Shane Le Mar - Aardvark Swift Correspondence/Warren Leigh

Aardvark Swift is a recruitment company (one of many) however they specialize in the Games Industry, as much as that is not my target industry it is one that is an option and thus, I contacted them over the Holidays. I’ve been speaking to several people in order to find someone that can help me and has the knowledge to do so. Eventually I was landed with Warren Leigh, he has been helping me build up each part of my portfolio properly.

Bellow I’ve included the assistance I was given to begin with by the system as it is very generic and helpful to anyone with ideas of going into the Creative Media Industry.

The layout should be as follows:

-          Personal details

-          Objective/Personal Profile

-          Technical Skills

-          Education (if you have work Experience in games then this comes here)

-          Work Experience

-          Hobbies and Interests

-          References

I will explain what we expect to see under each heading!

1. Personal Details

As the name suggests this section is for name, contact information, If not EU Citizen then nationality and Portfolio link.

For your portfolio you can get a free website at wordpress.com or wix.com, which let you add several customizable options. And unlike if you host your own website, they are always up without having to remember to pay a bill!

On these websites we want to see your best projects that you have been working on, this could include:

Text explaining the objective of the project and why you did it etc.

Images of the project including breakdowns, different angles, different lighting, WIPs etc.

If you don’t have many completed projects don’t be afraid to include WIPs you are currently working on

Here’s some great portfolios to have a look at for inspiration:

3D Environment Artist/3D Modeler: http://3dstok.com/

3D Character Artist: https://www.zakiaabd.com/

3D Animation: http://www.amelietalarmain.com/

3D VFX: http://www.nielsdewitte.be/

Concept art: https://www.artstation.com/thijsdr

See more in-depth advice here: http://gradsingames.com/services/students/games-industry-portfolio-advice/

2. Objective/Personal profile

Personalise yourself to make the reader want to know more about you, show off your best bits to make the reader interested and want to read on. (Remember you may not have the experience, but you do have the passion and enthusiasm!) You could talk about what has made you love games and want to work in the industry, any games-related achievements, past projects you’re particularly proud of, what you’re working on now etc. – just a few sentences to demonstrate your motivation and passion.

3. Technical Skills

Summarise your knowledge - it lets employers get a quick visual on what you are capable of.

You want software packages, engines, other skills like z-brush etc. It’s best to do this clearly and concisely so that it’s easy to see what you’re capable of from just a quick glance.

4. Education

Education should always come before Employment unless you have worked in games in your aspiring career path. Grades should be included so companies don’t think you are hiding something from them.

You should start with your most recent/highest qualification first, so your masters or degree.

The higher level the qualification the more space it gets on your CV.

For your degree you should include what course, where it is, when it has been done, the grade/predicted grade, module information.

Module Information – Start with Final Year first, include all the titles of your modules and final project, a few details about each and your predicted/received grade. As a dissertation can take up to a year to do it’s worth putting title and a brief explanation of what you did/learnt.

After this have a selection (about 3 of each) of relevant 1st and 2nd year modules with the percentages you received and put your overall year average for each year.

Your A-Levels/Diploma/Highers should be next, this should only really take up two lines. All they need is where, when, what, grade.

GCSEs should be last. This should only be around one line e.g. A*-C achieved in 10 GCSE including Maths (A), English (B).

5. Employment

As with all the sections on the CV, include the information that is most relevant to the Games Industry.

If you do have Games Industry Experience you should be shouting about it in this section!

As a recent graduate it is unlikely that you will have prior industry experience but if you have then insert this before your educational background as it is more relevant at this stage in your career. This should include dates of employment, role and key responsibilities, and the games that you have worked on or software used.

If you have commercial art/animation experience, pull out the relevant information. For example, what software you used, how you worked with other people, what your key responsibilities were.

It is not necessary to include vast descriptions of summer jobs etc. unless they are truly relevant. Don’t describe every summer job you have ever had - they are worth a mention but don’t go into too much detail, dedicate the space on your CV accordingly.

At this point in your career companies are more interested with what you can bring to them and the team!

6. Hobbies and Interests

On a Games CV this becomes a great opportunity to sell your passion and interest in games!

Write about what you REALLY do in your spare time – what games you play, what consoles you own, your genre preferences, sporting activities etc. Are you a member of a Modding community? When did your passion for games begin?

For graduates and those without games industry experience, this section is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate just how keen you are. Again, this is a section where you can tell them about how passionately you want to work in the games industry.

Something that is really interesting to studios is your passion/enthusiasm –what art do you do in your spare time? Game Jams? Competitions?

7. References

Just put References available on request - the reason for this is a company will have to come to you for them and you can create a dialogue with that person. Also, if you apply for several jobs you don’t want everyone phoning them up - your references will get annoyed and you could lose them.