The main goal of writing a resume is, as many of you are already aware of, to be invited for an interview and get a job. But the question you might have is “where to start?” Don’t worry, you’re not alone. That’s why we’re providing these resume tips.

Before you start writing a resume, let’s do an inventory of your background. You have to ask yourself “what have you done in your past that can be related to your career path” or “what is your skill sets that are useful for the specific job.” Then, print out the job description and highlight skills that the company wants, and compare it to your inventory. If your inventory and the company you’re applying for have a lot in common, you’re good to go! Oh, let’s not forget to do some research of the company. You may want to know what’s the main product of the company, mission statement, just anything about them. This will help you write a targeted resume and save you from feeling like you’re in a wrong place at the interview.

Let’s Start Putting It Together:

Take a look at the sample resumes. As you can see, your resume includes…

1. Contact Information

Make sure you have professional sounding email and voicemail. PLEASE avoid email address like “partydude2009@yahoo.com”

2. Education

Your education is very important. When you list your education, you have to have the title of the degree (i.e. B.S. in Computer Engineering), name of the institute (i.e. GotGame University), graduation date, and GPA if it is above 3.5.

3. Related Project

If you don’t have a lot of work experience, this is the place you can show your capability and contribution. List title of the project, where you completed, and the dates. Remember, this is RELATED project, so don’t list your finance project when you’re applying for a marketing job! Also, use action verb, such as “Led team of 5” or “Developed marketing plan.”

4. Experience

You can list your full time, internship, part-time, and volunteer work experience here. List work experience chronologically from the most recent to the oldest. In this section, you can really shine depending how you present your experience. Use action verbs, and use specific numbers if available (i.e. Interviewed over 700 applicants, Contributed in gaining 15% market share).

5. Skills

This section highlights the skill set employers seek, such as communication skill, technical skill, and language skill. So if you are trilingual in English, Chinese and Spanish, who also has amazing computer skills, and also easy to talk to, let’s list that on your resume!

6. Activities

If you have additional activities that are not directly related to the job description but shows your achievement or ability, let’s list them here.

As for the Reminder…

• Keep your resume in 1 page, using 10-12 fonts, and proof read it and make sure there are no grammatical errors



• Remember to customize your resume to the job you are applying for
• Do not list experience that are not related to the job description

Hope this helps you to write your resume. Happy job hunting!!

Interviewing for a job in the video game industry is the same as any other interview. That means your employer isn’t going to hire you unless you look, feel, and ooze confidence. You do that by knowing beforehand what your employers will be expecting.

Knowledge of yourself

Aside from your resume and perhaps a phone call or two, the company you’re shooting for doesn’t know that much about you. It’ll be your job to sell yourself. That means knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Take time in picking specific examples of your performances at previous jobs, community service, and/or school activities, etc. Be prepared for recounting those experiences. Employers also love well-rounded people, so be sure to highlight hobbies you love other than gaming. Basically, what you say about yourself will give them an idea of your personality and what you strive for.

Knowledge of your employer

You’re trying to work at their company, so it’s disrespectful to have no knowledge of what they do. Research them, usually by checking out their website. Learn about their goals and what they’ve done.

Confidence

You need to show them confidence if you want a chance at being hired. It’s all about voice and body language. You do that by always talking with a clear, strong voice, sitting with your back straight, and avoiding any of those nervous twitches you might have. Be aware of what the employer might see in you when they conduct their interview, and you’ll get a good idea on how you should act.

Attire

They say appropriate attire is best, and for the most part, that’s true, but in many industries, especially video games, hopeful candidates are clueless. That being said, you’re not dressing for the job, you’re dressing for the interview, so you need to look serious if you want to be taken seriously. Unless the people you’re interviewing for specifically say things like casual attire when setting up the appointment, you’ll need to dress business. For men, the minimum will be dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. A tie depends on the job position, but you can’t go wrong with one. That’s just the minimum. In most cases, if you can wear a suit, then you should wear a suit. For women, keep it very low key. No super high heels, strong perfume, or funky hairdo. In most cases, you can’t go wrong with suits, but depending on companies, business casual, which is a collared shirt and dress pants or skirt, would be appropriate as well.

Questions

Here’s a list of some of the most asked questions by employers. Take time in figuring out how you will answer these questions:

• Why should we hire you?

• What specific skills and abilities would you bring to our organization?
• What would be your greatest strengths? Weaknesses?

Some questions aren’t even questions, but orders:

• Describe any leadership experience you have had.

• What would your co-workers say to describe you.
• Give an example of a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
• Give an example of a time when you had to make an important decision that placed you in a difficult position, where your job could be at risk.

Most of the time, they will also ask you if you have any questions. Having some prepared shows you are really interested in the job, so think up a few. And keep in mind, asking any questions involving your salary is one of the biggest mistakes you can do.