in Australia and New Zealand. The only thing that matters is your willingness to relocate. If you think about it, when you’re looking to hire someone on an eventually permanent basis, the cost of relocating them (or getting them in for an interview) is insignificant compared to how much you’re going to spend on them as an employee.

Don’t stress too much about the cover letter - yes, it can be important, but it’s nothing compared to your portfolio. Stress about that instead, and put it up on a website - but do make sure it works and is up 24/7. Ideally, submit a CD and a website, and tell us the website has your most recent work, but you’ve included a CD as a backup.

(Q.) #12

Thank you people for your guidances.
They help me a lot to know what I want to.
It seems I need to work on my next portfolio seriously rather than casually as well as re-thinking whether fundamental motivation, ruling FPS maps, is appropriate or not.

(carnage) #13

It seems I need to work on my next portfolio seriously rather than casually

maby if we just spent more time just having some fun makin more qulity maps than worrying about what were goan put in porfolios we solve the probelm without thin about it

also from what i can tell here the aprearance of ur portfolio isnt important as long as u have the work, infact complex graphics and pages might just make it too slow or look like ur compensation for something, so as long as u have the maps ull be ok

also iimo if ur thinking ur goan make the guy looking at ur portfolio fall in love with u by having flash pages and lots of text about everyhting to do with mapping ur prob wrong cos whoever is looking at this prob is a far better mapper than u and will spot quality a mile off

(Zombie13) #14

I guess I had better update my desert dishes on my portfolio then…

Z

(Fusen) #15

Enforcer, wouldn’t mind checking out your website but it seems to be down atm

(Enforcer) #16

Srry Fusen was on Vacation this week, just got back today. I did a site redo so the folders a diff but the link to my portfolio is http://www.planetdoom.com/theevil/portfolios/JCaternolo/index.html

i also got the bug fixed where the page wouldnt fill the page correctly. I havent worked on it because 2 weeks ago i didnt have my pc and this week i was on vacation so.