kittygurl521

Hi everyone! As most of you know, I've had this account for 7 years, give or take (that's a long time!) In any case, I'd like to completely revamp my online handle and make it more professional. This gallery will be left as-is, so don't worry about mass-downloading or anything like that.

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Hello, fellow carbon-based life forms! I went to a lecture yesterday all about interviews and how to get a job. It's a little tailored for creative people, but I'm sure even non-artists will gain something from reading this. In any case, I hope you'll enjoy it! The word document is www.mediafire.com/view/?spquno… here if you'd like to download it.

Getting the Job
Based on a lecture by Pamela Thompson
Compiled by Lindsay Towns

INTERVIEWS
DO
• Research the company- use multiple sources, not just the company website and employees that work there; an unbiased opinion is best.
• Stress why you want to work there- how can you help THEM achieve THEIR goals?
• Find out their values- make sure they are similar to yours
• Evaluate the atmosphere of the company- is it a relaxed or tense setting? Do people greet you as you walk in?
• Find common ground with your interviewer. Look for something in their office you can talk about and relate with. Make them remember you
• Tell a story about a success you've had. People remember stories, not facts.
• Boast about your work! This is your time to shine.
• Be prepared. Take time to research the company, who works there, and what they've worked on. Companies love fans of their work.
• Take notes. Listen to what they have to say about your work.
• Be specific about the kind of work you want to do. (i.e. instead of saying "3D artist", let them know you like to texture or rig.)


DON'T
• Ask how much money you will make- this tells them you are only interested in yourself. Let them bring up the subject of pay.
• Go for the first money offer. Tell them to give you a day to think about it, and make sure you can take care of all you expenses with that amount. (If they begin to negotiate a price, it means they want to hire you!)
• Argue with feedback.
• Complain about previous jobs/bosses/coworkers
• Say "I want to break into the industry!" or "I will take any job" or, even worse, "when is the first vacation?"


RESUMES
DO
• Have all your contact info! Some people have made wonderful resumes, then forgotten to add their name and number.
• Have a professional email. L.towns@email.com is better than funkymonkey4534@derp.com
• Put your contact info on each page. Resume pages are often ripped off and sent to another department. This goes for portfolios also.
• Put your future goal or objective on your resume.
• Personalize it for the company you are applying to. Pixar doesn't want to know about how you worked at McDonalds.
• Have someone else look at your resume for errors. I once sent out a resume that had a spelling error. This can cost you a job opportunity
• Review and update your resume every 6 months, or when you complete a new project.
• Attach artwork
• Use large, easy-to-read fonts. Fancy, 'cursive' fonts and odd fonts will land your resume in the wastebasket.
• Make your cover letter short and sweet. Address it to a specific person in the company, even if you don't think it will reach them (i.e. if applying to Microsoft, it is better to say "To Mr. Gates" instead of "To Sir or Madam"
• Your cover letter should stress what you can offer to the company
• Keep the same phone number. You never know who your resume will reach, and when.


DON'T
• Send the resume as an email attachment (fear of viruses). Instead, send it as text in the email.
• Inflate your experience/skill.
• Direct them to a website to get your resume. Make it extremely easy for them to open and read
• Use an obscure file format. PDFs and .Docx files open on almost any computer
• Send from work or use a work email.
• Be vague. Instead of "various software packages", write, "Maya 2013, 3DS Max 2013, and Blender". Many companies use a program to scan resumes for keywords like "Photoshop" or "Maya"


DEMO REELS, WEBSITES, AND PORTFOLIOS
DO
• Place contact info on every shot/ image. Things often get separated. If your work is on a CD, make sure you label it professionally.
• Get a personal website and make it easy to navigate and load. If it takes more than a few clicks to get to your work, you're screwed.
• Customize your reel. If you're applying for an animation job, highlight your animation skills.
• Include (clean) sketches and life-drawing work. Show them you have attention to detail.
• Be varied. Show them a little bit of everything
• Weed out anything you are not 100% happy with. Never apologize for something in your reel/ portfolio.
• Put your best, most recent work first. If they get bored within the first 10 seconds it may get shut off.
• Make CDs/ DVDs self-loading and able to work on Mac and PC.
• Include your resume on your demo reel CD.
• Divide your reel into sections. "Animation, character design, digital paintings", etc.
• Include a "breakdown" sheet with your work, with small thumbnails to demonstrate which shot is which. If you collaborated on a shot, be specific about what part you worked on.
• Remember that you will be judged by your weakest piece.
• Test your CD on several different machines to ensure it works.
• On each shot, tell what software/ materials were used, the dimensions of the piece (or polycount), what the shot was created for, and how long your piece took you to create.
• Tell the employer about each shot, and how you made it. Show that you are knowledgeable.


DON'T
• Add obnoxious music. Silence is golden
• Make people search for software to open your file.
• Have elaborate menus.
• Apologize for your shot. Be proud of everything
• Add erotic, satanic, or violent material (unless that's the kind of place you're applying to?)
• Add works in progress. Finished projects only (sketches and storyboards are fine, as long as the finished work is there also.)
• Use tutorial exercises. No one wants to see your first cube in Maya.
• Keep sending the same reel over and over. Update it every time you make a new piece.
• Submit reels during a big convention. Your work has less chance of being seen amongst all the others.
• Be excessive. Keep it down to about 12 short shots.
• Send original/ master works. They will never be returned to you.
• Put out a shot that is not released to the public.


MISCELLANEOUS (BUT IMPORTANT!)
• Interviewers are more scared of you than you are of them. Often times they are not trained for that task.
• Focus on the interviewer and their company. People love to talk about themselves
• Small companies want generalists. Large companies want specialists.
• Save your first paycheck. Always have enough saved up to live for 6 months without a job, as a safety net.
• Visit the company before an interview to verify how you should dress. Always wear clean clothes with closed-toed shoes.
• Be persistent without being a pest. Keep in touch with someone from the company ever 6 weeks or so, and show them what you're up to.
• Want ads are bad. Good jobs are ones that you hear from your friends
• Information is power. Figure out how much X company pays before being interviewed.
• Ads lie. Even if you have 5% of the qualifications (i.e. An animator that doesn't know Flash), go for the job anyways! If you get an interview, it verifies that you have what they're looking for
• If you do not have the interviewers' full attention, walk out. (i.e. they answer a call during the interview). Ensure that they care about you as a future employee, regardless of pay. It's not worth it to have a bad boss.
• Don't stay at a company if it's not right for you.
• Ask for a written job description
• When asking a client for pay, take 1/3 up front, 1/3 in the middle of the project, and 1/3 when the project is finished. This ensures their commitment and yours.
• As soon as you stop learning, find something new.
• Collect business cards and get to know each person. Write something significant about that person on the back of their card so you will remember them
• Keep communication open! If something comes up on interview day, call and reschedule.
• Your work performance spreads like wildfire, whether good or bad. Don't ever think that any task is "beneath you"
• Be on time
• If you like your current boss and they like you, ask for a positive letter of recommendation for your next job
• If you don't get hired, try again in a few weeks! You may get someone else next time.
• Apply for multiple jobs at once, but be sure to keep in touch with all of them.
• Do what you love. If you're unhappy then move on, regardless of pay. Life is too short. If you are passionate about what you do then good things will follow!