Driving to a studio to apply in person - Good idea, bad idea?
polycounter lvl 14
There's a character artist position that's been posted recently on a studio's website that I'm super interested in. I've applied through their third party application online a couple of days ago. My concern is that I can't do a proper follow up in a week or two since they don't have a direct telephone/email of contact.
I've already asked the question to my immediate family (the general consensus is that it's worth a shot), but was wondering for y'all's opinion. Considering my above situation (the inability to do a proper follow up for the position, etc.), I was considering driving two states (from Missouri to Texas) to drop off a cover letter/resume to their studio in person and possibly asking for an art test.
Would this be beneficial for me to do or would it hurt my prospects in the long run? Thanks!
I've already asked the question to my immediate family (the general consensus is that it's worth a shot), but was wondering for y'all's opinion. Considering my above situation (the inability to do a proper follow up for the position, etc.), I was considering driving two states (from Missouri to Texas) to drop off a cover letter/resume to their studio in person and possibly asking for an art test.
Would this be beneficial for me to do or would it hurt my prospects in the long run? Thanks!
Replies
You've only just applied to the studio. Don't expect to hear back so soon. Studios get applications all the time, especially if they have an online application process. It takes them a while to fish through them. Typically when you apply, you'd let them get in contact with you instead of you going to them.
Do you know anyone at the studio? Ive heard of people going out to studios to visit people they know who work there, and it just so happens they've applied recently too, just sort of a way of letting the studio know you exist and are looking into them, but if a studio gets a random visit from an applicant saying "hey i just applied and drove 2 states to see you guys" they may see you as a bit overzealous.
Ill give you an example of where ive seen this happen before. A studio i was interning with had a guy come in and do just that. He sent them an email saying he'd like to apply (a recent grad from school), and after not hearing back from them, he drove his way to the studio, which in his case was only about a 30 minute drive so it wasnt that bad, and walked in demanding they looked at his demo reel and gave him feedback on whether or not he'd get a job. Now disregarding the fact that his work was..... not what they were looking for, they told him no. They are always telling stories still about this guy, saying how assertive he was and how it got him nowhere.
This is only in the instance of this one company (a small one) though, but id use it as an example for your situation. I too have just gone on a bit of a frenzy applying to studios, and i recall on one of the application confirmation emails (i think it was for zenimax), they said that if you do not hear back within 3-4 weeks, then the position has been filled or you are not right for the job based on skill/experience. This is a good time measure to go off of. Not all studios will let you know if you haven't gotten a job, so waiting is all there really is to do. I know some studios like Blizzard are a bit more keen on letting their applicants know if they were accepted/rejected for a position, but just know that when you apply, you're in the database. Studios will hang on to applications for a while and check back on applicants every now and then, so if it turns out you dont hear back or they do not think you're qualified just yet, you're still in their records.
So when it comes down to it, if you prefer the too long didnt read iteration of this.. id say dont go out there. Just sit tight. keep working on things to keep your mind busy, and if they call, then they'll call. if not then there are plenty of other places you can apply to.
best of luck.
Give it some time, and try to find some sort of contact, they maybe very busy at the moment.
As for the friends and family that say give it a shot anyway, they may not realize how small the industry is, and you do yourself no favors by becoming "That guy".
You can try to connect with someone that works there on LinkedIn or here on Polycount. Then private message them that you are interested in working at their company, and ask them for feedback on your portfolio.
You've got a couple of nice characters in your portfolio, I'm sure you'll hear back.
If they're interested they will contact you, if they're not interested they probably will not appreciate having you show up uninvited at their office.
Anyways, I also vote for not going in person.
It's weird.
Just keep on looking while you wait for them to contact you back dude, don't get too tied up with one studio. Good luck!
Its not looking good man.
I work for a rather larger company though, policies are in place to prevent things like that. Smaller shops I'm sure will take the risks (they need the bodies) but for mid/large size places; they legally cannot take you free. As for driving and showing up in person, most places say no right off the bat. We even have signs. So doing it, with signs, is definitely a bad choice.
Ultimately it comes down to the folio (for art positions)
Show up with a catered spread. If they don't let you in, wait in the parking lot. Anyone who enters the parking lot, offer them some sun-warmed sandwiches or perhaps potato salad. If they speed up, chase them down. Tackle them and pin their arms to the ground. While they panic, offer to wash their car. Explain to them that you just really need this job.
This is how you make an impression!
I was the weird guy that showed up at Tiburon one day back in 2003 - I dropped off a VHS tape of my reel, a VHS tape!?
But seriously, don't go
Focus on your work, have some patience and things will work themselves out
Asking them for a tour, like Rojo has said, would be the optimal thing to do if you want to visit the company however.
I've only heard jokes about 'the people that just showed up', not the good kind of jokes.
my personal own...well if its a SMALL studio like iphone etc.......sure wtf, who care if they think your creepy there small time/mid at most Big Fing deal.....on the other hand if your some dude that drove cross country to apply at like blizzard or bungie or epic games whatever you suck cock over. And just get there to have HR throw you out UNLESS you make a big deal to see someone....you will be known as "that creepy dude"
theres more to this I dont want to get into detail about without "butthurting" people..so im just gonna say keep working hard, reach for the stars and piss on the people bellow you
I think it depends on the studio. If it's not a really popular one then I think it's ok to do it. I've done it myself and the people I met were friendly and happy to see me. Some even took the time to watch my demoreel while I was there. This was at a pretty big VFX studio in London BUT I think it might be a different deal with really popular studios like Blizzard, Epic and Pixar as there are already so many people applying for jobs there. Never say never though
So don't go thinking well one guy that might be creepy, but a few guys that's a friendly social gathering.
Needless to say the place I worked at was very small and security was next to nil.
ARTIST: HEY, JUST CALLING TO SEE IF YOU GOT MY PORTFOLIO. I SENT IT IN THREE DAYS AGO.
HR: YES, IT LOOKS LIKE WE RECEIVED IT.
ARTIST: OH, OKAY. COOL.
*awkward silence*
I follow up after interviews because then you have a direct contact and you have something to thank them for -- the time spent on the interview, the flight/accommodations if they fly you out, etc. -- and it's polite. But if I just apply somewhere and don't hear back, there's no point. There's a very small chance that they ignored my reel; most likely they just found someone else who was better and more experienced. Embrace the black hole, apply to a lot of studios, and keep improving your work month-by-month.
I was going to say I don't see the harm in it but then I read the replies.
I've actually walked into a studio before to hand in an application for two reasons. Firstly, I like to know my application has actually arrived on the desk of the person who should see it (and let's be honest, these things do go 'missing/in the bin').
Secondly, and this was probably the primary reason, is that the studio is less than 10 minutes from my house. Since they wanted a printed portfolio I thought I'd save the postage costs and drop it in by hand... gave them the chance to see I was presentable and a nice guy too (hopefully
In any case, there wasn't a problem at all. The reception area was completely separate from the offices and the admin staff seemed really nice about it all. I didn't even see any of the dev teams, just a couple women sat at reception.
Needless to say, I didn't get the job, but I'm pretty sure that was down to my abilities as an artist rather than the fact I set foot in their building.
However, if the doors lead straight into the offices, then that would indeed be totally weird lol. I just imagine some poor bastard stood there with this piece of paper and DVD and everybody in the office turns and looks at you like 'who're you'?
QFT
It happens more often than you might think. It's not unique. It doesn't show that you're super interested. It comes off as "tryhard" and somewhat creepy. ESPECIALLY if you come in wearing a suit.
Chances are, you will be turned away with nothing more than a business card and directions to the online application process.
edit:
@seforin : I want to fucking hug you, man! We need to hug... let's hug. Hugs... okay?
The head on your portfolio is nice along with your blog work, but not to keen on the women. You seem to have the experience and technical ability judging from your CV, but your portfolio comes across slightly flat and doesn't really stand out in the massive crowd of character artists.
Then again it really does depend on what studio you are pinning your hopes on.
No wait, that hasn't happened yet.
What have we done wrong?
Let your portfolio speak for you. The day to day tasks of a game studio keep everyone pretty busy so you're very unlikely to get any attention if you showed up in person.
Why?
Are industry receptionists also that righteous about this 'unwritten rule' of 'omgz check out those creepy outsiders hahahah wtfnoob he doesn't work in the industry, let's point and laugh' that they don't even do their job properly?
If the FedEx guy drops off a package at reception, does that just go in the bin too? I suppose all incoming mail has to come through online too, just so a *gasp* member of the public doesn't have to step through those hallowed front doors.
As I said previously, I can totally see why walking into an office full of 50 developers waving your arms around would be a dick move... I really don't see an issue with just handing in an application at reception... you know, like you do in 99% of other careers.
Lol... a lot of elitism here. It's like industry people have earned these stripes, and if someone else doesn't wear them, that person is automatically inferior as a person.
So glad I'm not chasing that career path anymore.
The other reason reason is because it is a waste of peoples time. Dropping off an application physically instead of doing it the way the studio requires it ends up wasting someone's time unnecessarily. Also, it sends that vibe of being the guy doing things differently just for the sake of being different instead of being efficient.
By the end of the day, it's still about spending one's time wisely an working one's ass off on art quality.
Honestly, my experience with most jobs has been this: unless it's a retail or service job that has a public face they will be a bit put off by someone showing up and applying for a job - lots of office job listings online will even say specifically "NO CALLS".
I used to work at a newspaper; people showing up looking for work were turned away and told to apply online because HR wasn't even in our building.
also, from my experience, if a studio has a receptionist they are primarily the office manager/executive assistant and the gate keeper who usually have to deal with crazed fans trying to bypass customer support.
I've worked a few office jobs in Graphics Design/Web Design/and most recently Architecture and all of them had a reception desk/area where they would happily take applications from anyone who just 'walked in'. The company I'm at now are pretty prominent and notable, yet we regularly have general enquiries and applicants pop in through the door. It's actually really odd to me to hear of the attitudes talked about in this thread.
Don't.
I don't see what's so stalker-ish about sending a simple message. I've heard of someone getting a job offer by contacting the AD who otherwise missed the person's application/portfolio. Just don't persist if there's no reply.
The only way I could see it working for you to turn up in person is if the studio had 1 or 2 interviews with you, they went really well, but you didn't get the job. Then maybe you could show enough enthusiasm/harassment for what they do that they might make a position for you (or maybe line you up if they ever have a position become available).
Linkedin is something else. More useful if you hadn't already reached the right person.
The game industry is different though. I've gotten both of my game industry jobs at reputable companies by sending in my application in response to job postings without knowing anyone at the studio. There are no real shortcuts or tips and tricks if you are sending in an application cold, if your art is good enough and you meet the requirements for the position, you'll probably get a follow up interview, otherwise you'll get a no or never hear from them.
Once you are going through the interview process it is acceptable to follow up with people you have interacted with, but not before.
The way you do it is to call up the studio first and politely ask whether it would be alright to bring around your portfolio and perhaps have a chat with the HR about it. Some will say no, but with some luck others will allow it. I think I got 4 casual interviews with different studios just chatting with the HR/Art director and looking over my portfolio. None of them resulted in a job because my folio wasn't particularly good at that point, but they remembered me when I sent in updates which was is huge advntage in the job getting stakes. At least assuming you're able to come off as a decent sort of a person. Even if you get turned down you've touched base with the company and depending on the structure this might help your chances too.
Now caveat. This was in Melbourne, Australia about 6-7 years ago so things are a bit different these days. Still, I don't think there's any reason why it's not worth trying it now. As long as you're polite there's nothing much negative that could come of it.
But driving there and THEN ask to see someone would make no sense...
A bit different than the question the OP was asking about, but I thought this was actually a really interesting point--my dad has suggested a few times that to get my foot in the door at a studio, I should offer to intern for free for a few months, and then if I prove myself, hopefully get a job. And I was always very hesitant, cause I wasn't very sure of this approach.
So do other people agree? Is this selling yourself short/a bad idea?
It shows a lack of confidence in your skills and also a lack of understanding in regards to how the industry works.
Looking at your animations alone, you don't need to sell yourself short at all anyways.
You should put a different title in your portfolio, like character artist/animator. A specific title like that will get your portfolio to end up in the results of more relevant searches.