How to get into gamedev and become a sought-after specialist. Part 2
We publish the second part of the interview with Mikhail Shemetun, one of the creative directors of the studio Plarium, in which he spoke in detail about the requirements for the portfolio and resume, and also gave recommendations on the successful implementation of the test task.
If you have not read the first part, you can do this by clicking on the link.
What is the best way to organize your portfolio so that it represents its owner?
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Assume that the portfolio has a target audience - a potential employer, and it is an indicator of your achievements, professionalism and results. Portfolio should be structured: if it is a mess, then most likely it will be uninteresting. Also, the portfolio in which there are many works from different areas: characters, environments, and 3D models will not attract attention. Do not put it in your academic searches, tests of new brushes or ways to use those or other tools. Your works will not look advantageous if you have a good idea in one illustration, a color in another, a form in the third, and you made a caricature of your friend in the fourth.
Place in the portfolio the best works that you like yourself, and weak ones - delete them or put them in a separate folder marked “Searches and samples”. Let there be five works in your portfolio, but strong in all aspects: composition, color, light, lines, forms and ideas. I must say, the portfolio should be required. If you do not have it, and the resume indicates ten years of service, then no one will believe it. It happens that your commercial work has died with the project or are under the NDA. If there is no way to show them, create personal projects exclusively for your portfolio - you can't do without it.
What can you say about the resume? Should it be strict or can you creatively design it?
Again, consider the target audience of your resume. At first, recruiters read it, and they process dozens of resumes per day. HR specialists are people of deeds, words and laws. Therefore, the information for them needs to be presented clearly, briefly and within the framework of generally accepted recommendations. No need to adopt unusual resume in the form of game characters with scales of experience and skills. Here creativity is not necessary, it should be shown in the framework of the test task.
How would you advise to approach the test task? Is it necessary to show imagination here or is it better to perform it within the framework of the task set?
First of all, the candidate must complete the task assigned to him. If you think that you can bring something else to the test, cope better, add your own vision, then you can do this by adding additional options. In the test task it is not prohibited and can be a big plus, because this approach speaks of the initiative, interest and diligence of the applicant. However, if you are asked to observe a certain style of work, then you can see it in the attached references, do not go into the creative quest, forgetting about the main thing. I advise you to critically treat your result, compare it with the requirements. If you see that you got carried away and you didn’t do what was required in the task, it’s better to go back, postpone the work and do it all over again.
How is the candidate's job being evaluated?
The main thing is that the work was done with love - it is really visible and felt. A candidate who pored over a task for a long time tried to make him ideally, most likely, he would be invited to an interview, even if the result of his work did not reach the level we required a little. Of course, it is necessary to cope with the test task as well as possible, since it is an indicator of the professionalism of the candidate. If you rushed and sent the unfinished work, you will probably be rated lower than you deserve. No need to treat the test lightly - give out your best result and show yourself. It is better to send it later than to hurry and return the unfinished work. It is important to want to interest the test task not only for us, but also for ourselves. I can also say that tasks are of different levels. You can always request a more complicated option if you think that you can easily cope with the task received.
Do you give feedback on a test task?
Yes, we always give feedback. Usually this is a detailed answer, which indicates shortcomings in the test work. Such comments may send a candidate and give an opportunity to understand what he needs to work on. But if the level of a person is rather low, then we reserve the right to inform him about it without details.
Have there ever been cases when candidates took a job not immediately, but on the second or third attempt?
Yes of course. Such people drew some conclusions for themselves, improved on the basis of feedback about the test, returned again and got the job.
What happens to the test after its execution? Are test works used in the production process?
The candidate’s test task will never go to work, and it doesn’t matter if a person approached us or we decided to refuse to cooperate with him. We do not allow ourselves this. The test task is intended solely to determine the level of skills of the candidate. There is no need to fear for your results: our task is to find a quality specialist, and not to get someone else's work for nothing.
Tell me, under what conditions will a junior or intern be taken to work?
We have interns, but this is not a targeted training program. We do not announce the recruitment of interns. Such a proposal Plarium makes specific candidates according to the results of their test assignment and interview. If we have seen a talent in a person or some kind of strong point, then we give the opportunity to develop and reveal them.
Suppose a person is accepted, what next?
Juniors and interns should be open to new knowledge and take this position: I don’t know anything, I don’t know anything, teach and tell how to do it. Learn and benefit the company that gives you work and the opportunity to grow. Time will pass, and you will know everything, remember and apply this knowledge in practice. By the way, learning should be inherent to all professionals who work with us. Practice shows: the more a person works, the less he learns, believing that he already knows everything. Such people, as a rule, stop developing, burn out and fall out of the company, because the studio is always in motion, growing, and it requires new ways of solving problems.
Diligence is still needed: it is important to put everything into practice. For example, you learned something about color, outlines of characters, you need to remember it, apply it in different ways, show it and get feedback on your work. If you do not do this, then knowledge will be quickly forgotten. To succeed, you need to be committed to their work. Each task should be taken as a challenge and an opportunity to inject something new: they gave an icon to draw - give the best result you are capable of.
How can you give advice to people who decide to link life with game devs?
Ask yourself ten times one question: is this a favorite thing? If you are only looking for earnings, then you must be a true professional who will make much better those professionals who are burning with their work. Love what you do. In truth, the people whose interests include only money, we consider in the least. We employ specialists with different levels of skills, but all of them are united by the love of games and the desire to develop a common cause. This allows us to create a really strong team of professionals. And even if it comes time routine, for example, in two weeks you need to draw a couple of thousand icons, then we get together and decide how and who can help organize the process. It should be understood that geymdev is not only euphoria and pleasure, but hard and hard work.
We hope that the information obtained will be useful for you when looking for work and improving yourself as a specialist. And remember, the world always answers “Yes!” To your goals and dreams, all you have to do is carefully plan everything, persevere and move forward, and incredible opportunities will open up before you.
If you have not read the first part, you can do this by clicking on the link.
What is the best way to organize your portfolio so that it represents its owner?
')
Assume that the portfolio has a target audience - a potential employer, and it is an indicator of your achievements, professionalism and results. Portfolio should be structured: if it is a mess, then most likely it will be uninteresting. Also, the portfolio in which there are many works from different areas: characters, environments, and 3D models will not attract attention. Do not put it in your academic searches, tests of new brushes or ways to use those or other tools. Your works will not look advantageous if you have a good idea in one illustration, a color in another, a form in the third, and you made a caricature of your friend in the fourth.
Place in the portfolio the best works that you like yourself, and weak ones - delete them or put them in a separate folder marked “Searches and samples”. Let there be five works in your portfolio, but strong in all aspects: composition, color, light, lines, forms and ideas. I must say, the portfolio should be required. If you do not have it, and the resume indicates ten years of service, then no one will believe it. It happens that your commercial work has died with the project or are under the NDA. If there is no way to show them, create personal projects exclusively for your portfolio - you can't do without it.
What can you say about the resume? Should it be strict or can you creatively design it?
Again, consider the target audience of your resume. At first, recruiters read it, and they process dozens of resumes per day. HR specialists are people of deeds, words and laws. Therefore, the information for them needs to be presented clearly, briefly and within the framework of generally accepted recommendations. No need to adopt unusual resume in the form of game characters with scales of experience and skills. Here creativity is not necessary, it should be shown in the framework of the test task.
How would you advise to approach the test task? Is it necessary to show imagination here or is it better to perform it within the framework of the task set?
First of all, the candidate must complete the task assigned to him. If you think that you can bring something else to the test, cope better, add your own vision, then you can do this by adding additional options. In the test task it is not prohibited and can be a big plus, because this approach speaks of the initiative, interest and diligence of the applicant. However, if you are asked to observe a certain style of work, then you can see it in the attached references, do not go into the creative quest, forgetting about the main thing. I advise you to critically treat your result, compare it with the requirements. If you see that you got carried away and you didn’t do what was required in the task, it’s better to go back, postpone the work and do it all over again.
How is the candidate's job being evaluated?
The main thing is that the work was done with love - it is really visible and felt. A candidate who pored over a task for a long time tried to make him ideally, most likely, he would be invited to an interview, even if the result of his work did not reach the level we required a little. Of course, it is necessary to cope with the test task as well as possible, since it is an indicator of the professionalism of the candidate. If you rushed and sent the unfinished work, you will probably be rated lower than you deserve. No need to treat the test lightly - give out your best result and show yourself. It is better to send it later than to hurry and return the unfinished work. It is important to want to interest the test task not only for us, but also for ourselves. I can also say that tasks are of different levels. You can always request a more complicated option if you think that you can easily cope with the task received.
Do you give feedback on a test task?
Yes, we always give feedback. Usually this is a detailed answer, which indicates shortcomings in the test work. Such comments may send a candidate and give an opportunity to understand what he needs to work on. But if the level of a person is rather low, then we reserve the right to inform him about it without details.
Have there ever been cases when candidates took a job not immediately, but on the second or third attempt?
Yes of course. Such people drew some conclusions for themselves, improved on the basis of feedback about the test, returned again and got the job.
What happens to the test after its execution? Are test works used in the production process?
The candidate’s test task will never go to work, and it doesn’t matter if a person approached us or we decided to refuse to cooperate with him. We do not allow ourselves this. The test task is intended solely to determine the level of skills of the candidate. There is no need to fear for your results: our task is to find a quality specialist, and not to get someone else's work for nothing.
Tell me, under what conditions will a junior or intern be taken to work?
We have interns, but this is not a targeted training program. We do not announce the recruitment of interns. Such a proposal Plarium makes specific candidates according to the results of their test assignment and interview. If we have seen a talent in a person or some kind of strong point, then we give the opportunity to develop and reveal them.
Suppose a person is accepted, what next?
Juniors and interns should be open to new knowledge and take this position: I don’t know anything, I don’t know anything, teach and tell how to do it. Learn and benefit the company that gives you work and the opportunity to grow. Time will pass, and you will know everything, remember and apply this knowledge in practice. By the way, learning should be inherent to all professionals who work with us. Practice shows: the more a person works, the less he learns, believing that he already knows everything. Such people, as a rule, stop developing, burn out and fall out of the company, because the studio is always in motion, growing, and it requires new ways of solving problems.
Diligence is still needed: it is important to put everything into practice. For example, you learned something about color, outlines of characters, you need to remember it, apply it in different ways, show it and get feedback on your work. If you do not do this, then knowledge will be quickly forgotten. To succeed, you need to be committed to their work. Each task should be taken as a challenge and an opportunity to inject something new: they gave an icon to draw - give the best result you are capable of.
How can you give advice to people who decide to link life with game devs?
Ask yourself ten times one question: is this a favorite thing? If you are only looking for earnings, then you must be a true professional who will make much better those professionals who are burning with their work. Love what you do. In truth, the people whose interests include only money, we consider in the least. We employ specialists with different levels of skills, but all of them are united by the love of games and the desire to develop a common cause. This allows us to create a really strong team of professionals. And even if it comes time routine, for example, in two weeks you need to draw a couple of thousand icons, then we get together and decide how and who can help organize the process. It should be understood that geymdev is not only euphoria and pleasure, but hard and hard work.
We hope that the information obtained will be useful for you when looking for work and improving yourself as a specialist. And remember, the world always answers “Yes!” To your goals and dreams, all you have to do is carefully plan everything, persevere and move forward, and incredible opportunities will open up before you.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/313126/
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