Recruiter reviews
Does anyone have any recruiters they would recommend? I have worked with one in the past and got a really sketchy vibe from them. I didn't end up taking the job from them.
Now that I am looking for work again I was considering trying them again. I did a quick search around Polycount and read some articles but alot of the companies feel really shady. I would rather try and work with one that I know people have had good experiences with.
Thanks for your thoughts.
EDIT: I suppose I should mention that I am in the US but feel free to give you thoughts about any company for the benefit of everyone.
Now that I am looking for work again I was considering trying them again. I did a quick search around Polycount and read some articles but alot of the companies feel really shady. I would rather try and work with one that I know people have had good experiences with.
Thanks for your thoughts.
EDIT: I suppose I should mention that I am in the US but feel free to give you thoughts about any company for the benefit of everyone.
Replies
never actually gotten a gig from them.
Most studios will try to hire people on their own so they don't have to pay a recruiter fee. Generally, you want to apply directly to the studio, unless you're trying to work at a huge company, like a first party studio at microsoft or sony.
The US based recruiters left no impression. I dealt with a few but I don't even remember their names. They just call you, collect your info and get back to you 6 months later. urgh.
Non US/UK recruiters I would also stay away unless you really really really want that job in this exotic location where you'd always wanted to live. But even then it seems like pure lottery style luck getting a job through them. And stay away from linkedin recruitment spammers with bad English
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Actually I've met several recruiters, some were cool some were not. However, it sounds like you're looking for a recruiter to possibly get you jobs at various companies? Like an agent almost?
Never actually heard of that for the game industry O:
seems to be pretty common in the UK, just check gamesindustry.biz's job section. There are many agencies searching talent for many studios.
Interestingly enough the one company I was contacted by was Sakson & Taylor.... which was bought by Aquent. That was awhile ago tho.
I don't think he falls in line with the same type of recruiter though (I think the OP is referring more to headhunters n such).
A lot of them are independant (i.e not contracted) who just throw people at job adverts they find on places like LinkedIn.
The vast majority of recruiters drive me insane - I get contacted about this, that or the other nearly every week even though it's clear I'm not looking for work. I've found one or two to be reasonable however. The last company I had the mispleasure of working with was Ardvark Swift; they were pretty clueless.
Yeah, they were still Sakson & Taylor when they contacted me as well. Great experience with them though. Mlichy also worked with them (worked with me at Turn10, even).
Then they went ahead and told me to create more military guys, and sports athletes, so I would be more attractive to those studios (that I told them I had no interest in working at).
Bottom line is a LOT of those headhunters are not looking out for your best interest. They are looking out for theirs, which is simply getting you moving around as often as possible so they can take their cut.
That said, I do know that the guys at 3Pod have been really good to the folks here in Montreal. They're a couple of guys most people in the Montreal Games Industry are familiar with. Fred Brassard and Pierre Luc Labbee are decent guys and actually have interest in making sure everyone is happy.
To expand on that, they get their cut based on successfully placing you and charging a fee to the company. The most amazing thing I've had so far is one company trying to get me to go to an interview after they had already placed me and knew my 'probation period' had one week left.
and ya, I'm pretty sure the OP was asking for head hunters. someone who will look around for jobs for them, not just a recruiter for ONE company.
Heard a lot of good things about Escape Studios in London, though they seem to take a big cut of the salary.
0____0 wow
Yea I was looking for reviews of companies just as a resource. If someone knows someone awesome I guess it doesn't hurt to drop their name/contact if they want too.
I use to be a sourcer/recruiter for a 3rd party agency. I would be careful about working with a recruiting agency. Many agencies do not understand art and will throw your resume/portfolio to companies that have an open position that matches your interest. I do think 3rd party agencies are helpful if you are an art director, art manager, a lead or an award winning artist. Agencies tent to focus on engineering since that is not a subjective profession (or at least the spectrum is not as wide). Many agencies will say that their is no cost to you and they only get paid by the company if you get hired. While this is true, this may still cost you a job for multiple reasons. For instance, say you have 2 years of experience and a recruiting agency sent your information to a company for review. Even if they like your work, they may not hire you because they would have to pay a % fee for someone that is potentially considered an associate artist. Here is the kicker, if that game company hires you within a year (some contracts may be longer or shorter), the game company will still have to pay that % fee to the recruiting agency. This is why you should only work with a trusted recruiter who will not spam your resume to every company they know.
My recommendation is to do this yourself at this stage in your career. You should take the act of looking for a job as a full time job. Do your own research on different companies. What are you looking for? Is it location? A company that makes games you like? A studio that is stable? All of the above? Also, make sure you have artwork that is relevant for the company that you apply to. Don't send a WW2 tank model to Blizzard Entertainment for example. Try and match the style and content that the company is working on. This is almost like taking a test for the company without getting an official art test. This will also show the hiring manager(s) that you are really interested in the company.
You should also enter contests and continue to post art work on various forums. Who knows, someone may contact you.
Good luck!
/Team Kenny