Q Benjamin asked a question concerning getting that first job. Can you rely primarily on a really nice portfolio and a degree, while having a sparse resume? Are internships prevalent in the field of the concept artist?
A That first job can be tricky. A sparse resume indicates a lack of experience, which sogame studios will require in order ito be an eligible candidate (they usually require 2 – 3 years minimum). So you may be asking yourself: “well, how do I get that experience if they aren’t willing to hire me?” And that’s the rub.
To answer your question: While it is possible to land those jobs without experience, your portfolio would need to be AMAZING in order for a studio to take a gamble on you. The degree is less important. With that being said, if someone has been considering opting to start a vocational course, sites such as Upskilled could hopefully help make the decision process a lot easier. With more skills added to your resume, hopefully this could boost the application and possibly get one step closer to landing a job without much experience.
I would suggest beefing up your resume; you can do this by using an online resume editor alongside taking on smaller side gigs for legitimate clients. They may not pay very well, but they will show you can work as a professional, with skills like sticking to schedules and timelines, making deliveries and revisions, and understanding the clients’ goals and visions and translating it into the illustration. You can start by making a professional cv that will show potential employers that you are able to stand out from the crowd and come across as a real pro. Making small changes to your resume can be beneficial to your chances of securing the job, but incorporating big changes could hinder it instead. In this day and age, many businesses may decide to enlist the help of somewhere like this Mississippi background check company to help them to verify the accuracy of job resumes, so any lies that you incorporate onto your job application will be noticed and could affect your employment going forward. So, make sure that you take the time to ensure that your resume is accurate. This in itself can help you to stand out from the crowd.
Personally, while still in college, I searched job boards and forums for people in need of art. I got my first job illustrating a cover of someone’s print-on-demand book (which was new technology back then), and a few other small jobs designing logos and other crap. This went on for several months, until I had enough “experience” to land a job with a bigger client making TV pitch ads (none of these were concept art – more so illustration, but it got me the professional working experience I needed). By the time I graduated and it was time to find employment at a video game studio, I already had 2 years of professional art experience. I used that point, along with my solid portfolio, to win over my first video game studio.
A To answer your other question: While I have heard about concept art internships, they are usually few and far between. Be on the lookout for them, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. Of the many concept art peers I have worked with over the years, only one had an internship first, before begin hired full time.
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