What is your past experience with art tests?
polycounter lvl 14
Not really the art test itself but after you submit it. I'm finding the experience to be a bit clausterphobic...no real acknowledgment that it was received. It's only been a couple days and I know it's the holidays, but I'm just curious what you guys have gone through in the past?
Initially things were very positive. My portfolio was complimented on, had a fun phone interview...then took the test...and silence...heh. I guess I R suckz. I suppose they are waiting on other submissions...
I should do some of my xmas shopping that I put on hold cause of the test. Pass the time faster...
Initially things were very positive. My portfolio was complimented on, had a fun phone interview...then took the test...and silence...heh. I guess I R suckz. I suppose they are waiting on other submissions...
I should do some of my xmas shopping that I put on hold cause of the test. Pass the time faster...
Replies
funnily at the same time iwas submitting mine, someone posted the same test here on the LP under 500 thread, but since he hasn't poosted a I GOT A JOB thread yet there may still be a chance right?
and of course as i type this someone on GA.org says they've just got a job there...:(
Sometimes it best just to take your mind off of it, and as you said... time will go by much much faster.
Sometimes it does take a "fair" amount of time to receive feedback, and sometimes (not to fun but it does happen) you'll never get any acknowledgement what so ever... and you may out of the blue get a phone call, or it may just slide, so you just keep on going
For now man, do some x mas shoppin, spend some time with family / friends, go play a game or something just to relax and take your mind off of it... or go start another uber piece :P
Good luck buddy!
but you are right about it being the holidays, starting next week most studios will probably be closed till the new year so everyone is super busy. if you dont hear back from them early jan, I would just send a polite email asking if they got the test, or maybe even beginning of next week.
Scudz don't worry man, they may have multiple positions open. You never know.
I think the best you can do is expect the worst, just assume it didn't work out, this way you can continue pushing forward, doing more art tests, doing more art, etc.
Another couple of weeks later no response so I emailed them once more and then I never heard back from either of them again and havent contacted them since.
So I still dont know if they got it or not
Obviously im sure this isnt what you want to hear as you want to hear most people have to wait a long time before hearing back up some times you dont. But as said before its the holidays, im sure it will take a week after everyone comes back before anyone starts and phone calls/interviews/responding.
I was a maya guy but they wanted it done in max so I tried and couldn't finish in time but I sent it anyhow... now that company won't even respond to me.
But seriously crank out another piece while you're waiting, update your portfolio and send them a "hey remember me, oh and check this update out" email.
I've sent a portfolio there was no answer.
after a couple of weeks
I made a knew one and sent and they said it wasn't good enough.
after ~ 2 month
I made a knew one and sent it with a pretty crazy letter. and got down to working on the test. I've done the test and then it's been a 1-2 weeks till I got a reply. But the HR was about to have a vacation so they suspended me for a couple more weeks. Then I came, did an interview and so on.
But I have this strange attitude for art test now. Because where I worked at, once a new art test came up all the companys "leading" artists would gather around, poini fingers and laug like "omfg looks how shitty it is. Man this shit. How can you such a lousy modeler. Oh, he welded this stuff to the main body!Muahaha. Quick call somebody else, they've got see it."
Everytime. This always left me freaked.
But don't take it too serious. I'm sure there are tons of good companies. It's just a little story I shared.
With some other company I did an art test for it was kinda different, cause i just came to their office and took all the data required for it. And then brought it in after completition and got the feedback immideatly.
and I think crazyfingers made a nice point. Just keep moving forward, without dwelling on this thing. Thats a loseless variant.
I'm sure you'll be great someday.Just keep doing it.)
I'd be curious to know what the longest people have waited and then actually got the job?
Ahh yes this. Always good. Or having a family emergency and letting them know hey there's no way this can be done by this time so I'll give it to you on this day and then they just ignore you after you submit.
True Story.
If it's around the holidays, I wouldn't get too worried. Our office is closed for a couple weeks, and I imagine others do something similar.
In the past couple of weeks I've had some good oppertunities, so I'll be working @ one of those very soon, but splash damage was a place where I really really wanted to work at.
My previous 2 art tests both did yield a response, it was something like: We need e generalist(when their site said: env artist lol) and the other one said: Your cartoony/painterly textures arent good enough, which was true.
I was commented on it, yet I have been waiting for my marks. I think they do this just so you cant have a good holiday.
The last art test I did was for a company in California. The way they did things was, check your work on your portfolio, email you, and see if you're interested, get your contact info, setup a phone interview, see if they like you, and if they do, THEN you get the art test. I got the test, did it in the time they asked, 1 week, and they setup another phone interview. Everything went great, but they gave the position to someone else, so I can only believe the other guy was better/more qualified.
Any project you do, whether they get back to you or not is valuable, it shows future potential employers that you can be assigned something and finish the task, and if you work hard on every test you get you can always put it in your portfolio (if the company doesnt mind) and thats something else to add to your portfolio, something that you know at least one game company is looking for, and many others are most likely wanting the same thing. Plus every time you complete a project your building skills, practice, practice, practice, remember?
Seriously, some test do make sense and some can be fun. But I also came across tests that made you really wonder if an artist looked over your resume and folio before having the HR drone hand you the standard art test that makes you repeat things you've done the past years and which you have in your folio.
I don't mind however when a place wants to see skills I haven't shown in my folio, or when the offered position has greater requirements than the last one....or if I'm really desperate to work at one specific studio, then I'd also do an art test. But those uber cool places have quite interesting art tests from what some friends told me, so it's cool
Especially when you already have a job and look for change and only work on art test on evenings or weekends, you soon realize, after having done a few art tests, that your social life is disappearing fast! This makes you appreciate places who can do without an art test or who at least give you an interesting one :P
Remember, interviews, art tests and so on do not just tell the company something about yourself. It also works the other way round. And sometimes you realize that a place may not be worth bothering with at all if the art test itself is already boring as heck. You don't really want to do this full time then.
That is what I was curious to hear about too.
It was my first game job and DS work at that, I had graduated in August, I think it might be pretty difficult for almost everyone the first time they get a job.
Figured I'd note the time I got an art test where I passed it and they canceled when they asked when I could come in to have the interview, and I said I'd need to figure out a flight. They didn't realize I lived in Orlando
As others have said you most likely need to just wait a little while for a response. It's tricky, because if you're around the quality they're looking for but not quite exceptional, they don't really want to give you a definitive "no" in case things don't work out with a candidate they might be slightly more interested in. So sometimes it's not an issue of yes and no so much as yes and not-right-now. Even for someone that they definitely want to hire though, the process has to go through several people who are generally much more concerned about the project itself than dealing with people outside the company, so it can take a while. This can be pretty stessful and reserve-fund-draining for the unemployed but sadly them's the breaks.
Best thing to do is just move forward and send them a gentle prod every once in a while, when you have new personal work to show them. Hey guys, I just finished this totally awesome mech model that I thought you would be interested in seeing, hope things are going well on Project X, looking forward to an update on the results of my art test, etc etc.
, and got a follow up phone call.
then I did'nt hear back for a week
when I did , they said they reviewed my resume
and felt I did'nt have enough experience for the job.
I felt a little odd about that one
a) they where probably right
but ...
b) guess they should have read the thing before they gave me the art test
oh well,
working again, and loving the new place a whole lot