“You Got The Gig” is a Q&A style interview with students and alumni about their job hunt strategies. If you’re a student or alumni who’d like to contribute your own tips & experience, email Toni for more info!
Maddy Sutton (BFA ’21)
Associate Technical Game Designer at Rockstar Games
Is this your first job/internship?
I previously interned with TreSensa, but this is my first official job!
How did you approach your search for a job/internship?
I was mainly focused on looking for positions that overlapped exactly with what I was interested in. For example, I’m particularly interested in game design and programming so I attempted to find positions that allowed me to do both, and disregarded positions that were further away from my interests.
What did you do to find interesting positions to apply to?
Because I knew pretty much exactly what I wanted to do, I started by looking up the available positions at companies I was familiar with and liked. I also did a lot of research on companies I was less familiar with to see if I could find a good fit for me. I made a long running list of positions that I liked and made sure to apply to the ones I was most excited about first.
What kinds of positions did you apply to, and how many places did you apply to before getting this position?
I only applied to jobs that I was very, very interested in. So for me, I wanted a position where I could do a mix of game design and programming. I wanted to make sure that I was only applying to jobs that I felt qualified for and passionate about. I ended up only applying to one other job before getting my current job, but I applied to many companies for internships before getting my first internship.
What materials did you submit as part of your application?
I submitted my resume, a cover letter, and a portfolio website that also featured a link to my itch.io page.
Was there a specific game/project in your portfolio you tried to showcase?
There was nothing in particular that I was trying to show off, however I did link my itch.io and featured a lot of screenshots of games on my portfolio site.
Do you have any tips for preparing application materials?
For cover letters, I recommend really getting to know the company and position you’re applying for before writing it. Companies really appreciate enthusiasm and it’s easy to tell when someone is faking interest. Also, including detailed reasons for why you’re interested in both the position and the company is really important. No cover letter should look the same! In my experience, cover letters are the make or break for getting a first interview and it’s important to make your letter stand out. As far as a portfolio, I would recommend making one even if you don’t feel like you need one. Portfolios add another layer of professionalism that looks really good to employers. I made a website with Wix.com, but there are a ton of options. A lot of websites have premade templates to help you start. Although it’s intimidating, it only takes a few hours to make a very legit portfolio website!
Tell us a bit about the application and interview process:
My interview process was fairly long. I started off with a recorded interview in which I had a couple minutes to record myself responding to pre determined questions. After that, I had approximately 3 separate interviews with around 15 different people from the team. I also had to take a programming test on my own. I was fortunate enough to receive very fast responses, but the process still took a couple months to complete.
Did you have to do any sort of skills test/project as part of your interview? What was it like?
Yes! I had to take a programming/design test on my own time. The test was fairly low-key as I was given a good amount of time to complete it, and I could think through my answers without the pressure of someone watching over me. I was still very nervous about the results, but the test was definitely not as scary as I expected.
What advice do you have for other students looking for a job/internship?
I would say, be open to all kinds of opportunities! It’s so easy to get tunnel vision with one specific company or one specific job, but there are so many great companies and positions to consider. It’s really important to look at many, many options since rejection is such a big part of job/internship hunting. Consider all kinds of paths! You never know what will end up being the best fit.
Did you hit any roadblocks during the job search?
I think one of the hardest parts about applying to jobs is actually doing it. It takes a lot of time to find relevant jobs, write individual cover letters for each company, perfect your portfolio, etc. Plus, it’s very intimidating to apply to a job! My biggest roadblock was honestly just finding positions that I liked, and getting myself to sit down and actually apply.
Maddy also wrote a blog post for us early in her Game Center Career, read it here!