No, no I’m not talking about schoolwork. (But feel free to do that as well.)
As many of you may or may not know, I am currently looking for work. (Don’t let my ramblings about prostitution deter you, I just like throwing out random musings of the insane world we live in.) Lucky for me I’ve been interviewing and have set my sights on a position I hope to acquire soon. But, this leads me to the whole do your homework thing.
You want to get into the gaming industry or you are looking to get back into the industry, it’s the same thing. You can have a resume 3 miles long (and still limited to 2 pages – small fonts, itsy bitsy fonts are your friend) and basically know your shit (I would say pardon my French, but I speak French and that’s not French.) but the gaming industry is full of pride and egos. I don’t say that in a bad way – actually it’s in a good way. I’ve never met so many people that are so proud of what they are doing. Of making a product that does great and something they can take pride in. That makes people a bit egotistic as well because they know they can succeed and they are looking for a candidate that will be the right one to carry them through to the next project.
These are good things boys and girls and one of the reasons why I love the Gaming Industry so much (sure there is a dark side, but it’s not as dark as other industries). But that means, do your homework. Whether it’s for an entry level or a managerial position, know their products, know their reputation and know their history (even if you don’t like some of the games they’ve produced). Because without a doubt, they will ask you the question:
“So why are you interested in working for this company?”
And about the lamest thing you can say is, “Yeah uhh I love your games, always have.” Sure it sounds good in your head and everyone loves a fan, the game doesn’t really have a strong tie with the company itself. The game is a product of the company, the company as a whole is something a bit different.
So spend time a few days before your interview and do some sleuthing, find out about who the higher ups are (On LinkedIn if nothing else) then their corporate dealings, charities, environmental, work ethics and practices. Know their products or their upcoming projects for a start up, but get a look from what is available online as to what the company is about.
It will make that particular question easier to babble on about.
Then you can worry about the other millions of questions you might be asked!
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