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!
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
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
Here's that storm trooper guy Mark mentioned BTW if anyone missed that guy:
http://www.tk409.com/gettingajob.html
What could possibly go wrong?
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.
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.
I'm still trying to figure out how that works.
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.
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: