Job Searching at SIGGRAPH 2004- By Diane E. Shapiro for the Silicon Valley SIGGRAPH ChapterAt the age of 22 I asked my college mentor whether or not my choice to attend NYU for a graduate degree would lead me to actual work in my industry. And her response was, “Well, that’s really up to you.” I naively had assumed that a degree from a good school would guarantee industry employment. Isn’t that the purpose of obtaining a degree? Well, thousands of dollars and many years later, I now know better. “That’s really up to you” is another way of saying “No, a degree does not necessarily get you a job.” A degree is just a degree. A degree (specifically an MFA) will teach you how to do a skill, trade, or discipline better, faster, and more efficiently. But that hard-earned degree will absolutely not guarantee you a job. Not in today’s world of overpopulation, overcrowding, competition, diminishing resources, reduction of the middle-class, and post-dot-com-bust. No, a degree will get you, well, just a degree. So, then, what DOES get you a job, if it is not the degree? Well… that is really up to you. But here are a few hints and tips that might help you with that goal. The Obvious:Job Fair / Job BoardsA Career/Job Fair (which includes job boards with postings from companies looking to hire as well as booths with company representatives) was a part of this year’s SIGGRAPH conference. A large number of companies participated, and this is a great place to find out which companies are actually hiring as opposed to which ones are just advertising (as many on the trade floor do). One participating company that caught my eye is Dynamic Animation Systems (www.d-a-s.com). This is a Virginia area company that makes every effort to keep their staff from project to project (unlike many of the bigger studios that lay off employees at the conclusion of a project). At the time that I interviewed them they had 70 employees: 69 men and 1 woman (if you are female, you may have a good chance with this company, since most companies would like to display gender equality in their hiring practices). The government is their main client. Currently the company needs strong candidates with real-time animation and low-poly modeling skills. They prefer “generalists” because of the small size of the company. And they specifically need people who can do realistic human modeling. As of August 2004, they had three job openings for artists. It is important to remember that Pixar and ILM are not the only companies out there. Companies like Dynamic Animation Systems are hiring, and the competition for securing jobs at less well known companies may be not quite as intense. If you are committed to a certain geographical region of the country this will greatly limit your options. But if you are willing to relocate, there are many opportunities out there. Some of the other companies that participated in the Job Fair are: The Art Institutes, ATI Technologies Inc., ESC Entertainment, Intel Software Engineering, International Game Technologies, Savanna College of Art and Design, Universal Creative, Universal Parks and Resorts, and Vicarious Visions. The Trade Show FloorMany companies will advertise open positions directly on the trade show floor. You need to be assertive and ask whether the listed/posted positions are current openings, or whether the published items are just “sample” positions. Some companies will publish lists of positions that are not actually being filled at the moment. I assume they do this to encourage the submission of demo reels. The lecturers in the seminars at SIGGRAPH 2004 indicated that submitting a demo reel at a SIGGRAPH conference is not a wise move, only because of the sheer number of reels that are submitted at the conference. They will not have time to give any one reel the attention that it deserves. So it is better to submit the reel well before or well after the conference when the studios are not overwhelmed with thousands of newly submitted reels. Also, keep in mind that companies do not want to receive the exact same demo reel submission twice in less than a 6-month period. Another worthwhile activity is to talk to the professionals representing the studios on the tradeshow floor and find out what they are really looking for in their applicants. I had a very long conversation with Clifford from Blue Sky Studios. He had a lot of great things to say about what he looks for in young applicants (he prefers specialists not generalists, but this preference will vary from company to company). The main thing that he eagerly wanted to emphasize was that characters in demo reels should EMOTE. So the key to winning over this hiring professional is to show that you know how to make your characters truly display convincing emotions. If you can do that you just may land a job at Blue Sky Studios. Different hiring professionals are looking for different things. So if you have a particular studio that you want to work for, talk to them and find out what they most want to see in a demo reel. Integrating their suggestions into your work will greatly increase your chances of landing a gig at that studio. The tradeshow floor at SIGGRAPH is a great place to access these professionals. I think that meeting and getting to know some of these studio representatives is a better use of one’s time at SIGGRAPH than just dropping off reels everywhere and not bothering to speak to the hiring staff. Unless your reel is magnificent beyond belief, you are up against some stiff competition. So you need to find out what specifically will set you apart from the competition, and the SIGGRAPH tradeshow floor can be a great place to gather that information. This environment brings dozens of studio professionals to one location for a concentrated period of time. It’s the perfect networking and research situation if you can see past the noise and commotion of the products and companies, vying for your attention, to the truly useful resources (people) awaiting your eager questions. The Somewhat Obvious:Panels: Careers in Computer Graphics EntertainmentThis was a fabulous panel/seminar that focused entirely on how to get a job. In the five pages of notes I took during this panel the phrase “problem-solver” came up at least five times. No other word or phrase occurred more frequently than “problem-solver.” This panel consisted of 5 panelists plus the moderator, all representing different companies. So the key knowledge here is that if you can communicate and demonstrate in an interview or otherwise that you are highly capable of “problem-solving” you are nine-tenths of the way into that new job. No other skill was more universally desired according to the people on this panel. A close second was “collaboration”. In this industry prima donnas are not appreciated. The next most interesting item on this list was making sure that your contact information is on your demo reel and resume (!) I almost fell off my chair when I discovered that people actually forget to label their demo reels. If they forget to label their submissions, then they don’t deserve the job. But you’d be surprised how many good reels are submitted without contact information, according to these panelists as well as other presenters at SIGGRAPH. So, be detail oriented. From the many good points made and advice given during this panel I devised a new Course of Study for obtaining a job. This is a degree that WILL actually get you a job. The degree is not a BA, MA, MFA nor a PHD. It is called a GAJ (short for “Getting a Job”). The class list is as follows:
Now, why is it that most real-world degree programs do not place an emphasis on the skills listed above? I don’t know. But the advice given at SIGGRAPH, specifically on this panel, is that the above listed skills are the magic key to success. The Educators ProgramThis year The Educators Program held a series of lectures that focused almost entirely on job seeking and hiring issues. These lectures included:
These lectures covered everything from how long your demo reel should be (most demo reels are evaluated in 30 seconds or less) to the fact that you need to manage your life and money (because all projects end eventually), to where you can find out about jobs (websites, stock holder reports, press kits, trade publications, association meetings, SIGGRAPH, user groups, BOF meetings, college lectures, and online discussion groups). Many important tips on submitting demo reels and applying for jobs where touched on: It’s good to mention people you know in a particular company when applying. Label your reel properly, many people don’t. Don’t shrink-wrap your reel. Put your best stuff at the beginning of the reel. Remove old work from your reel. Be detail oriented. Don’t be careless in any way. Receptionists tell interviewers if you are rude, so don’t be a jerk! They will only remember the worst piece on the reel, so edit your reel. Don’t put erotica or violence on your reel. Show that you are smart, humor is extremely important. Content is what counts on the reel. Unsolicited work will sit on the shelf for a long time. Concept art is important. Resumes are scanned and then word searched so make sure the text is very legible. Always address your cover letter and resume to a specific person. Good reels are kept indefinitely. Another important item that was touched on is the fact that character animation is the most competitive position. Other areas that you can work in are modeling, texturing, lighting, compositing, and special effects. Apparently there are not many special effects people around because everyone wants to be a character animator. If your number one goal is to get a job, consider specializing in special effects. This may increase your chances of getting hired, since these specialists are in higher demand right now. If you MUST be a character animator, keep in mind that companies are looking for performance, emotion, and how well you can act. If you can’t give a performance, communicate emotion, be a good actor, and communicate that through your reel, pick a different specialization. When starting out in the industry you also need to remember that no job is too small. If you are going to be extremely picky about where you will and won’t work, don’t expect a quick job search. The key is to get one job, as that one job will lead to the next job (if you are a good employee). Don’t turn down anything, even an internship, because internships can give you time to focus and work towards what you really want to do. No experiences are wasted and there are no wrong choices. Any job you choose to do, can lead you to where you want to be. But don’t expect your very first job to be the ideal job. Most people in any industry have to work their way up. If you are picky, you may likely not work. If you keep an open mind and work hard, you will likely succeed. Also remember that companies advertise for the best, but they may take you if you have even 10% of what they are looking for. Companies often look for perfect candidates that don’t exist. So apply even if you do not posses all of the criteria on the list. And lastly, the future is in the sole proprietor. As equipment becomes more affordable and employees become more expensive, a lot of work may go the way of the independent contractor. This is the trend that is starting to emerge, so think about setting yourself up to fit this model. I Can Find A Job Where?Parties (Networking):Most likely you know people who have positions to fill. Or you know someone who knows someone who has a position to fill. You just need to find out about it. So like it or not, you need to talk to people and be a little bit pushy. Find out where the open jobs are. Every night of any annual SIGGRAPH conference there are most likely at least two parties happening, which present the perfect opportunity for networking. So, how do you find out about them? During my first three annual SIGGRAPH conferences I attended only one party. And I was very shy and awkward back then, so networking was out of the question. Later in my career, I joined a local SIGGRAPH chapter and started volunteering for the board. One great result of this involvement is that I now know many people who always know where the parties are. Party information is spread largely by word of mouth. Another way to find out about SIGGRAPH parties is to look for postcards and flyers advertising them on the trade show floor or at the Chapters booth. Every year the “Chapters” host a big party, usually on Monday night. When attending parties talk to the people you know, and be aggressive about talking to the people that you don’t know as well. Ask them about their job and how they got into it. And ask them if they know about other parties that are happening during the conference. Almost all of my acquired knowledge regarding SIGGRAPH parties was a result of knowing other long-time SIGGRAPH attendees through my local chapter involvement. So get involved. The Guy Standing Next to You in Line:While standing in line for a very popular limited admission acting and drawing class at the conference, I struck up a conversation with the guy in line next to me. He was a Visual Information Specialist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Investigative and Prosecutive Graphics Unit. Who would have thought! And he mentioned that this particular unit of the FBI currently has somewhere between one and three open positions in his office, which are CG positions. If you don’t live in or around Virginia this may not be helpful information. However, if you are a recent graduate and you are willing to go where the work is, this is a gold mine. So, ask people about their jobs and how they got into them. When you are at a SIGGRAPH conference you are surrounded by a wealth of knowledge regarding job openings and opportunities. All you need to do is be bold enough to strike up a conversation with the person standing next to you in line. Volunteer Activities:As part of my Chapters involvement I volunteered to talk with Student Volunteers at a Student Volunteer Luncheon that is organized by the Chapters leaders. At this activity I ended up sitting next to a young guy from the Washington D.C. / Virginia area who was about to graduate from school. So of course I referred him to the FBI Investigative and Prosecutive Graphics Unit. The SIGGRAPH conference provides every attendee with access to working professionals in MANY capacities: speakers, panelists, course presenters, conference organizers, researchers, and most commonly other attendees. One way to connect with these people is to volunteer at the conference. There are many opportunities to volunteer, either through a local SIGGRAPH chapter, or directly for the conference organizers. Current students can attend the conference for free while working as a Student Volunteer. The conference website provides information on working directly for conference organizers. And the board of your local SIGGRAPH chapter can work with you on volunteering for chapter activities both at the conference and throughout the year. In ConclusionWhat it really comes down to is how much you REALLY want that job. If what you really want is to work minimal hours (part-time), for the most high profile company (Pixar or ILM), in the most desirable geographical location (the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, or New York City), you may not find a job. But if you truly just want a job in the Computer Graphics Industry and you are willing to work for a small company, live in any location, and work long hours, you can find a job. As with anything in life, you must decide what your priorities are, and whether or not your priorities match what the CG industry is looking for (hard workers, willing to put in long hours and live in any location). So the real key to landing a job is to adjust your life priorities to meet the expectations of any or all companies that are currently hiring. Then you will have success. |