Want to know what's crucial to get right when applying for a game audio position - as seen from one potential employer's perspective?
Here's your chance to get some interesting leads on exactly that, as in a series of tweets, Richard Ludlow from Hexany Audio just shared some to-the-point insights into what they look for, what works and what doesn't when they hire new members to their prolific game audio team. Here they are:
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Weโre hiring for a couple of sound design roles at Hexany Audio, so I thought Iโd share a bit what that process looks like at our studio. Please note: These things are true for us alone, not every studio.
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Reels
Weโre looking to hire video game sound designers. If your reel is 100% film and doesnโt contain anything at all from a game and your resume doesnโt have anything related to games, youโre probably not the best fit for this position.
We are 100% fine with sound re-designs that arenโt from titles you actually worked on. So long as they showcase your work, we donโt care if they are from a game you didnโt work on.
Audio-only reels are no good. We need to see sound work done to picture to tell what your creative intent was. Music, abstract soundscapes, and raw SFX without video arenโt helpful, and if you donโt have any examples of sound to picture, weโll pass on your application.
Music, abstract soundscapes, and raw SFX without video arenโt helpful, and if you donโt have any examples of sound to picture, weโll pass on your application
While not a factor in elimination, we donโt love reels that are entirely โstylizedโ work. If youโre submitting all 8-bit work, spells or abstract concepts, it can be more difficult for us to gauge your abilitiesโฆ
For example, we prefer a cinematic demo that is somewhat grounded in the real world, because we know what that sounds like and we can tell if you were able to successfully craft a scene that has less room for creative interpretation and a more expected end result.
Did you record everything in your reel yourself? Bonus points for creativity! But if the end result isnโt incredible, we do not favor your process over the end result. We need to know you can make something amazing & at this stage we care much less about how you did it.
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Application
Attention to detail is critical in game work. We donโt immediately eliminate you for this, but looking back, weโve never actually hired someone who didnโt follow all of our instructions explicitly.
From here we look at your cover letter & resume. Not many things will eliminate you from consideration at this point, but one can be experience.
If weโre hiring an assistant position, it means we want someone who is a blank slate we can train. Likewise if we are hiring for a position with a โminimum years of experienceโ, we want candidates to meet that minimum. Too much or too little experience are absolutely factors
We hear from industry-seasoned candidates that they want to be considered for entry-level positions. But if weโre hiring an assistant position, it means we want someone who is a blank slate we can train. Likewise if we are hiring for a position with a โminimum years of experienceโ, we want candidates to meet that minimum. Too much or too little experience are absolutely factors.
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Interview
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Sound Test
Assuming you got an interview, the sound test is the #1 determining factor for us in hiring
This is your chance to shine, and is the primary driving force in our hiring decisions for sound design positions. This deserves all of your love and attention.
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Follow-up Interview
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In-Person Interview
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Final Thoughts
Devote time to making your reel incredible and youโll rise to the top for sure, even if things arenโt a perfect fit for this particular position
When hiring for our sound design positions we are very focused on the quality of your work. Devote time to making your reel incredible and youโll rise to the top for sure, even if things arenโt a perfect fit for this particular position.
The team at Hexany Audio has worked on franchises like Assassinโs Creed, League of Legends, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Blade Runner, Jurassic World, and many more. See their currently open positions here, and learn more about the company here
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Power Lists - essential audio resources and insights:
โขย The Sound Design Power List
โขย The Game Audio Power List
โขย The Film Sound Power List
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ย Succeed in sound:
โขย How to Set (and Get) the Right Price for Your Audio Work
โขย 10 Essential Tips for Game Audio Freelancers
โขย How to be a successful sound designer โ with Scott Gershin
โขย How To Actually Live as an Audio Freelancer โ by Melissa Pons
โขย How to set your sonic creativity free & overcome creative inhibitions โ by Mark Kilborn
โขย 5 Useful Tips for Upcoming Sound Designers and Sound Editors
โขย Sound Opinions: How to get game audio pricing right
โขย Building a successful audio post studio โ with Kate Finan and Jeff Shiffman
โขย Rebuilding your studio: Goals, tips and lessons learned
โขย Creating audio for games โ with Martin Stig Andersen
โขย A life in sound: How to foster creativity and protect yourself from burning out โ with Chance Thomas
โขย Better audio work habits: How a Wacom Tablet can help reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
โขย Better audio work habits: How a sit & standing desk can reduce your sedentary studio life
โขย Tips and thoughts on running your own audio post production house โ with William McGuigan
โขย 30+ year audio veteran Andy Greenberg, on building client relationships in the advertising industry
โขย 7 Sound Alternatives to Working For Free
โขย Audio Outsourcing Success: Essential Tips, Thoughts and Working Practices from Adele Cutting
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โขย How to succeed in UI/UX Sound Design, ADR Recording, & Audio Programming
โขย How to succeed in sound design for Film, Documentaries, and Trailers
โขย How to succeed in sound design for Games, Animation, and Television
โข How to succeed in Field Recording, Foley, and Teaching Sound
โขย How to succeed in Audio Branding, Music Editing, and sound for VR
โขย How to succeed in Theater Sound Design, Podcast Sound Design, and Podcast Production
โขย How to succeed in Sound Editing, Sound for Advertising, and Production Sound
โขย How to succeed in Sound Editing, Sound for Advertising, and Production Sound
โขย The Composer Success Series: Composing for Film โ ft. Pinar Toprak, Nainita Desai, & Jonathan Snipes
โขย The Composer Success Series: Composing for TV โ ft. Charlie Clouser, Sherri Chung, & Cindy OโConnor
โขย The Composer Success Series: Composing for Theatre โ ft. Elyssa Samsel, Kate Anderson, and Daniel Kluger
โขย The Composer Success Series: Composing for Games โ ft. Inon Zur
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โขย The โQuit Aspiringโ book โ by Adam Croft
โขย How to get hired in game audio โ thoughts and insights from your potential employerโs perspective
โขย Why gear is not the ticket to entry in the game audio community
โขย 4 Effective Ways to Break into Game Audio
โขย Tips for Creating a Perfect Resume for Audio Industry Jobs
โขย Yet Another Game Audio Hiring Article โ by Ariel Gross
โขย 5 Tips for Getting a Job in the Audio Industry
โขย Applying for a job in game audio โ by Matthew Florianz
โขย Freelance Game Audio: Getting Started and finding work โ by Ashton Morris
โขย How to get started (and make it) in game audio โ 10+ fundamental questions answered by Akash Thakkar
โขย Courses: How to network and get paid for your work in the game industry โ by Akash Thakkar
โขย How to Craft a Perfect Cover Letter for Audio Industry Jobs
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โขย Get the weekly Audio Jobs newsletter
โขย Join the Audio Jobs Facebook group
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โขย Upload your demos to Soundcloud
โขย Upload your demos to ReelCrafter
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โขย Find interesting audio events around the world
โขย Find other audio pros around the world
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โขย How to prepare for โ and power through โ a layoff in the game audio industry, with Brian Schmidt:
โขย How to Survive a Game Audio Layoff โ insights from Damian Kastbauer
โขย What itโs like to be laid off from your video game studio
โขย What To Do Before and After Being Laid Off
โขย Facebook Group: Survival Skills for Creatives
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โขย How To Learn Game Audio Online โ A talk with Game Audio Educator Leonard Paul
โขย Hear the very best podcasts about sound
โขย Read the 100s of sound stories and guides on the A Sound Effect blogย (search for stories here)
โขย Browse Industry Data: Game Music and Sound Design Salary Survey Results
โขย Browse 100+ Sound Design Guides
โขย Find essential books about sound โ for film, games and audio post production
โขย Get tips and ideas for making your own sound effects
โขย Use the Audio Events Calendar to find audio-related events around the globe
โขย Get a steady stream of great sound stories from the community
โขย Discover 1000s of sound libraries from the independent sound community
โขย Take online courses in Wwise, FMOD Studio, Unity, Pure Data & Unreal at the School of Video Game Audio
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โขย Sound effects survey results: Here are 90+ ideas for new SFX libraries
โขย How to create an indie sound bundle
โขย The quick-start guide to adding sound FX library metadata
