Chances of getting a job at Gamestop

Games Career Development Business

Started by emark.mark20 July 25, 2012 05:36 PM

16 comments, last by emark.mark20 11 years, 8 months ago

18,866

August 04, 2012 03:58 PM

Not to be too harsh on Gamestop, but that's like applying for a McDonalds position

I'm going to tell the story of a friend of mine which shall remain anonymous.
That person worked in the games division of an electronics shop much akin to Gamestop for a few years.
She is now in the game industry. And yes, the position she had was instrumental in securing that job.

Whatever the job you do, you can 'do the job' or 'DO the job'. Sure, you could just tell people in what row to find the game they're after, or when its released, or you can work out a deal with your boss (in case its not already up) where he allows you to play all of the games for free in your spare time, so that you always have something to say about THAT game. You may not realize this, but the industry needs people that are able to tell apart a 'good/bad game' from a series of 'good/bad decisions'. From my perspective, there are a lot of people upstairs that can't quite see the chain of decisions that lead to a bad game, and this means they are going to repeat the same mistakes again.

Personally, I think landing a job at Gamestop may be beneficial to a game dev career if you get in there with the right mindset. It can help you refine your 'critique' sense and give you a broader understanding of game quality which is, once again, instrumental in getting polishes games released.

Ronnie Mado Solbakken

610

August 05, 2012 03:20 PM

emark hasn't asked about the retail job as being valuable for working in game development.

I guess I was just continuing on frob's line of thought. You are correct, of course.

I'm going to tell the story of a friend of mine which shall remain anonymous.
That person worked in the games division of an electronics shop much akin to Gamestop for a few years.
She is now in the game industry. And yes, the position she had was instrumental in securing that job.

Yes and working at McDonalds can be instrumental in making you the owner of your own restaurant chain (no sarcasm intended - you literally get opportunities if you do a great job and mingle with the right crowd). My point is that it's not necessarily the fastest path to your ultimate goal - even if it's indeed a path to walk. In either case, it's a job and it's whatever you make it out to be - something that isn't great, isn't necessarily bad either. It can be average. I'm currently making rollators for a living and it's boring industrial work - but I learn to deal with people, manage resources and manpower and, most of all, techniques of making boring things seem more fun and motivating. None of those things will help me much in landing a game development job but, if I do indeed land one, those skillsets can severely improve how I do my job because a lot of these skillsets are about doing an effective job - regardless of what specific tasks you're doing.

As for the OP, if you love the business side of gaming, then GameStop is a great first step. But doing an excellent job is even better, so be sure to do that. It's all on you to shine in your job and do that little extra effort. Do that, and you'll definitely get opportunities beyond your core job description.

Cheers and good luck.

- Awl you're base are belong me! -

- I don't know, I'm just a noob -

Tom Sloper

17,201

August 05, 2012 03:49 PM

it's all on you to shine in your job and do that little extra effort. Do that, and you'll definitely get opportunities beyond your core job description.

This applies to any job - even a job at McDonalds - whether or not you aspire to working in games.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

MilesRobson

310

August 07, 2012 09:37 PM

On a side note, I live in South Florida. There's a Dunkin Donuts next to a GameStop in my area. I'm close with the manager, so he doesn't mind if I just hang in the store while I wait for friends to show up at DD.

It's so much fun hearing people...talk about games. Not defending, flame wars, anything like that.
Seeing kids pick up a Fire Emblem DS Game "This is stupid!"
Someone picks up Rogue Warrior "Yo, this game looks tight!"
Mothers coming in and asking the reps (and even sometimes me) on what to buy for their kids.

It's...neat. Seeing all these different people, that you normally only really see in a game, in forums, or not at all....just shop.
It's neat. And sometimes when I'm just free writing, I'll start thinking about those people, "Hey, what would they wanna play?"

This might not get you anywhere drastic, but I love it when I see some people not play a game because it doesn't have MP, or the box art is lame to them.

Opinion are opinions, that's their right, but it's sometimes cool to absorb 'em.

Anyway, in my region, it's just a job application (and now it looks to be a background check, too) form to find here. https://gamestopcareerscorp.silkroad.com/GameStopCorporate/EmploymentListings.html

Look at about the third or forth Box (Keyholders and Game Advisers)
I'm not saying don't hand in that Resume (put your name and contact information on it), staple it all together and go to [s]one [/s]as many as you can (my GS's share employees like crazy, don't quite know why).

You might want highlight your fundraising efforts a little more, the stores get noted on their subscriptions and PowerUp sales each month, so you have to be able to respectably highlight that to a customer.

That being said, it looks alright. You might want to format the intro paragraph a little bit better.
I have a professional profile and a personal profile where I separate my job talents from my regular talents. And use TNR 12font or Ariel 10, just so it's a lil' clearer to read.

GOOD LUCK

Twitter

Learning to code in general, Junior at FAU

emark.mark20

201

Author

August 08, 2012 05:36 PM

Hi Emark,

I took a quick look at your resume, and while the point is a bit moot now, should you ever decide to try for the Gamestop job again my feedback is:

Make sure your resume shows your love of gaming

Try adding a quote about games in the footer?

List your hobbies?

Perhaps add an image or logo that shows your love of gaming?

Don't be afraid to get creativeto help yourself stand out

Most importantly, NEVER GIVE UP. If you want to work at Gamestop, apply every month. Try different resumes and strategies. Stay hungry.

Best,

Destin
www.ineedtomakegames.com

I'll see if I can get something on my resume to show my love for gaming. Also, the graphic resumes is pretty interesting but im not sure if anyone would take them seriously. I do agree i will need to be creative to stand out, I just need to know what. By the way, thanks for the website link

You might want highlight your fundraising efforts a little more, the stores get noted on their subscriptions and PowerUp sales each month, so you have to be able to respectably highlight that to a customer.

That being said, it looks alright. You might want to format the intro paragraph a little bit better.
I have a professional profile and a personal profile where I separate my job talents from my regular talents. And use TNR 12font or Ariel 10, just so it's a lil' clearer to read.

What do you think I should do to the intro paragraph? I like to show that I have the skills for retail and that I have a great knowledge of video games. Do you think it should be shortened up a bit? Otherwise, great suggestions

Anyway, looks like I will need to do another resume upgrade again. I'll post a revised one as soon as I can figure out what to do with it. Thanks guys

emark.mark20

201

Author

August 08, 2012 05:53 PM

I'm currently making rollators for a living and it's boring industrial work - but I learn to deal with people, manage resources and manpower and, most of all, techniques of making boring things seem more fun and motivating.

But doing an excellent job is even better, so be sure to do that. It's all on you to shine in your job and do that little extra effort. Do that, and you'll definitely get opportunities beyond your core job description.

You have a point. Since I started working at Dunkin Donuts, my time there is pretty hectic. Recently, I was scolded by my manager for not being quick enough on sandwich assembling or pressing the wrong buttons on the ovens. Said something about my performance diminishing as well despite getting some praise from some of the customers I served but that's his opinion that I respect. It may be a sign that food service isn't for me and I am better off for retail (already I am considering to resign for a possible Gamestop job) but it is also a sign that I need to do a better job. In my mind however, I don't believe my performance is that bad since I got better serving beverages, I hoping he knows about my pros and his negative comments were meant to get me to do better on my cons.

Case in point: I learned more on dealing with people (both in terms of customers, managers, and co-workers). This experience at least, gives me an idea of a more hectic workplace and I can imagine that the game development offices may not be better when its crunch time. I wonder how would this experience compare to Gamestop however...

Tom Sloper

17,201

August 08, 2012 07:02 PM

1. Recently, I was scolded by my manager for not being quick enough on sandwich assembling or pressing the wrong buttons on the ovens. Said something about my performance diminishing as well
2. despite getting some praise from some of the customers I served
3. but that's his opinion that I respect.
4. already I am considering to resign for a possible Gamestop job)
5. but it is also a sign that I need to do a better job.
6. In my mind however, I don't believe my performance is that bad
7. I hoping he knows about my pros and his negative comments were meant to get me to do better on my cons.
8. I wonder how would this experience compare to Gamestop however...

1. You need to take that kind of criticism seriously and try harder/try smarter.
2. Don't let customer compliments go to your head.
3. Yes - his opinion is the one that's important, because he's the one who will (or won't) give you a good recommendation.
4. Don't do that. Much too soon. I once quit a job after just a few weeks, but only because the pay was so low I couldn't support myself on it. I quit with regrets, and the manager was sorry to see me go.
5. Yes. Do a better job, so you can get a good recommendation when you leave.
6. Dude, your opinion is not as educated as his. He's seen a bunch of people come and go - so he has a stronger basis for comparison and objectivity than you do.
7. Do not expect ever to get praise from a boss in that kind of job. The absence of criticism (or the diminishment of it) has to be praise enough.
8. Fast food is unique. Constant pressure, increasing at mealtimes and when specials are run. I've worked in fast food but I've never worked in a retail job for very long. I imagine the pressures are different. You might want to play Diner Dash to hone your skills.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

emark.mark20

201

Author

August 08, 2012 07:24 PM

1. You need to take that kind of criticism seriously and try harder/try smarter.
2. Don't let customer compliments go to your head.
3. Yes - his opinion is the one that's important, because he's the one who will (or won't) give you a good recommendation.
4. Don't do that. Much too soon. I once quit a job after just a few weeks, but only because the pay was so low I couldn't support myself on it. I quit with regrets, and the manager was sorry to see me go.
5. Yes. Do a better job, so you can get a good recommendation when you leave.
6. Dude, your opinion is not as educated as his. He's seen a bunch of people come and go - so he has a stronger basis for comparison and objectivity than you do.
7. Do not expect ever to get praise from a boss in that kind of job. The absence of criticism (or the diminishment of it) has to be praise enough.
8. Fast food is unique. Constant pressure, increasing at mealtimes and when specials are run. I've worked in fast food but I've never worked in a retail job for very long. I imagine the pressures are different. You might want to play Diner Dash to hone your skills.

Thanks for the advice Tom, I noticed you were in my kind of position once. I haven't mentioned it before but one of the reasons I considered resigning was because my schedule was cut into one day, thus making my next paychecks really lower than my first paycheck from Dunkin. To me, it suggests that he may not want me around . The next day I work would be my chance for redemption, perhaps I would get better hours. I hope things work out well. If not, at least I would learn from my mistakes which should hopefully be beneficial when I go into the games industry.

Chances of getting a job at Gamestop

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Chances of getting a job at Gamestop

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Reticulating splines