First, I'll talk about resources I've used in my job hunt. They boil down to two categories - connections and websites. Connections is using the people you know. I'll outline what has happened so far by using my connections. If you're not using LinkedIn then you should, because it is a fantastic way to keep in touch with people you meet throughout the industry!
- I applied to a few Associate Producer positions at EA. A buddy of mine just so happens to work at EA Mobile and he put in a good word for me. What do you know? My resume magically wound up at the top of the pile and I got an interview! I've had two solid interviews with EA Mobile so far, so things are looking pretty promising with them.
- My former Studio Director knew of some possible positions opening at Bioware Austin, so I passed him my resume as well as over to a Senior Technical Artist I know there, Professor420. I haven't heard from Bioware (unfortunately), but it was still good to have people trying to look out for me!
- I was talking with the head of the Hamsterball Studios Austin branch, who I know from doing business with him. He volunteered to keep his eyes peeled and asked for my resume. Nothing has come out of it yet, but again, the more resources the merrier! By the way, their work is fantastic if you need music, voice acting, or SFX for your games.
Those are a few examples of using your connections. Establishing good relationships with the people you meet in the industry is so vitally important. You never know when you might have to reach out for some help. It might not even be job hunting, your company could be looking for outsourcing resources and you'll get brownie points for your excellent recommendation from both sides. Next I'm going to outline some websites that have been of use to me.
- GameDev.net - Due to my last Journal entry, jjd was kind enough to point me to a recruiter friend of his, whom I contacted. He didn't have any openings at the moment, but he took my resume and is going to keep is eyes out for positions. In case you didn't catch it before, another GameDev.net member, Professor420, also tried to help me out by passing my resume to a Project Manager he knows and respects. This website is great for sharing knowledge and making connections.
- GameDevMap.com - Holy cow is this a gold mine in finding game companies. It took me awhile, but I literally crawled through every single link, recording studios that have listings for Producers. I've found and applied to quite a few positions through this route. I've landed interviews with two companies from this - Bonfire Studios and Telltale Games. I interviewed with Bonfire Studios a couple weeks ago and have kept in touch with a Senior Producer there. They weren't hiring at the moment for an Associate Producer, but he informed me of a possible position opening within a month or so. Good thing I was preemptive, right? I had a short interview with HR at Telltale Games at the end of last week. I'll have to wait and see if anything comes out of it. To sum up, GameDevMap.com is a great resource, but it going to require some legwork. Doing the legwork has obviously proven to be beneficial though!
- Gamasutra.com - Obviously everyone here has heard of Gamasutra, but it is worth pointing out. Gamasutra's job listings seem to be the number one go-to place for looking for industry jobs. Interestingly enough, I haven't gotten any interviews via this route yet. I've definitely been using it though!
- Craigslist.com - A lot of jobs are posted on here nowadays. When I was at Seamless Entertainment, we used Craiglist to find some ActionScript Programmers and some Flash Artists who turned out invaluable for the Sesame Street games. I've applied to a few local, not necessarily game industry jobs via Craigslist. I had a brief HR discussion with one company that was building a game team, but I apparently applied a bit late due to applying like 5 days after the post went up. Wow.
Well, there you go - my story for the past few weeks. I hope something here was useful to you, or at the very least entertaining [smile].