Cover Letter Advice - Whitemoon Dreams

Bolovorix

Hey polycount, I am finally starting to feel confident enough with my 3D work to pursue my first job in the games industry. There is a lot of helpful, as well as confusing information regarding cover emails and sending out resumes so I thought I'd ask for some critiques on what I have so far.

While some of the studios that I'm interested in aren't hiring character artists at the moment, I've read that it is still a good idea to submit your resume for future consideration.

Here is one I'm working on for Whitemoon Dreams because I really love the style of their game.

Thanks for looking.

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to express an interest in future openings as a 3D Character artist at Whitemoon Dreams Inc.

As a very self-driven individual I have utilized online resources and college courses to develop the skills needed to create quality character models to be used for games. I am confident in my abilities to create detailed characters in ZBrush and convert them into game ready assets. While attending college courses I developed a good foundation of the Unreal 3 Engine and it's shader network by creating levels, props, characters and materials for class projects.

I am particularly fond of the fantastical art styles used in Warmachine:Tactics and believe that my ability to create quality models would make me a valuable asset to your team.

Attached with this email you will find a copy of my resume, along with a link to my online portfolio where you can find my most recent work.

I look forward to discussing my qualifications further and can be reached by email at bolovorix@gmail.com or by phone at (phone number). You can view my work at www.bolovorix.com.

Thank you so much for your time.

Best,
Zach

Eric Chadwick

I would remove the 2nd paragraph, the long one. You can also remove the "attached" sentence, since you're already providing the link and your resume is on your site.

The reason for this is, hiring managers are very very impatient people. They get a zillion of these letters, and so they're skimming them, reading them as fast as possible. You want yours to be as clear and concise as possible, or you risk tl;dr. Believe me, I've been in this position many times.

BTW, I like your work. And good luck!

heyeye

As a rule of thumb I always try to come out with the most important details first. Make HR's job as easy as possible.

1st paragraph is just cut to the chase. What position, why that position. This is brief, you use the next paragraphs to dive a little more. This is to grab attention and not make HR search inside long paragraphs for all your information. Make it easy to find and apparent. At the end of this paragraph is a portfolio link and email.

2nd paragraph is what the position you're applying for means to you. This usually is just taking the job description, and reiterating it into your own words to show you know exactly what you're applying for. Job titles differ from studio to studio. Showing you read and understand exactly what their character artist does shows competence, and you actually took time out of your day to read the job, instead of another blatant copy pasta.

3rd paragraph is summation of you. Your 2nd paragraph describing your skills is exactly what I'm talking about. This is where you get to brag. Don't take forever. 3-4 sentences.

4th paragraph is perfect, thank them for being the heroes they are every day reading millions of these things, reiterate email and portfolio. Seal the envelope with some wax, spray some nicely scented Calvin Kline on it, ship it.

Bolovorix

Thanks for the comments. Is a generic greeting appropriate for studios that have multiple people in charge of looking at resumes, and for times when you cant find the name of that person at smaller studios? For instance, a lot of studios I can't find phone numbers for, or, a lot of numbers are no longer in use.

Eric Chadwick

One way that's worked for me is to do some research on LinkedIn, find out who is in charge of the art dept., and try to get in contact with them. The best thing is to get a friend who works there to introduce you to that person, but if you don't know anyone there then 1 email to that person is usually acceptable.

Don't use the phone though, no one wants to be bothered with talking on the phone, unless they're calling you to screen for an interview.

Eric Chadwick

These sentences still stick with me, from Jon Jones' article Your Portfolio Repels Jobs, because it is sooo true...

"Hiring managers look through dozens of portfolios every day. All the portfolios they see blend together. It's just a job.
...
Imagine that your target visitor is a tired, indifferent hiring manager whose only desire is to find the shortest path possible to looking at your art."

It really helps to try to get into that frame of mind when writing a cover letter, editing a resume, or presenting your art. Brevity is soo important.