It can be difficult to know what studios are looking for
when it comes to applications – often it can vary between not only discipline,
but my projects.
Some of the most senior hiring managers at Sumo Nottingham
have pulled together some top tips on how to create a winning application for
roles in Production, Code and Art.
Top Tips for Production Applicants
“Make your dev experience clear”, says Senior
Executive Producer Jon Schutts.
Jon is working on an upcoming project at Sumo Nottingham and
has been part of many production hires in his five years at Sumo Nottingham.
Tell us about your production experience
“It’s especially important for Mid and Senior roles to make sure your dev
experience is clear. A studio will be interested to know how long you’ve worked
in Production, your role on previous projects and whether they were partial or
full-dev cycles.”
List out the projects you’ve worked on
“All project experience matters. We want to know the projects you worked on,
how you contributed to them, the external partners you worked with and the size
of teams you’re used to working with.”
Make your application relevant to the role
“Move all non-relevant information in your application to the bottom, in a concise
list or bullet point format, to make room for the experience in roles related
to the job you’re applying for.”
Do your research
“The biggest mistake
I see is people applying for roles thinking they’re something else. For
example, not all companies define Producer and Project Manager as the same
thing (Sumo Nottingham included!). If you’re unsure about the remit of the role
after thoroughly reading the job posting, reach out to someone in recruitment
at that company – they’ll often be able to point you in the right direction.”
You can check out Production roles at Sumo Nottingham here.
Top Tips for Code Applicants
“[it’s] about making us interested in you as an
individual, don’t oversell yourself and keep to the facts”, says Technical
Director David Smethurst.
Since joining Sumo Nottingham earlier this year, David has worked
closely with many of the technical teams at the studio.
Keep your skills relevant to the role
“A common mistake candidates make in applications is including too much detail
about non-coding experience. It’s amazing that you can 3D model and create
textures, but that isn’t what we’re looking for. Instead, be sure to talk about
the areas and features of a game you were specifically involved in, and the
impact your work had.”
Adapt your CV to the level
“What
looks good on a CV can be dependent on the role you’re applying for. For Junior
Programmers, we look for proof that you’ve learnt about making games – either at
university or in your own time – and that you have a passion to learn and the drive
to complete work by showing us examples. At a Senior level, we’re looking for
an indication that you’ve seen projects through from inception to completion
and can show examples of the work you’ve either led on or worked on as part of
a team. For those senior levels, we’re looking for you to explain what, why and
how.”
Put together a portfolio that shows your
ability
“Portfolios are a great way for us to get to know you through
your work. For Junior applicants, we suggest putting together a portfolio of
examples so we can better understand your level. It doesn’t have to be fancy; the
ideal format is links to GitHub projects with screenshots and/or video with
accompanying descriptions of what the game or tool achieves, plus some
information on your specific role on the project.”
Don’t break any NDAs!
“The secrecy of
working in games – we get it. If a project isn’t released yet and you’re
limited to what you can say, mention what you can and give us examples of
technical work without naming names. We know all too well the difficulties
presented by NDAs!”
Keep it simple
“We don’t need logos
or pictures embedded into your CV, nor do we need outlandish or over-the-top
formatting. Keep your CV straightforward, stick to the facts and let the
content do the talking. Some ‘must-haves’ for any CV include an accurate
history of employment (with your most recent at the top) complete with rough
start/end dates, academic history, a list of skills and technology you’re
experienced in, and – most importantly – some information about you! In the
end, we’re all interested in making great games so we’d love to know what games
interest you and why.”
“Remember – everyone at the company had to
apply for their role and has been through this process!”
You can check out Code roles at Sumo Nottingham here.
Top Tips for Art Applicants
“Put your best and most recent pieces forward”,
says Art Director Kelvin Tuite.
From Harry Potter to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,
Kelvin has worked on some amazing projects in his career. In his role at Sumo
Nottingham, he now works across all areas of the art department.
Always include the essentials
“The best way to submit an application for a role in
the art department at Sumo Nottingham is to provide us with a portfolio (either
a website, an ArtStation page or a PDF) which shows relevant work, a concise CV
showing your experience and detailing your skills and a cover letter which
explains to us why you’d be a good fit and why you want to join the team.”
Keep it simple
“We see a lot of CVs packed with infographics showing skillsets – this way of displaying information is only useful if you are trying to demonstrate your graphic design skills for a UI role. It’s better if you just list the skills you are good at and call out those in which you have an intermediate level of understanding. The same goes for your cover letter, the key information we’re looking for is why you want to work at Sumo and what would make you a good fit.”
Make sure your application is relevant to the
studio/project
“It’s a good idea to show a level of
understanding of a studio and its projects when applying – Sumo Digital is a
big place and oftentimes people can get confused between teams which can make for
awkward conversations further down the line! With that in mind, do some
research before applying! If the role is for a particular style or genre of
game, make sure your portfolio demonstrates relevant work – or if your usual
style is in contrast to the project, showcase your flexibility by including
different styles and genres within your portfolio.”
Don’t make your portfolio just
a gallery of final renders or illustrations
“We like to
understand how you think, to see your working processes and the decisions
you’ve made to achieve the final image. So don’t forget to support your renders
with sketches, mood boards, work-in-progress pieces, sculpts, textures and
material sheets. For more technical roles, we like to see all of the above plus
documentation and workflows.”
Proper Portfolio Practices
“A
portfolio can say a lot through its contents and helps us get a sense of your
level, style and skills. There are lots of areas to cover, so here are some top
tips on how to best present your work for various roles in the art team:
3D Art: Show your 3D work in a rendered video
or 3D viewer in addition to screenshots, we also like to see them in situ within the game wherever possible. Be sure to include a breakdown of processes
from modelling to materials, as well as references used or concepts worked from.
Concept Art: Show us the journey of how you got to
the final product – the inclusion of mood boards and sketches really helps to
paint the picture, and the techniques you used (like photo bash, 3D layout
paint over or straight-up digital painting) lets us understand the process and your
knowledge.
UI: It’s important that you show the UX
flows and the sketches that led to the digital graphics. We also love to see
evidence of the ability to communicate abstract concepts through iconography.
Technical Art: Be sure
to demonstrate workflows, the tools you used or any Plugins, Blueprints or Code
you have created.
“For any Art role it’s important to demonstrate your understanding
of colour, light and composition and, wherever possible or relevant, how you
have collaborated with other artists or disciplines in the creation of your
pieces.”
You can check out Art roles at Sumo Nottingham here.
The Sumo Nottingham team is working on a range of exciting
projects, including The Texas
Chain Saw Massacre, and is looking for talented people to join
their growing team! Find out more about this powerhouse studio – including its
studio culture, games and people – here.
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Interested in discovering more about roles at Sumo Nottingham? All
opportunities can be found on the Careers Page.
