Lecture 3, Codemasters

1/11/10

This lecture was from Nick Rathbone, an ex student from Bolton uni, it was more specific than the previous two lectures, focusing on actually getting into the industry. He is currently employed at Codemasters working as a designer, specifically on Dirt 3 at present.

First he dealt with the issue of CVs, echoing fairly similar sentiments to the first guest lecture, that CVs need to stand out to be effective, he also emphasised that there should be no waffle. He said in addition to the CV, any time it is sent to a company it should be accompanied by a covering letter, this should be fairly limited in length, and much like the CV, should have no waffle. It should be formal and tailored to the company that is being applied for. He also stated that we should have both an opening statement for the CV, as well as a closing statement, detailing what games I play, and what I am currently playing.

Next he addressed the issue of portfolios, the primary task with a portfolio is to make it individual and easily distinguishable from other portfolios. The portfolio will of course give examples of my best work, as well as telling potential employers something about me as a potential employee. Everything on it should be as easily accessible as possible, documentation should be in PDF format where possible, and a combination of images, text and video should prove more effective than any 1 alone. Other suggestions were that we carry business cards with the address of the portfolio on it, as well as CDs or a flash drive with a copy of our portfolio on it for the ability to have it available with you at all times.

Finally he went on to the interview, this again mostly echoed information I have already received before, to sell yourself, pre-prepare knowledge about the company, and generally dress smart/casual at the least. In addition to this, we were told of the potential for a practical demonstration of designing skill during interviews, as potentially we will have a lengthy interview during which we would be asked to create something which conforms to pre-set parameters.

Overall this lecture was good, I gained some valuable information about CV and portfolio creation, as well as some information which will hopefully prove useful in interviews. Mostly it was reinforcing information I was previously in possession of, but the new information will all be helpful in future.