Home General Discussion

Art test and no response, normal?

I'm an experienced 3D artist who have worked in game, design, and advertising industries. Recently I've applied for a junior position in a certain game company. They requested an art test shortly after I sent my CV. So I finished the test and submitted it within the time frame they gave. I didn't hear anything from them again after that. I tried to email them to confirm that they did receive my test and there was still no response.
In my past experiences, companies who received art tests would always give some sort of feedback. Or at least they would confirm that they received my test upon my request. This one just left me hanging dry and wondering: Is my skill not good enough for a junior position whose job description was way below my qualification? Is this art test a scam that tries to get free models? Did something go wrong in my test submission? Should I get to the bottom of this or should I drop it and move on? I need your suggestions. Thanks!

Replies

  • Kwramm
    Offline / Send Message
    Kwramm interpolator
    it's pretty shoddy if they really do not give you feedback after specifically asking you to do something for them. But maybe they just forgot?

    In most companies HR is VERY busy and if there's crunch and what not then they may just have forgotten about it. I would just politely ask if they had time yet to look at your test and when you can expect to hear about the outcome. Good luck!
  • Ghostscape
    Offline / Send Message
    Ghostscape polycounter lvl 13
    how long has it been since you submitted the model? If it's been over a day it probably wouldn't hurt to send them an e-mail asking to confirm that they received all the materials you submitted.
  • EarthQuake
    Over a day? I would wait a week or two before hassling anybody.
  • ScoobyDoofus
    Offline / Send Message
    ScoobyDoofus polycounter lvl 19
    I'd say go ahead and move on anyway! Just keep applying elsewhere, developing your skillset and making more art. If you hear from them, wonderful, if not...at least you're being as productive as possible. It helps not to dwell too much I think.
  • crazyfingers
    Offline / Send Message
    crazyfingers polycounter lvl 10
    I've done many art tests, to my recollection I've only heard back once. Best advice I can give is to not sweat one job too much. You're going to regret hassling them too much, or at the wrong time, or not hassling them enough one way or another if you don't get the job.

    I'd say try to call them in around 5 days, if that's not an option shoot an email. Beyond that you did what you could, try for another job. They could still call you back after weeks or even months of time but don't put all your eggs in one basket.
  • PredatorGSR
    Offline / Send Message
    PredatorGSR polycounter lvl 14
    I've usually gotten confirmation when submitting an art test. It helps to ask a question when you send an email so there is a reason for them to respond. Something like "here is my art test, when should I expect to hear back?". I usually try to check in every week if no timeline has been given, but I usually ask when I should expect to hear back, and contact them to find out the application status if I don't hear by the date they give me.
  • cman2k
    Offline / Send Message
    cman2k polycounter lvl 17
    I haven't done this for a while but I had this happen to me at least twice, maybe three times in the past.

    I would echo Earthquake's sentiment that you should at least wait a week or two before hassling anyone. I think this can be pretty common with busy HR departments.

    From the HR perspective, once they've gotten your art test and delivered it to the staff you are no longer a priority for them specifically. They aren't really going to have a reason to get back to you until the dev team gives them their ruling.

    I totally agree that it's rude, but I don't think rude HR people are uncommon, unfortunately. :P
  • Wahlgren
    Offline / Send Message
    Wahlgren polycounter lvl 17
    It happened to me by a big swedish studio. Did a test. No reply. Nothing. This was a year ago. I even mailed them back after a month but got no reply to that.
  • SimonT
    Offline / Send Message
    SimonT interpolator
    1. Maybe they saw it but forgot to answer or the guy how gave you the test left the company and the new didn't know about the test: call/mail them an ask if the test was received
    2. Maybe the spam devil got its hand to your mail: call/mail them an ask if the test was received
    3. Maybe the position was filled before you sent the test: call/mail them and ask about it
    4. Maybe they didn't liked it: call/mail them an ask what the thought about it

    You see: i would always ask friendly what's happened - when it comes to technology and internet there is a lot stuff which can go wrong. It's always a good idea to mail/call and check if all goes right. And this shows them that you're really interested.
  • Mark Dygert
    I agree, move on, keep applying, keep going forward. You might be thinking I got an art test they must like what they see! Well not always. If they saw exactly what they needed to see in your portfolio they would probably set up an interview. Some places send out art tests to everyone just as a way to screen out the spammers from the serious people, so you might be in a big pool of people now that need to have their stuff looked at, it can take a while.

    I also agree with EQ, drop them a line in a week, if you're not working on art tests in that time do another portfolio piece and update your site that way when you send in the "hey remember me" email, if you also have a line that says "check out this new piece I just did". If its a company you really want to work for tailor that piece specifically to them and knock their socks off with it. It will really show you care and want to work there and its not just another job.
  • JustinPunio
    Well you said you've already emailed to enquire about it, so definately wait at least a week or so before shooting off another email, if they don't reply to next one I would assume nothing more will come of it.

    Obviously getting shown interest enough to ask you for an art test will naturally get one's hopes up, so in the meantime keep applying elsewhere and working on new material for your portfolio to keep your mind off it.

    Still, it's bad form to not even have the courtesy to send a confirmation email, I know they probably get thousands of applicants, but they could set up an auto email system maybe...

    Good luck though
  • dtschultz
    Offline / Send Message
    dtschultz polycounter lvl 12
    Yeah, move one. If they can't get back to you with a confirmation email within a week do you really want to work there? I mean, I know places get a lot of applicants, but if you take that much time out of your own life to do an art test, and they can't even send you a pre-baked email saying they got the test, that's pretty bad. In my experience, the way a company treats you during this process is pretty indicative of how they will treat you when you get there.
  • glottis8
    Offline / Send Message
    glottis8 polycounter lvl 9
    Yea... it happens. Sometimes they confirm that they received it but take some time to actually give it to the art director and have him look at it and make a decision. so i think you submit your work, and wait 2 weeks before inquiring whats up. i've had people that sent me emails after some months passed some feedback, whether they like it or not. so don't put all your eggs in one basket. Keep applying like everyone said and whenever you do get a response then focus on that, but also keep applying somewhere else.
  • Justin Meisse
    Offline / Send Message
    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    GDC is going on right now - chances are alot of the people that need to look at your test are out of the office.

    The only time I've gotten feedback on an art test I've done is when I've been brought on site for an interview.
  • realm13
    Wow, I must say I didn't expect so many replies in such a short or period of time. Thank you guys so much for your suggestions and attention!
    Here are some information I left out in my original post since I didn't want to make it too long for people to read:
    1.The test happened a month ago.
    2.I emailed the HR who contacted me after several days since I submitted the test to request for a confirmation of reception of the test because I didn't get any response after submitting the test.There was no reply for this request.
    3.There is a deadline for applying this position which is close to the end of February. So I thought maybe they won't review the tests until the deadline has been reached.
    4.After the deadline has been reached. I emailed them again (this time not to the HR who contacted me but to the email that appeared on the job ad because I was afraid that the HR that contacted me wasn't working there anymore) with a request of a confirmation and/or a feedback. I also forwarded the test-submission email to them again. There was again no response at all.
    5.They posted the same ad right before the deadline for applying has been reached.
    6.They posted an ad for the same position but for a different project shortly after the deadline. This one has a new deadline in later this year.
    I think those are all the info I have left out.
    Personally, I needn't dwell on this job. I still have plenty of time to build up my skill set and portfolio. It's the thought that maybe the reason they didn't reply is that my art test isn't nearly good enough for a junior position (which they practically encourage anyone to apply in the ad) that bothers me. There is no phone number for the office I applied on their website. But it's only less than 3 hours drive to that city from where I live. Maybe I will drop in their office if I have the time. I am the type that tend not to hassle the recruiter too much in case they put me on an ignore list or something, but this time the way they handle this really ticked me off. I mean it took 1 day for them to get back to me after receiving my CV. It took them 15 minutes (literally) to send me the test details after receiving the signed NDA. And it would kill them to send even the shortest reply to confirm that they got the test? Please tell me your thoughts. Thanks!
  • Mark Dygert
    humm yep I would consider it a closed issue. It really doesn't sound like the door is going to open. I doubt they're having technical difficulties too... I wouldn't bother calling, most places take offense to that, they often put "no phone calls please" on the posting. Stopping by to inquire will more than likely end up with you talking to security rather than anyone who would be in a position to do anything about getting you hired. Although I did land a pre-press assistant job by walking in off the street... and there was that storm trooper guy...

    By not saying anything they seem to be cutting communication. Which is kind of a crappy way to go about it but pretty common. It's time to look else where, re-bait your hook and cast that line again.
  • Ott
    Offline / Send Message
    Ott polycounter lvl 13
    realm13 wrote: »
    But it's only less than 3 hours drive to that city from where I live. Maybe I will drop in their office if I have the time. I am the type that tend not to hassle the recruiter too much in case they put me on an ignore list or something, but this time the way they handle this really ticked me off.

    No. Do NOT drive to the office. You got your answer via the non-response. During big hiring pushes they can sift through 10-20 of these tests a week at least. You need to realize that some companies are less responsive than others and you might not hear anything at all.

    Deal with it and move on.
  • EmAr
    Offline / Send Message
    EmAr polycounter lvl 18
    I'd just move on. If they treat applications like this, going to their office wouldn't be worth your time even if they'd let you speak to a person related to the matter.

    Here's that storm trooper guy Mark mentioned BTW if anyone missed that guy:

    http://www.tk409.com/gettingajob.html
  • fmnoor
    Offline / Send Message
    fmnoor polycounter lvl 17
    stand outside one of their office windows and breathe heavily on the glass.

    What could possibly go wrong?
  • Hito
    Offline / Send Message
    Hito interpolator
    Hey, look on the bright side, at least you won't get a beer thrown in your face for being persistent. :)
  • Mark Dygert
    fmnoor wrote: »
    stand outside one of their office windows and breathe heavily on the glass.

    What could possibly go wrong?
    Agreed
  • EarthQuake
    Another way to look at this as well, a lot of the times a studio simply does not want to commit too much one way or the other. Say they like another applicant more than you, but it falls through. If they've rejected you they're likely out of both candidates now.
  • jipe
    Offline / Send Message
    jipe polycounter lvl 17
    This thread is full of good advice already, but I wanted to add something really quickly:

    Applying for jobs is a lot like asking someone out on a date. You have to be confident and interesting, and they're probably picky, but you can't come off as desperate or crazy. That means if they don't respond after one or two emails, take it as a sign and move on. Imagine if this were a potential girlfriend instead of a possible employer. Would you start googling her phone number if she stopped answering your emails? Would you "swing by" after a 3.5 hour drive to say hello in person? I know this seems a bit silly, but it really does work as a general guide to job hunting behavior.

    It also means that I no longer show up to dates (interviews) without a shirt or pants. Details! They're important.
  • Autocon
    Offline / Send Message
    Autocon polycounter lvl 15
    Ott wrote: »
    No. Do NOT drive to the office. You got your answer via the non-response. During big hiring pushes they can sift through 10-20 of these tests a week at least. You need to realize that some companies are less responsive than others and you might not hear anything at all.

    Deal with it and move on.

    Exactly this. If you dont hear back from them right away assume you got rejected and move on. Work toward getting a job somewhere else and if they eventually do get back to you later on then hey great, if not, then no skin off your back as you have been applying to other places.

    If they really want to hire you for the job they would have responded right away.
  • aesir
    Offline / Send Message
    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    only drive to the office if you are dressed as a storm trooper.
  • cman2k
    Offline / Send Message
    cman2k polycounter lvl 17
    ^^ that is the lesson to learn here.
  • Arcanox
    Even more frustrating is when you get someone from a company that you didn't even apply to express interest in hiring you, but they don't even respond to your initial reply.

    I'm still trying to figure out how that works.
  • realm13
    Thanks for the advices guys. Really appreciate it.
    I'm not that desperate for this particular job. The main reason I want to find out what was going on was the act of my pride. I didn't want to believe that my skill and experience weren't good enough for a junior position. Then again, maybe a lot of artists with better skill and more experience were after this position as well. Anyway, time to drop this and focus on the upcoming DW.
    Cheers!
  • crazyfingers
    Offline / Send Message
    crazyfingers polycounter lvl 10
    realm13 wrote: »
    Thanks for the advices guys. Really appreciate it.
    I'm not that desperate for this particular job. The main reason I want to find out what was going on was the act of my pride. I didn't want to believe that my skill and experience weren't good enough for a junior position. Then again, maybe a lot of artists with better skill and more experience were after this position as well. Anyway, time to drop this and focus on the upcoming DW.
    Cheers!

    This is a terrible attitude to have, I like to imagine some bimbo with huge knockers got the job instead of me.

    JK!

    In all seriousness you'll just never know why you didn't quite get the job. Maybe some other guy had a piece of art referencing something someone was a big fan of, maybe some other person asked for less money, maybe they were looking for someone with more (or less) experience, maybe your name is the same as someone who picked on the hiring manager when they were a kid. There are so many variables outside of your actual skillset that go into hiring that you really can't sweat it. As stated before, just keep your head up, keep faith that you're good at what you do and keep sending off more job applications.
  • realm13
    This is a terrible attitude to have, I like to imagine some bimbo with huge knockers got the job instead of me.

    JK!

    In all seriousness you'll just never know why you didn't quite get the job. Maybe some other guy had a piece of art referencing something someone was a big fan of, maybe some other person asked for less money, maybe they were looking for someone with more (or less) experience, maybe your name is the same as someone who picked on the hiring manager when they were a kid. There are so many variables outside of your actual skillset that go into hiring that you really can't sweat it. As stated before, just keep your head up, keep faith that you're good at what you do and keep sending off more job applications.

    Thanks Crazyfingers! You put a smile on my face. :)
    I think I completely get what you were saying. There is no need to dwell on a close miss (or a not so close miss for that matter). I'll just keep firing until I hit the target. :thumbup:
Sign In or Register to comment.