1. careers
2. resume writing and advice

Resumes, Cover Letters and Websites
Presented
By
Jim Rivers
Hiring Manager
What is a resume?
Definition:
• A summary of a candidates educational and work experience, for the
information of possible future employers.
Resume formats
Functional Resume
• The functional resume is used to emphasize a focus on skills that are
specific to the type of position you are seeking.
• This format directly highlights specific experience summaries and
professional achievements as its primary means of communication.
Resume formats
Chronological Resume
• A chronological resume enumerates a candidate's job experiences in
reverse chronological order, generally covering the last 3 - 5 years or
industry related experience.
• The main body of the document is the Professional Experience section.
• The chronological resume works to build credibility through experience,
while demonstrating career growth over time.
Which one works for you?
Functional resume
• If you lack Industry experience but have solid school, modding or
internship experience this is a great option.
Chronological resume
• If you have Industry experience and you want to showcase your career
growth over time.
What should I put on my resume?
Do’s
• Tailor your resume to each company you apply too
• Keep your resume limited to 1 page unless you have the experience to
back it up
• Make downloading easy – WORD .DOC or .PDF Formats
• Make sure that you spell check EVERYTHING and then have other people
check it again
• Make sure you have your web link on your resume
• Keep updating the information and style of your resume
What should I not put on my resume?
Don’ts
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Do not bulk up your resume because you lack experience
No logos or artwork on your resume
No crazy FONTS – Veranda, Arial and Times New Roman is fine
Do not send your resume as a .JPEG or .AI
Put the wrong companies name on your resume
Hobbies, Marital status, Political Status, Social Security Number, Drivers
License Number, Birthday or Picture of yourself
What should I put on my resume?
Contact Information
Should always be at the top of the page and include the following:
• Name – Avoid using nick names
• Address – Simple
• Email – Your name @ Whatever . Com
• Website – Keep it professional
• Phone – Have a professional answer
What should I put on my resume?
Objective or Summary ?
Objective
• Your objective should be simple, specific and brief and relate to the
position you are applying for
• No more than two or three lines
• It should highlight what you have to offer the company, such as a specific
skill or experience
• A recruiter is more interested in what you can give the company than what
you hope to get from it
Summary
• A summary statement is a one- to two-sentence overview that captures
the essence of your skills and experience.
• It highlights what makes you a qualified candidate as well as what makes
you different (and better) than other applicants.
What should I put on my resume?
Skills
• Listing skills can help you stand out. It can also add important keywords to
your resume. Hiring managers often use skills as keywords when searching
resume databases.
Helpful tip:
• Use tables to organize and categorize your skills then you can hide the
edges for a better appearance.
Example:
Programs:
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ZBrush
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Photoshop
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Softimage XSI
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3D Studio Max
Engines or Editors:
 Never Winter
 Unreal
 Hammer
 GECK
What should I put on my resume?
Achievements
• An achievement is the successful completion of something.
• An achievement that has been accomplished by your hard work, ability, or
perseverance in previous jobs or activities.
• Try to summarize your achievements in no less than 5 but no more than
10 bullet points.
Example:
• Created, animated or designed a level or scene
• Responsible for the day-to-day mentoring of new artist’s
• Built a level 70 character in World of Warcraft in under a week
What should I put on my resume?
Industry or Work Experience
• List your experience chronologically
• Your most recent job first
• Include your title (Title should be in bold), the company name, location,
and dates of employment.
• Titles you have worked on (if applicable)
• A brief description of your accomplishments with bullet points
Example:
Level Designer
Obsidian Entertainment, Irvine CA
2003 – Present
Titles completed: Alpha Protocol, Neverwinter Nights 2
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Create immersive, innovative, and gameplay-driven environments using a proprietary tools and in-house
assets
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Bring life to levels through lighting, effects, dynamic events, and scripting
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Define the creative vision and fun factor while executing design and working through design revisions
What should I put on my resume?
Education
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List your most recent education first and work backward.
State your degree, major, minor (Spell it out)
Start and completion dates of attendance
School's name and location
We don’t need to know your GPA
Example:
Bachelor of Science in Gaming Simulation, 2002-2006 ?
University of Whatever – City, State
Example Resume: Chronological
John Doe
1515 Imaginary Way #C
Huntington Beach, CA 92646
Cell: 714-555-1212
[email protected]
www.johndoesdesigns.com
Objective or Summary
I am striving to be the best game designer in the industry.
Skills
Software
3D Studio Max
Maya
Photoshop
ZBrush
Engines or Editors
Never Winter
GECK
Unreal
Hammer
Languages
C/C++
Open GL
Direct X
Visual Basic
Industry Experience
Level Design Internship
Obsidian Entertainment, Irvine CA
2009 – Present
Title worked on: Alpha Protocol
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Terrain sculpting and painting, placement of game objects on the world map
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Creation of secondary locations
Education
Bachelor of Science in Gaming Simulation, 1996
University of Whatever – City, State
What is a Cover Letter?
Definition:
• A cover letter is an accompanying letter or email that introduces you and
your resume to a potential employer indicating your interest in the
position or company.
What should I have in my Cover Letter?
Do’s
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Passion for what you do
Fan-boy a bit but don’t go overboard
Research the company you are applying too
Be confident
What can you bring to the team
What should I not have in my Cover Letter?
Don’ts
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Life story
Put the wrong companies name on your cover letter
Don’t beg or plead
No more than 1 page
Example - Cover Letter
Date
Your Name
Address
City/State/Zip
Employer's Name
Employer's Title
Company Name
Address
City/State/Zip
Dear,
Introduction : Create interest; attract attention!
The Body: Discuss why you want to work for this company
Closing: State that you would like an opportunity to be interviewed
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Name Printed
Websites
Definition:
• A collection of related web pages, images, videos or other digital assets
that are addressed with a common domain name
What should I have on my website?
• Your name and contact information
• What are you
– Designer, Artist, Animator or Programmer
• Links to your resume (Downloadable please) in .PDF or Word .DOC
formats
• Easy accessibility
• Your best work
What should I NOT have on my website?
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Works in progress
Work that is not yours
Work that SCREAMS COLLEGE or your MOM said it looks great
Quantity over quality
Work that does not apply
Anime
Don’t make us hunt for your work!
What should I have on my website?
Artists
What type of artist are you
• Concept, Environment, or Character
Galleries
• Organized by type or genre
– Fantasy
– Sci-Fi
– Current
– Period
– 2D
– 3D
– Modeling
– Rigging
Concept Artists
• What is the difference between being a Concept Artist or a Illustrator?
What should I have on my website?
Animators
• Single compiled reels are outdated
– Make a variety of individual clips by type
• Run cycles, Action cycles and conversations
• Showcase the 12 principles of Animation
• Most current and best work on top
• Please have your videos in QuickTime
• Make your videos easy to open
What should I have on my website?
Designers
• What kind of designer are you?
– Creative, Level, Systems or Scripter
• Top down maps
• QuickTime fly thru or screen shots
• Documentation
– What you did on the project
• Level designer, systems or creative
– Overview of game
– Systems or scripts
• Link to Mod site
What should I have on my website?
Programmers
• What kind of programmer are you?
– Gameplay, Engine, AI, Graphics or Tools
• Links to games made
• QuickTime examples of your programs in action
• Links to blogs you participate in about programming
Questions?
Special Thanks to
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Lindsey McQueeney – Big Huge Games/38 Studios
Stacey Frias – Foundation 9/Double Helix
Angela Baker - Insomniac Games
Sumer Ortiz – Blizzard Entertainment
Tina Cruz-Williams – Foundation 9/Backbone
Wendy Jones – Ncsoft/Carbine Studios