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Today, I’m doing a video “teardown” of 3 actual resumes from job-seekers in the video game industry. All of the resumes are pretty good, but they make some super-common mistakes that I see all the time. With just a little more work, these can become the sort of eye-catching resumes that are impossible for recruiters and hiring managers to overlook.

Most of these mistakes are extremely common—in fact, I’d be willing to bet that your own resume contains at least 3 of these mistakes right now! Watch the video to learn what they are, and how you can fix them before you apply for your next job.

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By Posted in Careers, Resume 14 Comments

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Understanding the game designer job requirements is the first step to mastery.

Is your goal to become a video game designer, but you don’t know how to get there? Start by understanding the game designer requirements and qualifications that game companies demand.

Every game company has specific requirements you’ll need to meet before they’ll hire you as a game designer. Luckily, you don’t need to ask companies what those are. Instead, simply find an online job posting by any game studio you’d like to work for, and read the game designer job requirements they’ve listed. It’s that easy. Read more »

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By Posted in Applying, Podcast, Resume No Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Max, who asks “Hello, I don’t miss an episode of your podcast ever since the first one. I have a question: What are some specific examples of demos you could prepare for different game programming positions? Could you provide some specific examples that a hiring manager would like to see for positions such as Gameplay Programmer, Graphics Programmer, or Tools Programmer, to name a few? Thanks a lot and keep up the excellent work.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Some actionable ideas for demos to put in your programming portfolio
  • Where to find inspiration for even more ideas to code
  • The most impactful and rewarding portfolio project you can do over a summer

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By Posted in Applying, Podcast, Resume No Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Travis, who asks “I am a recent computer science graduate. I applied for a tester job at Ubisoft and, following your advice, I submitted everything as a PDF file. But I recently listened to another podcast that said big companies, like Ubisoft, don’t actually read resumes, computers do, and that we should use a plain resume with specific fonts and save it as a Microsoft word or a TXT file so the computer can parse the information. Is this true? Is my application going to be overlooked because I submitted PDF files?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why big game companies use machine learning software to filter resumes
  • Whether certain file formats and fonts might cause problems for your application
  • A clever trick you can use to find out what’s allowed by any company’s resume-reading software

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By Posted in Podcast, Resume No Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Supreeth, who asks, “Hey Jason! Supreeth here, we here in India appreciate all the information provided in you website and I’m a huge fan of your podcast. So, I would feel glad if you could provide me any certain information regarding, How do I make a game programming demo to apply for jobs? How should the demo be? In video format? How do I show my code along with my demo reel?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why you can’t afford not to have a game programming portfolio
  • How to use the “what, why, how” portfolio format
  • How to get your own portfolio website and your own domain name

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By Posted in Resume 1 Comment

This article is part of our Video Game Job Hunt Guide. Read the full guide to learn how to write a strong resume, build a winning portfolio, ace your job interviews and more.

Screen shot from Particle + Noise shader demo, Brandon Fogerty
A graphical programming portfolio can make your resume mesmerizing.

If you’re searching for a job in the video game industry, it’s important to have an online portfolio to showcase your work. That might be easy for artists that already work in a pixel-based medium – but how can video game programmers make their code into something visually appealing that looks great on a web page? Read more »

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By Posted in Applying, Resume, Tools 49 Comments

This article is part of our Video Game Job Hunt Guide. Read the full guide to learn how to write a strong resume, build a winning portfolio, ace your job interviews and more.

Old typewriter
I typed my gaming resume on this clacker. J/K.

When I applied for my first game studio job back in 2001, I knew that a good resume was important. Naturally I searched the Internet, hoping to find good advice and resume samples that worked. There wasn’t much out there back then. But what little I did find was conflicting and contradictory. Not helpful.

Functional or chronological? Combination or targeted? Formal or creative? MS Word or PDF? It shouldn’t have been so hard to get a straight answer.

That was a long time ago. Today, there’s 100 times more advice out there and it’s 1,000 times more conflicting and contradictory. Still not helpful!Read more »

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By Posted in Interviewing, Resume 2 Comments

Big and Small Goldfish
There are advantages to being a small fish in a big pond.

Without a doubt, this is a tough time to look for a new job in the game industry. Dozens of studios have have been hit by layoffs or have been shut down. Many others are barely treading water. From smaller shops like Harmonix and OMGPOP all the way up to big industry fixtures like EA, LucasArts, and SEGA, nobody has been immune to cuts. As a result, the job market is flooded with veteran game developers, and they’re fighting against fresh-out-of-school newcomers for many of the same jobs.

If you’re a recent graduate, you might be thinking: How can I get hired when I’m just a guppy going up against so many sharks? Is the pond big enough for everybody? How can I compete with established developers that have years of experience?Read more »

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By Posted in Applying, Interviewing, Resume 2 Comments

This article is part of our Video Game Job Hunt Guide. Read the full guide to learn how to write a strong resume, build a winning portfolio, ace your job interviews and more.

Illustration of Winged Boy with Skateboard
Is your online art portfolio setting you up for success? Or dragging you down?

Building an online art portfolio is a critical part of applying for video game artist jobs. But it isn’t just about showing your awesome work to the art director before an interview. It’s also important to highlight your individual passion and personality as an artist.

We’ve assembled a collection of 7 game artist portfolio examples from working, industry professionals. Each artist offers clear and actionable advice on how to make your online art portfolio really shine.

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By Posted in Resume 9 Comments

This article is part of our Video Game Job Hunt Guide. Read the full guide to learn how to write a strong resume, build a winning portfolio, ace your job interviews and more.

A students writes her resume
Does your game dev resume set you apart from the competition?

The goal of a resume is to make you stand out from hundreds of other job candidates, so you can land an interview and ultimately get a job in the video game industry.

Don’t underestimate how important it is to write a good resume. This is your chance to make a great first impression on potential employers. Don’t blow it!

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