Resume ====== 1. 2 page max, better at 1 * Especially before you have much experience 2. Purpose: show you have the skills they need 1. Standard-ish style: easy to digest 2. Put down what you want them to know so they can find it! 3. Sections 1. Contact: Name, address, phone, email, **link to portfolio** 2. (optional, I'd skip) Objective statement 1. If you have one, **customize it!** 2. **NO** "Software, Games, and/or Web Development" 3. Education 1. Current degree, even if in progress (give expected date) 2. HS doesn't matter if you have/are completing a college degree 4. Experience 1. Non-work experience 1. Not standard after you've been working a while 2. But now, this is the most important part of what you know! 3. Limit to bulleted list of **relevant** projects (personal or school) 4. Say your role 2. Work 1. Shows responsibility 2. If you don't have, leave out 5. Skills (could put before experience) 1. List of **relevant** skills (e.g. C++ or Maya). 2. Irrelevant or overly basic skills weaken the list 1. Implies you don't recognize that they're not relevant. 2. A programmer's resume listing "for loops" among their skills **will** get passed around. Everyone will get a good laugh. They will not get an interview. 3. Course numbers not relevant 6. Honors (if you've got them!) 7. References 1. Don't waste space on "available on request" 2. OK to just leave out for publically accessible online resume Cover Letter ============ 1. May or may not have for online applications 2. Customize **per application** 3. Show some awareness of company's games or reputation 4. Place to point out anything you want to make sure they notice 2. Resumes are typically reverse chronological, so easy to miss the most relevant if it's not the most recent. 1. Especially things that relate to what they want Online Portfolio ================ 1. Clean and Professional 1. Unless you're an HTML whiz, use wordpress, wix, or similar 2. Your name and **link to resume** should be prominent * They should be able to find your resume from your portfolio, and find your portfolio from your resume. 2. Content 1. Only stuff that is good 2. Screenshot, description of project and **what you did** * When appropriate, artist's statement 3. Consider **also** vidoe, **possibly** playable game 1. Site should stand alone, assuming most won't watch or play 2. Very unlikely to download anything to play! 4. Categorize if enough 3. Examples 2. Programmer [Josh Barczak](http://www.joshbarczak.com/) 3. Artist [Tom Symonds](https://tomsymonds.deviantart.com/) 4. Designer [Michelle Menard](https://portfolio.artemic.com/games/) 5. Artist [Russell Vaccaro](http://foxrocket.com/) Finding Opportunities ===================== 1. Internships vs. Full-time job 1. Junior-Senior year is ideal, but (just) post-graduation internships do exist 2. Risk-free way for them to try you out, can turn into full-time job 1. Career Center 1. Resume and interview prep 2. **Limited** listings or career fairs * Larger local game companies, at the right time in their cycle 2. Networking (AKA don't forget your friends) 1. Friends in this class (for this job or the next one) 2. IGDA [Baltimore Chapter Discord](https://discord.gg/csB2dAsu) * Events, registry channels 3. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com) 1. I ignore social aspects, but good for networking 2. Send request (with note) when you meet any developers 3. Connect with friends and professors 4. Look at 2-link connections 2. Others who have graduated from UMBC 1. Even if you don't know them, but know someone who does 2. Email, discord, LinkedIn, meet at IGDA events 2. Check game company web sites for listings of current openings 1. Most will also list internships 2. Even if they don't, and you want an internship, still worth applying 3. Smaller companies may not list any openings, even if they are hiring. Contact anyway. 3. Listings by region [Game Dev Map](https://gamedevmap.com) 1. GameDevMap is better at adding companies than removing them! 2. Double check with company web site 3. Possibly triple check with dates of activity 4. Consider non-local 1. Concentrations in LA, SF, Austin, NYC 2. Even internships should pay enough so you don't **lose** money * Many companies will help connect out-of-town interns for shared housing 5. Look for clusters 1. Smaller companies often founded by people from nearby larger companies 2. Concentration of strategy games near Hunt Valley, sports games near Orlando 3. Find one: look to see what else is nearby 6. Choose electives 1. If you're not graduating this semester, choose electives to make you more competitive 2. The closer you are to their ideal, the smaller pool of candidates you're competing with