Interviewing and Getting a Job 101
Interviewing and Getting a Job 101
Why you should give a sh*t about this presentation…
How many of you want a job when you graduate? ( A real job related to your major )
How many of you want to work in the games industry when you graduate?
About me
Matt Vorce (aka Vorce, Vorcebaby or Gandalf )
Senior in Computer Science
Starting full-time employment at Pixo Entertainment after I graduate
Overview
Making a resume Searching for jobs Preparing for an interview What to expect at an interview
Making a resume
There is no best way to write a resume
There are many things not to do on a resume
Where to start?
Start by creating a bare bones resume… Work experience Outside of work experience Education information Relevant skills you have gained Contact information…
Do’s
Dates of employment Job Titles Bullet points Expected graduation
date GPA (Ideally you have
over a 3.0) Talk about what you
learned not just what you did
Make resume one page one sided
GPA
To include or not to include GPA… Ideally your GPA is a 3.0 or better If not be prepared to give reasons why If under 3.0 consider providing a major
GPA if higher
Don'ts
List every job you have ever had if it is not relevant
Focus solely on the job responsibilities
Be vague or make generic statements
Put down skills you wouldn’t be comfortable answering questions about
After you have a initial draft
Highlight what you did and learned at each of your experiences
Statements should be short bullet yet be meaningful and grab the readers attention
Use verbs
Perfecting your resume
Get it looked over by several different people
Utilize outside resources such as The Center to get your resume critiqued
Example
Finding a job
Go to on campus career fairs Utilize online resources such as
MySpartanCareer.com Use social networking (Make sure
you have a linkedIn) Who you know is often better than
what you know
Cover Letters
Always provide a cover letter when applying even if it is not specifically asked for
Helps you stand out and show you really care about the job you are applying for not just spam sending resumes
Cover Letter Format
3 – 4 paragraphs in length First Paragraph
Introduction to yourself, what you are applying for and why
Second / Third Paragraph 1 – 2 paragraphs about why you are a good
fit for the position Last Paragraph
Express that you would appreciate an opportunity to speak further with them and reiterate how you an be contacted
Portfolio
Very important especially for artists and designers
Don’t clutter it with shitty Tetris remakes
Showcase your best and ideally complete work
Internships
Having relevant work experience is extremely important
How do you get a job when you have no previous experience?
Good news for engineers
Lots of paid internships available Don’t be afraid to look outside of big
names (Microsoft, Google etc) Less exciting sounding internships
are a lot easier to get and can still pay well / provide good working experience
For programmers even non game related programming internships are valuable
For everyone else…
Good internships do exist but you need to work hard to get them
Don’t be afraid to spend a summer at an unpaid internship it will do much more for you than a summer working at McDonalds
Interviewing process
Varies from company to company Typically an initial screening
interview Over the phone On campus interview Over Skype Usually less technical but not
guaranteed On site interview
Preparing for an Interview
Interviewing is a skill Some people are
naturally better at it then others
Like anything else practice makes perfect
Ways to prepare
Google “Top 40 interview questions” and read through them
Make sure you have stories you can easily talk about that demonstrate situations when you did something That class project when you did
something great That job assignment when you
impressed your boss
Ways to prepare
Look up the company online and know stuff about them
Glassdoor.com is a great resource for this Sometimes contains sample interview
questions / information about the interviewing process
Contains information about what its like to work there
Ways to prepare
Go to practice interviews on campus (strongly advised)
You don’t want to sound rehearsed when being interviewed but it will help you to practice
What I did to help prepare
Found a list of popular interview questions
Wrote out how I would answer such a question if I received it
Helped me a lot in brainstorming stories / situations from my past that I could talk about at an interview
Preparing for the technical portion
Preparing for the technical portion of an interview can be very hard
For programmers you can find lots of resources online for sample technical questions.
“Cracking The Coding Interview” is a good book with sample questions / information about preparing for these interviews
Typical interview format
Introduction stage Behavioral Questions (STAR) Technical Questions Opportunity for interviewee to ask
questions Conclusion
Introduction stage
You will get asked the question: “So tell me about yourself?”
Don’t tell them your life story Interviewer may talk about the
company or position Don’t be surprised if asked:
“Why do you want to work for us?” First impression is key
Behavioral Questions (STAR)
Interviewer will ask you a question… “Tell me about a time when…”
Situation Describe a challenge / scenario for the interviewer
Task What did you have to achieve?
Action What action did you take to meet the challenge? Were there any alternatives?
Result What was the outcome of your actions?
Technical Questions
Vary widely from company to company
Vary depending on what job you are going for
Programmers
Often involves programming on the whiteboard
Interviewers are more interested in how you approach a problem and problem solve and less about the answer
The key is not to panic and talk through everything you are thinking in detail
They usually aren't as bad as they sound…
Designers
Interviewers are interested in how you would design something (big surprise)
Might ask questions like: What is your favorite game and why?▪ Why is it your favorite game from a designers
perspective? What is your favorite map and why?▪ What design aspects make a good level?
They are also interested in your workflow
Asking questions at an interview
Always come prepared with questions for the interviewer
If the interviewer asks “So do you have any questions” and you respond “No” you will look dumb
Asking questions at an interview
Don’t ask stupid questions Never mention money
or self centered questions (time off, overtime etc)
Obvious questions that could be answered from their website
End of the interview
Always ask for the interviewers business card
If they don’t have one make sure you get their name and email
Always send a thank you to everyone you interviewed with Google “interview thank you letter” for
information on how to structure it
Conclusion
Seek an internship early and often Gain as much technical skill as
possible Make good connections whenever
possible