In need of interview advice
greentooth
So polycount, I need your help. I have a studio interview next week and I am pretty nervous. I'm not really sure what to expect, or what the process is going to be during it. It's a pretty large studio (at least 100+ I would guesstimate) whose portfolio of games is almost exclusively medieval-ish era (completely different to whats in my portfolio).
I've done a bunch of preparation already like researching the company and interviewers (art lead + creative lead) and reading through this thread but any further advice would be much appreciated.
I've done a bunch of preparation already like researching the company and interviewers (art lead + creative lead) and reading through this thread but any further advice would be much appreciated.
Replies
If you're normally quiet, drink a soda, if you get nervous and jittery, don't.
Good luck and get a good night sleep! (Bring a resume with you too just in case)
Goodluck!
if you are apparently nervous, then they'll be nervous about you
i know this is going to be a big deal for you, but you gotta be "cool as a cucumber" - Justin_Meisse
if you've done your research on the company, then you're on the right track.
to ease your mind a bit, take a good amount of time to write down an ton of questions. things ranging from challenges they face with their engine, pipeline, and the games they make in general go a long way as conversation starters. once you get past the technical stuff, start showing them that you are not a social retard and can get along with the team. talk about some artists that inspire you, or other titles you are excited about. ask some questions about the history of the company, based on the research you've done so far, and then talk about where they see the company heading in the future.
QUESTIONS SHOULD BE WHAT YOU WANT TO ASK THEM>>>NOT WHAT YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT THEY MIGHT ASK YOU!
you will never guess what they will ever ask you... flat out, but if you show you are truly interested and into the work and how it works and why it works, then it will help a lot.
the more questions you ask, the better the interview will go.
one of the biggest things that will make a huge impact is remembering team members names and either talking to them directly by name, or at the very least addressing them by name as you do the "thanks" hand shake goodbye at the end. seriously... it sounds stupid on paper, and even when you say it, but when people hear their name from someone else, especially from someone they just met, it leaves a lasting impression. trust me.
just don't go getting hammered the night before.
Good luck!
1. Ask a ton of questions, if you aren't interviewing them at least as much as they are you... you're doing it wrong. If you actively make an effort to see if the company is a right match that's important. Everything from getting to know the team, to figuring out how work is divided up, to workflow etc. Failure to ask these types of questions is doing yourself a diservice.
2. Know your shit. Seriously... I hope if you have an interview you know your shit. This means everything about the company. What's their culture like? What games have they released? How big is it? Who are the leaders? What's their vision?
This also means, know YOUR shit. Your craft, you have to sell yourself as an intelligent, talented person. Hopefully that'll be easy and you won't have to lie. Talk about your accomplishments and explain why you did things the way you did. If you don't know something, just say you don't know but would love to learn more about it and that you're always eager to pickup as much knowledge about the field as possible.
3. Be cool. If you're socially awkward people are going to pickup on that... and I hate to say it but no one wants to work with people who make them feel uncomfortable, especially in team environments. Keep it nice and easy, be yourself (unless yourself is uber awkward and makes offensive jokes), you don't know how people are going to react to certain things so as long as you're polite and can hold a conversation you'll be golden.
Don't complain. Remember names. Lastly, thank them for their time and consideration for bringing you out there. I can't tell you how many people don't say thank you... even a follow up e-mail just saying "Thanks for letting me learn a bit more about your studio. It was great meeting the team and I'm excited about my possible contributions to an already talented studio." Brownie points if you can throw in something like "and play against so and so in Street Fighter" or some other random company culture bit that you learned while you were there.
You'll do great! Go get em!
http://www.exforsys.com/tutorials/nlp/nlp-mirroring-and-matching-techniques.html
I'm usually nervous when it comes to interviews, but the mirroring technique seems to have worked really well in my last one.
most interviews for me ended up mostly talking about the industry and what interests me about the studio/project etc. After you have done a couple interviews you realize the people interviewing you love making games (hopefully) and you can kinda just shoot the shit. they have already seen and liked your art, interviews seem to mainly be to get a feel for your personality and make sure you are not super awkward or weird. so pretty much what all the other dudes said.
the main thing to avoid is seeming like a know-it all or be underconfident. I remember during my first interview in the industry I tried to add all this technical speak into it and found myself sounding like a tard haha. just talk about what you are passionate about and be honest, I straight up tell people in interviews I hate doing terrain work but let them know I loooove lighting and texturing.
so in closing, the guys above me gave you super solid advice, the only thing I can add is to just giv'er and knock it outta the park. good luck
Ask questions about the area/city and not just the job
You've got an interview, so that means they like your work. Use this knowledge to relax you a little, HOWEVER DON'T BE COCKY. I've interviewed a few people who took relaxed too far and came across as complacent.
Be enthusiastic about the company and the job without appearing like a rabid fanboy.
Careful you don't smell like booze though.
More advice
http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryGameIndustry#Interviews
1) Don't drink coffee or an energy drink before your interview.
2) Show up early, but not too early.
3) Have a few tact questions to ask, but not too many to bore them.
4) Be yourself
5) Twist the truth, but don't lie
6) Relax and Smile
7) Breath Mints (or breathspray)
8) Don't fart (Don't even think about slipping the SBD)
What they offer directly effects how and what your life is going to play out while you work there. Don't go in thinking "I can survive on toaster leavin's and microwave scrapings". You will get tired of that, resent the place for not paying you more and either quit or be... forced to lick the microwave...
Ask things like, "how do you like it here", "how long have you been here" "whats the turn over like" its pretty blunt but typically puts the ball right back in their court, if they "umm" and "yea... well" then you should flip the nearest table over and sprint for the nearest exit, no sense in wasting any more of your time.
Don't walk into it blinded by stardust and think that it will be everything you've ever dreamed, its a job, not all places are the same you need to make sure its a good fit for you just as much as they do.
The worst thing you can say when asked "and do you have any questions for us" is "nope /shrug".
Try to ask about hours. Are they flexible? Can you come in early or does everyone always have to stay late? Is it "as long as the work gets done", or "we're working the weekend even if there isn't anything to do!"
Does everyone get a chance to help test? You're trying to get a sense if the people there actually like the play the games they make or if its just a grind and they hate their product. Typically if they don't like to play it how can they expect anyone else to enjoy it? However that isn't always the case, even working on some pretty boring stuff can be fun if you're working with the right people, so filter the response carefully, there isn't a set answer that should send you screaming for the door.
How does management reward people?
You're trying to figure out how micro managed people are, but you don't want to highlight the negative, Try not say stuff like: "How does management deal with trouble makers, I mean not that I plan on being one... umm just you know... so if I SEE something, I can report it.... umm not that I'm a snitch... shit... I mean shoot... FUCK this isn't going well is it!? I have people skills!"
Also don't try to pin them down on workflow specifics, its fine to ask general questions but if you start to get the vibe, like we shouldn't be telling you this in case you don't get the job, you just put a road block between you and them and reminded everyone you're not part of the team, yet. If you're careful you can use this as a gauge to see how open they are being with you, however it can backfire on you, and the worst thing you can do is keep prying, it drives the wedge in farther.
If you shake peoples hands, don't "dead fish em" if your handshake is like touching a dead trout, slimy, cold and unresponsive then you just gave the person the ick feeling.
I remember Ben Mathis said in a thread once, dress in layers. Meaning your outer layer can be peeled back to reveal something more casual, however exposing your soft pastey underbelly while you awkwardly strip out of your sweeter in front of a room full of strangers is probably a bad idea... so make sure it comes off quickly and easily.
Dress in something that is comfortable. If your nervous and off your game, your cloths should help you to get back to normal not rocket you in the other direction.
It can help to have your portfolio printed out. You never know if the room you'll be in has a laptop or not, or if it has a connection. Also giving them something physical to flip through, tends to take the focus off of you and they can do it more easily than trying to nav your site.
Smile when you make eye contact, nothing more creepy than someone starring a hole through your head, not smiling and not saying anything....
IF things go horribly wrong just do this...
[ame]
Something that I've always found to be helpful in interviews is to have a 'cracker' statement, that you can pull out early on. Interviewers don't try to give too much away, unless they know they like the individual, which means that you need to establish the fact that you're more than just mindless peon #37. With that said, make sure to short-list a few of the interesting aspects about your experience that you can use in your introductory exchange that will draw them in, or 'crack' the reserve some interviewers initially hold.
And if you worked on a high-profile project, wear some swag related to it. Great way to introduce the topic.
So my advice...the studios games and website and history show the personality of the employees. But in the end, we are all from the same seed. Gamers and nerds. Be yourself!
First of all, go with the intension of them possibly not going to hire you. That will reduce your nervousness.
Secondly ask your brother or sister or any relative to have you rehearse for an interview. That will also reduce your nervousness and give you a bit of confidence.
Know about the company and its history which you have done already I assume.
Be prepared for random questions. Read about how people would test your judgement when they suddenly ask you an uber random question such as "How would you sell me a glass of water?" Or "Say the person who is the best lead artist in another game studio we are competing how would you bring us to a greater level then them" something in that order, or even better "Why should we hire you?" As discouraging question as it sounds it is just to test your confidence.
Speak when you are spoken to, promptly and confidently, you do not have to get too friendly and get your hopes up at first so I wouldnt recommend anyone getting too friendly unless you are referred by some other game studio's personnel.
Do smile
Good luck, and post when you are done with the interview.
I'd asked beforehand and been told that I wouldn't be shown around the studio due to undisclosed IP, so I pretty much got taken straight up to the interview. I'm pretty glad I did a bunch of prep work beforehand (<3333 polycount) because none of the questions which came up were unexpected really. Probably the first half of the interview was the art lead asking typical interview questions (he was ticking them off a list and writing notes as we talked) and then also about things on my resume/cv. After that, I busted out the printed portfolio I brought with me and walked them through it, answering questions as we went (why did you do X in Y way? What is your process for doing Z etc).
After that, the two guys who were interviewing me stepped outside for a couple of minutes, then one came back in and we chatted for a few minutes (it turns out some of the people who work there are fans of Zombie Panic, which is probably good for me) then the art lead returned with who I can only assume is the Producer / Creative Director as there was an introduction made, but I totally did not hear it. He asked pretty much the same questions for a few minutes while looking at my resume, shook my hand and then left.
We pretty much wrapped up after that, the art lead let slip that he thought I would really enjoy working on their new project, and that it seemed right up my street - so I'm relatively confident that I have at least a chance of getting the job. They said they have a few more people to interview, and that I should hear from them within a couple of weeks at most.
protip: no breakfast, a large coffee, almost being late and cold hands = the worst handwriting in history.
protip 2: know when you've gone too far. I mentioned that I'd been researching neoclassical architecture recently, got a "so you know the difference between a Doric and a ..." comment, then was halfway through explaining the differences between different types of classical Greek and Roman columns when I was interrupted by a "I was just taking the piss mate haha". =|
Not saying you shouldn't get your hopes up but realistically speaking over the course of your life... you'll end up in that situation again. Hopefully it will be for another industry gig where the people are laid back. Because at other places people are assholes in interviews and play all kinds of head games... I don't ever want to go back, you can't make me!!1
Sounds like you did awesome, your works great too so hope you did well
Nice to hear that it went well. Though arriving late is one of the bad remarks on how seriously you want this job. This part sounds like the HR keep you under consideration and see what other intervieweez bring to him. I am pretty sure it'll go fine as well since he gave you a good solid clue about getting the job. Will pray.
If it had been a case of "I woke up late" then I would totally agree with you. But a 1hr40min train journey taking 3hrs is not something most people would reasonably expect, especially during peak hours.
Like CrazyFool said though the studio is awesome and the people I spoke with were real cool, seems like a great place to work!
I have a question though and i didn't want to open a thread on that because its a short one:
If you apply for a junior position in, say animation (that's what i do) and you manage to get to the interviewing stage, are they aware that since you are applying for a junior position, that you don't have as much knowledge and experience as a regular artist?
I mean "aware" is the wrong word i guess, but do they start from the premise that you have less knowledge and experience than a regular artist?
Or is it "bad" if they ask you, for instance, technical or workflow questions about something or they present you with a problem and you happen to not know exactly how to answer or the solution?
I mean, don't get me wrong here, if you sit there and can't answer a single thing and always go with " uhh.. hmm.. i..don't.. really.. know.." then of course it is bad.. but i hope you get what i am trying to say.
At the end of the day, one should know as much as possible about his field, no excuse there.
Maybe one of you guys have the time to answer that question sometime
And marks, sorry for hijacking your thread, congrats again!
Cheers,
Alex
edit: I love the art in your portfolio Marks, awesome!
Yes, they will assume you are junior in experience. A technical question is usually meant to find out how you approach problem solving, not just to get a single answer. So don't ever say you don't know, instead talk about how you would solve the problem.
Yea that turned out a little longer than i thought. :poly136:
Well, the question itself is short but the text explaining the question is long.
Anyway, i get what you mean. Makes sense, thank you!
Good luck mate, i hope you nail it!
I really hope you get it, keep us posted!
gl ZacD, nail it bro
@ Mr.Wednesday - I too feel your angst. I'm currently awaiting my second phone interview for my dream job (phone interview because flying me over from New Zealand would be a bit excessive). Good luck for your interview
I've got an interview next week, and reading this thread has really improved my nerves! :P
First industry interview coming up, and it feels very daunting :S, but from reading this I have a much clearer idea of how to approach it
Many thanks
If he is with other people in the room and you act all "heeey broo" they might not be that impressed, since they could think that you play the "i know him, so I nailed it"-card, which can be the case, but it still shouldn't be obvious.
But if its just you two, you could be a little more casual but imo only a little, he will be your supervisor after all, if they hire you. If you go too far, he might feel you are "disrespecting" his authority as an art director.
Of course it depends how close friends you are.
My advice on this, is to let him "lead" you. See how far he goes and do the same, maybe a bit less, without it being weird.
Sounds remarkable, I will tell you how it worked after interview
Weird I dont feel one single bit of stress, the interview will be tmrw, in fact I am more excited. This is going to be fun!
I seriously need some sleep...:(
Yea post how it went, i hope you nail it
Haha, thats great, the more confident and relaxed you are, the better the chances!
It's not uncommon. I have gone through it before myself. If you're local to the area, then it is much easier to call someone in to get an initial feel for the person. In essence, this allows both parties to feel like no one single side is wasting their time. They are giving you a chance by having an interview and saying "We're going to take time out of our day as well to let you know we're investing our own time into you just as you are into us." The fact that they gave you a test is a positive sign that they dug you to some degree. I know a lot of artists that feel getting a test upfront feels like a waste of time if they didn't land the gig. Employers are aware of this and if they can bring someone in right off the bat to see if they might be worth a test, then they most likely will. It's just a nice sign of respect for other people on behalf of the employer IMO. In the end, it is never anything personal. It's all business and protocol. More often than not, depending on your level of experience, you'll take a test regardless because most everyone else that is already working there had to take a test as well. It creates negative energy and opinions when one person in the group landed the gig without taking the test, especially if that person knew the art director. It is somewhat petty, but we're all teenagers at heart :-P
Nail the test and get that second interview! Good luck man!
I have been in this situation. I did an art test for a well known company in LA. They liked my test. Did 2 phone interview(one with the art manager and 2nd with the producer, i think, and they liked it. Called me in for a interview(flew me from Missouri to LA). Did an onsite interview and all of a sudden everybody that took my interview on the phone is concerned that I can't make environments(yeah they sent me a test of an object).
Any ways got back home, got an email that I need to do an environment test(model only). I did that and got rejected.