Connections and the merrit in the games industry.
polycounter lvl 12
I hear a lot about how connections are the most important part of landing a jobs in games/movies and how you dont need to be great you just need to be good enough and then have to be refereed. While the latter is certainly true to an extent do you realy want to be the guy that is known because hes nice or known because they are awesome at what they do?
Ive seen plenty of people try and invest in their networks and connections over the quality of their work but the ones who have true staying power and are ultimately successful are the people that put in the blood, time and sacrifice that lean on their portfolios.
This just doesn't apply to games but everything in general, just my two cents. What does every one else think?
Ive seen plenty of people try and invest in their networks and connections over the quality of their work but the ones who have true staying power and are ultimately successful are the people that put in the blood, time and sacrifice that lean on their portfolios.
This just doesn't apply to games but everything in general, just my two cents. What does every one else think?
Replies
You might be elite in what you do but who's gonna vouche for your character. I.e., are you a team player or a diva?
You can't just use your mom or girlfriend to pimp your character, right? Or your shift manager at the fast food place your worked at one time.
So a pro level networking gives you an edge because these same people who can tip you to jobs can also recommend you when you apply for positions. They'll have credibility over somebody who's clueless about your chosen industry.
They are an important part, but not "the most important" part despite what some may think. As a matter of fact, I would say that it's only once that you've got a solid skillset nailed down that your connections come into play - not the other way round.
For instance after years of working hard and posting stuff online regularly, you will most likely have created connections through group projects, contests, and so on. And after a little while you will get a good sense of who works where, and which studio is likely to hire candidates creating game art in a certain art style.
But still, at the end of the day the quality of the portfolio is what matters. An awesome artist coming out of nowhere tomorrow will always have the upper hand over someone with passable skills and seemingly "good connections". In a sense, the only connections and networking that are worth something will happen naturally in direct response to your work.
It matters yes, but there's not a guaranteed job for every artist however good or experienced they are.
For any job or freelance gig you can be competing with multiple equally skilled or more advanced applicants.
So other factors now come into play outside portfolio like timing, location, how much you want to get paid, insider connection, etc.
To go back to the OP : having "connections" doesn't really mean to be "the guy who's known to be nice", but rather, being able to gradually develop a network of acquaintances and coworkers whom can confirm that you are solid to work with and reliable in a team environment.
Obviously your portfolio has to show you have the chops, but that initial contact often has little to do with the portfolio.
It's their job to find the most talentuous people on the market, they're paid all year long to do this.-_-
To think someone with an averegae poftfolio would get hired just because he's friend with someone inside is kinda..ugh..
And even if it was the case ... it is somehow irrelevant, as this shouldn't impact one bit your ability to focus on your own work. There is no point in worrying about something that lies outside one's own sphere of influence.
Hr does a LOT MORE then just that, they aren't head hunters. Pretty sure my HR'S would burn you alive if they were to read this.
People don't just get hired because they have friend, it's just that the folio got push faster. It mostly play during the interview. They will ask you way more question to know how you are, while if you were refer, everything is on the head of the guys who refer you, if he did it only because you were his friends, he's going to have a bad time when they discover that the friends is a burden or not like he said he was.
I would never refer a friend if I though he didn't had what's needed for this job.
How referral works is that you are one step in advance, someone know that guys and know he can do it. While picking someone randomly, well even if his folio is amazing, and his attitudes is really great in the interview, he might be the biggest diva ever.
Actually for artist jobs (as opposed to qa for example), you may still have to pass an art test and interview. It's not automatic "you're in" kinda thing.
Naughty Dog concept artist Aaron Limonick (who's folio is already above average), in an interview, said he found the position via somebody at ND but he still had to take the test just like other applicants.
I'm curious why you think people care so much about models/textures/whatevers?
Anyway, all I've ever been willing to do was to take a loot at their portfolio and if it looked OK I've given the name to the appropriate lead to check the applicant out. A few guys did get hired eventually, but I've also sent plenty of responses back, telling the guy that we can't really do much with his/her current skills and stuff.
There is however one more case, where I have previously worked with the applicant and were happy with them. In that case I usually push to get the person hired, sometimes even skipping the interview. But this is a very very rare case.
For the rest, I have to agree with the general consensus - connections will only help you if you're already good enough. Still, they're really valuable to get on top of the interview lists, or even to get to learn about a job opening. See, even the HR people's time is money, so if there's already a candidate looking good enough through polling people you know, then it makes every kinds of sense not to post the opening to the job site and just start with the suggestions of your team.
Also, there is nothing stoping you from making amazing artwork AND having industry contacts. I'm not sure what sort of world you live in if you think these are mutually exclusive ideas. Generally, the better your work gets, the more recognition you will get which grows your network.
They get thousands of crappy applicants a day. They handle all the paperwork and crap for the employees at the studio. They are the contact for harassment claims and other issues that pop up in the work place. The list goes on.
If you could just reach out and pluck talented people out of the air, why do some studios offer their employees a $1,000 bonus if they refer someone that gets hired?
If i have a connection who has worked with me in the past, im not going to feel guilty being put ahead of someone they havent worked with who may or may not be better at the job. the point is for the person I know, I have already proved myself in the job/as someone who can be worked with, whereas the 'mozart' other applicant has not.
If I am trying to apply for a job and my contacts and friends are working there, then I am unconcerned with the ethics of acquiring that job (as long as its legal).
The whole point of job applications is that it is a contest, having connections is a fair game part of that contest.
The only issue that I can conceivably see in it, is when the person already inside gives their friend a job if that person isnt able to do the job. but then that isnt the fault of the person hired just the person already in the job.
When you recommend someone for a position/hire someone, you put your own integrity and reputation on the line. If i don't think one of my contacts/friends can do the job I won't recommend them, just forward on their CV to HR instead without a note. whereas if I do think that person is good at their job I will put in a note and a recommendation.
long and badly written story short.
Having contacts and friends isn't an issue.
its when you are the person inside the company and don't hold your friends/contacts to the standards expected that it becomes a problem, but its your problem and reputation at stake. its never the fault of the person who wants the job/applies.
1. Ask existing employees if they know anyone who might be fit for the job
2. Check the existing database of past applicants
3. Post job positions on all internet websites
4. Get a headhunter
They're progressively more and more expensive in time and money. Good connections can get you to the top of the list; if you only have a good portfolio that you send around every 6 months or so then you start to get involved at step 2.
Step 4 is usually for high ranking positions like art director or department lead/director, but studios still prefer to fill these with people who have some recommendation. Most people of this caliber are usually not without a job - and those who want to change will almost certainly have the connections to find a new place as soon as they're willing to.
So, getting hired based on a job posting on an internet site is the least common thing, I believe.
I think it's one of the best posts here so far
However, having a broad network of friends, coworkers, old classmates, community members, etc sure can open doors for you to get noticed and get your name on the shortlist.
When I had my own studio I only hired people I knew so I understand why businesses would do that.
1. they can get you jobs.
2. they can lose you jobs.
3. they can help keep you on your feet during rough times.
People say (and i agree) you should have an excellent portfolio, but does it really matter how good your portfolio is if the right people never see it? Having the right connections can mean your application skips over the HR phase of recruitment, where they might not recognise how good you are and throw your application away, or they might not even SEE your portfolio because you're terrible at writing a resume. The right connections can get you past the first hundred people who are also applying for that job.
On the same token, there are some fantastic artists who find it hard to get work because they have a reputation of being a dick. Connections work against them in this instance.
Basically, make sure your portfolio is excellent, it should always be the case. But also, connect with everyone you can, as positively as you can.
Also, don't be a dick.
That guy was awesome.
And remember, most positions filled don't even get posted because they are filled by referrals before hitting the web.
Replace money, with connections and you've got the analogy.
Connections open doors, portfolio keeps them open.
Exactly this - I wouldn't be working for Marmoset if i didn't poke EQ on skype at some point for something random that one time.
I think people may need to change their perception of networking a little. Every connection you have is an opportunity.
Every person you're connected to, has the potential to introduce you to an art lead. Or they could offload some freelance work to you because they're too busy to take it themselves. It could even be that this person is leaving their job but recommends you as a replacement.
If you aren't connected to anybody, you're missing out on opportunities. You need to have opportunities in the first place before you can make the most of them.
They say you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, that analogy works here too - If you don't have the opportunity to give it 100%, your 100% = 0.
Sure, but that doesn't mean the two are necessarily related, plenty of less than qualified people have been hired at studios without previous connection. Correlation does not imply causation. Maybe the person who got the job was super confident and interviewed very well, while more talented applicants were socially awkward and interviewed poorly. Too many variables to make blanket statements.
Basically this.
The fact that someone gets an interview through a referral doesn't mean that this person coulnd't have gotten the job without it in the first place. As a matter of fact there is a very good chance that had that person applied on his/her own, he/she would have been hired too.
Of course I suppose that there are some cases of "friend getting a friend hired just because he/she is a friend" but that's a recipie for disaster when it comes to art positions. And there is no reason to even care about such cases anyways ...
In other industries where there is more money such as other parts of the tech industry, you will probably run into more people who got their job solely due to connections because companies are just looking to fill positions and they don't necessarily always need the best person available for the job. I've seen students in my programming classes who cheat their way through school then end up getting internships at top tier companies simply because they have a parent who has been working there for years. It's annoying but I guess one has to accept that if they want a job.
To elaborate a bit on this, at least based on my personal experiences...
Don't be too eager to connect with everyone on any possible social network where you can find them. Especially if you've never even exchanged at least a few words with them on at least a forum or something.
For example, many of the better known artists have a separate Facebook profile which they only use to post their work, tutorials, interesting links and such. It's perfectly okay to send a friend request to those profiles.
However, a lot of people working in the industry are really busy and haven't set up such accounts. All they have on FB is a personal profile, and I feel it's kinda obtrusive to bug those people with requests.
LinkedIn is another type of network site, but at least I personally consider that to be a place to connect with people whom I've actually met at least online, or I've worked on a project with them, and so on.
Not sure what you guys think about it but I consider that network to be a resource similar to one's resume or portfolio. It takes a lot of time and work to build these connections with others in the industry, and I believe that most studios reviewing applicants consider it to be such a thing as well. So it doesn't work for me that someone like a student straight out of school and without any experience should be connected to hundreds of guys working at studios. This is something that everyone will need to build from the ground up through their career, and not a shortcut to actually do things like posting works or comments on frequented forums and such.
Or maybe I'm just getting too old and elitist?
I was discussing this a few weeks ago with the friend who got me the job. He's been in the industry for like 20 years and worked on many big titles. When you are a student or starting out a portfolio is by far the best asset to get you a job but when you get a good few titles and a few decades under you belt I would suggest your CV and work history becomes more important. Add to this the fact that most of the time you can't use the work you have done on previous titles as portfolio work (without permission), your work history and references (people you know) becomes your portfolio.
Right, I've been in a position to influence hiring a few times in my career, and the last thing I would ever want to do is recommend someone that I don't truly believe can do the job. If you start pushing for your friends to get hired over more qualified applicants, you probably won't be in a position to have a say very long (unless you're a high level employee or something).
When it comes to equally qualified applicants, the one who has someone personally vouching for them is always going to get the nod. Knowing that the person is reliable, hard working, and not a whacko goes a LONG way.
A vouch can even overpower someone with a stronger portfolio, HOWEVER, in these cases there are generally a lot more factors taken into consideration. For instance, say you're comparing a 10 year vet to a 2 year vet, the 10 year vet shows better work today but the 2 year vet has shown significantly more improvement over the last few years, works faster and is more willing to learn a new pipeline/workflow/software. You have to project potential growth among various other factors, like experience, personality, ability to match art style/suitability for project, speed (if someone makes the most amazing models in the world but spends 5x longer than your average artist, they usually aren't very helpful in production) etc. All of this makes it virtually impossible to make sweeping generalizations about portfolio, contacts, etc.
The only thing you can really say for sure is a better portfolio gives you a better chance, as does having more connections, good work ethic, being versatile, being easy to get along with, having good communication skills and much more.
can't I be nice AND awesome at what I do?