How do you "sell" yourself?

[ofer_z]

Hi all,

I'm glad to see a site dedicated to the technical sides of CGI.

I've go a question, mainly for those of you who write code as your job: how do you sell (promote) yourselves when trying to get hired (for a full-time or freelance) job?
Usually in the CGI world a demo reel is required when you apply for a job, but what do you show if most of your work is writing code? I mean showing the user interfaces or showing how the stuff you developed works isn't all that sexy. And besides, studios don't like their proprietary pipeline tools being shown on the web or to competitors.

So, what's you trick for getting that job?

Thanks,
o

[Kovac]

While I'm not directly in the field as a TA, I think I can still vouch for some programmers/TAs that neat scripts are definitely sexy .

The best route TA's I've seen use requires a personal webspace/blog that just shows you know your stuff. Having random blogs on new things you've learned shows that you're constantly active in the subject, and providing things such as tutorials shows your dedication towards a leadership role of providing information to the uninformed.

On the few TA applications that we've received here I've always enjoyed watching someone break down their thoughts, so again, a blog is extremely useful. While it could be bad practice to show off your work from a previous (or current) employer, it's very company centric as many are open about you doing so. Of course it's also possible to describe the theory and snippets of something you've learned and not the actual script itself, which I can't imagine any company having too great a problem with you talking about the hierarchy to integrating various source control apps into a 3D package on your own website.

Hopefully you don't write as poorly as I do when describing things with endless run-on sentences .

EDIT: After taking a look at your website, it's clear that you've written a lot of scripts, though most of them date back to Max 4. Would you say the majority of these still greatly improve your workflow? And if so, I'd certainly suggest taking another look at the ones that do and tweak them with consideration of how both Max and product development has changed since Max 4.

[MoP]

I think a page of scripts is a pretty good way of showing how much you're capable of.
As Kovac suggests, a blog is a pretty good idea too, but I don't know how many hirers are going to sit down and read a whole blog... I'd much rather see a neat list of scripts with descriptions and screenshots, and download links if possible.
So what you have already is pretty good, I think.

[Adam Pletcher]

When interviewing TAs, we typically look for a few things.

• Learns fast
• Good communicator! Must be able to speak effectively to both programmers and artists, at their levels. Artist support is huge.
• Legitimate interest in tools/pipeline development. It's less impressive if there's a sense the candidate wants to be a programmer or artist.
• Experience designing and implementing tools and/or tools interfaces for content creators.
• Experience on medium/large teams, where they have worked closely with both artists and programmers.
• Willingness to "give up" actual art creation, since (except for shaders) our TAs generally don't do that.
• Although it can be hard with NDAs, it's definitely a bonus when the candidate can show us scripts he/she has written. If code isn't possible, screenshots or design docs are also good.
• Ability to speak about the design/development process of the tools/pipelines he/she has worked on. What the need was, how it was designed, supported later, so on.

[kees]

Originally Posted by ofer_z

...how do you sell (promote) yourselves ...

I just put on some revealing underwear and adopt a sexy pose and hope for the best!

:P

[Rob Galanakis]

Originally Posted by kees

I just put on some revealing underwear and adopt a sexy pose and hope for the best!

:P

And after he sent out that portfolio, Kees had to look to the indie scene to find work.

As for advertising yourself, my experience is limited, but I'd probably suggest what has already been suggested- tutorials, scripts, and a more in-depth explanation of what you did at previous jobs is probably most valuable. You seem to have good stuff on your site, but I'd try to update it with some more recent stuff, if this question has to do with your fortunes particularily.

[ZeroByte]

I'm about to enter the workforce and I'm quite interested in a technical artist position, I seem to have the right blend of skills for the job. However, as I'm in Asia I'm not sure if local companies see a need for technical artists yet. I'm currently an intern and I've done a few scripting jobs here that sped up the pipeline for a project some so I think my current company might see the value in having my skills. But how do you think I can sell my skills to other companies, specifically for companies that take outsourcing jobs.

I can imagine ways that a TA might make it easier for outsourcing companies to interface with a client but they would be mostly guesstimates on my part. What specifically could client companies want from outsourcers that a TA might be able to provide?

[wdavidlewis]

I followed most of the suggestions above. I had a link to my a website. From there I have some scripts and plugins and a blog (that's feeling quite neglected right now).

I also put together a demo reel that did manage to get me a job. It was really difficult to figure out how to show the type of things we do. And one problem is that unlike a modeler or animator, once the work is done, you still have work to do to show it on a reel. A modeler renders a turnaround and it goes on the reel. For rigging tools, I had to find models, weightpaint them, and then record and edit a video of the tool in use. That part took a lot longer than I expected. (Crits to the reel are certainly welcome).

--- David

[lkruel]

It's quite a weird position to be in, and I can sympathize.

Like it was said before, the will to learn is your most valuable asset. If you can convince your interviewer that you're not afraid to admit you don't know something but are willing to submerge yourself in the topic until you have it figured out, that's how you'll get a job. (IMHO).

Specially if you're just graduating, noone expects you to have amazing scripts or super production rigs. But if you can show in your scripts that you know how to break stuff into separate procedures, use variables, and work with the flow (for loops) you should be in a good place.

Having scripts on a website is good, having videos of your tools in motion and your rigs being used is another good thing. Odds are the people interviewing you have already seen the same thing in a script before, so show how yours is just that little bit extra polished. Documentation on scripts is also huge, mainly because so few people take the time to do it, so if you show that you have patience for that it also looks good.

If you have any more specific questions feel free to ask.

This is my current reel (no SOE stuff) (crits also welcome)

http://luizkruel.com/videos/luizKruel_07Reel_alt.mov