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How to get hired in game audio โ€“ thoughts and insights from your potential employerโ€™s perspective:

By Asbjoern Andersen
Game audio hiring and recruitment

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:

Written by Richard Ludlow and republished with his kind permission

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Weโ€™re hiring for a couple of sound design roles at Hexany Audio, so I thought Iโ€™d 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

Our very first step is a blind review of demo reels. We donโ€™t look at names, years of experience, resume, or anything else. Weโ€™ll pass if your reel isnโ€™t excellent. And if your link doesnโ€™t work, we move on. Pro Tip: Test your link a private window before sending.

Weโ€™re looking to hire video game sound designers. If your reel is 100% film and doesnโ€™t contain anything at all from a game and your resume doesnโ€™t have anything related to games, youโ€™re probably not the best fit for this position.

We are 100% fine with sound re-designs that arenโ€™t from titles you actually worked on. So long as they showcase your work, we donโ€™t care if they are from a game you didnโ€™t 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 arenโ€™t helpful, and if you donโ€™t have any examples of sound to picture, weโ€™ll pass on your application.

Music, abstract soundscapes, and raw SFX without video arenโ€™t helpful, and if you donโ€™t have any examples of sound to picture, weโ€™ll pass on your application

While not a factor in elimination, we donโ€™t love reels that are entirely โ€˜stylizedโ€™ work. If youโ€™re submitting all 8-bit work, spells or abstract concepts, it can be more difficult for us to gauge your abilitiesโ€ฆ

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 isnโ€™t 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

At this point, if we like your reel, weโ€™ll look at the rest of your application. If you didnโ€™t follow the directions when applying (e.g. naming your files the correct way, etc.) we flag you as not having an attention to detail.

Attention to detail is critical in game work. We donโ€™t immediately eliminate you for this, but looking back, weโ€™ve never actually hired someone who didnโ€™t 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 weโ€™re 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 โ€˜minimum 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 weโ€™re 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 โ€˜minimum years of experienceโ€™, we want candidates to meet that minimum. Too much or too little experience are absolutely factors.
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Interview

Next up is an interview. Itโ€™s extremely rare we pass on someone due to culture fit, personality, or anything else in this first interview. Weโ€™re looking to get confirmation your resume was truthful and that you love games. If so, youโ€™ll probably get a sound test.
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Sound Test

Assuming you got an interview, the sound test is the #1 determining factor for us in hiring.

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

This is where we want you to dive into your process for the sound test. Talk shop, give us details, and ask us questions. This interview will include myself, our lead sound designer, producer, and potentially others.
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In-Person Interview

Assuming that went well, weโ€™ll want you to come over at this point and meet the team, see the studio, and socialize with us. Youโ€™ll be asked additional questions about experience, etc. to see if we think youโ€™ll be a good fit for the job and the team.
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Final Thoughts

99% of questions we receive through email or DMs can be answered by reading the job description and application. Sending us a question that can be answered by reading the position details doesnโ€™t help get you noticed, it just wastes everyoneโ€™s time.

Devote time to making your reel incredible and youโ€™ll rise to the top for sure, even if things arenโ€™t 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 youโ€™ll rise to the top for sure, even if things arenโ€™t a perfect fit for this particular position.

A big thanks to Richard Ludlow for letting us share his insights on what works for Hexany when it comes to the game audio hiring process!


About Hexany Audio:

The team at Hexany Audio has worked on franchises like Assassinโ€™s 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:

โ€ขย The Sound Design Power List

โ€ขย The Game Audio Power List

โ€ขย The Film Sound Power List

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ย  Succeed in sound:

โ€ขย How to Set (and Get) the Right Price for Your Audio Work

โ€ขย 10 Essential Tips for Game Audio Freelancers

โ€ขย How to be a successful sound designer โ€“ with Scott Gershin

โ€ขย How To Actually Live as an Audio Freelancer โ€“ by Melissa Pons

โ€ขย How to set your sonic creativity free & overcome creative inhibitions โ€“ by Mark Kilborn

โ€ขย 5 Useful Tips for Upcoming Sound Designers and Sound Editors

โ€ขย Sound Opinions: How to get game audio pricing right

โ€ขย Building a successful audio post studio โ€“ with Kate Finan and Jeff Shiffman

โ€ขย Rebuilding your studio: Goals, tips and lessons learned

โ€ขย Creating audio for games โ€“ with Martin Stig Andersen

โ€ขย A life in sound: How to foster creativity and protect yourself from burning out โ€“ with Chance Thomas

โ€ขย Better audio work habits: How a Wacom Tablet can help reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

โ€ขย Better audio work habits: How a sit & standing desk can reduce your sedentary studio life

โ€ขย Tips and thoughts on running your own audio post production house โ€“ with William McGuigan

โ€ขย 30+ year audio veteran Andy Greenberg, on building client relationships in the advertising industry

โ€ขย 7 Sound Alternatives to Working For Free

โ€ขย Audio Outsourcing Success: Essential Tips, Thoughts and Working Practices from Adele Cutting

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The sound success series:

โ€ขย How to succeed in UI/UX Sound Design, ADR Recording, & Audio Programming

โ€ขย How to succeed in sound design for Film, Documentaries, and Trailers

โ€ขย How to succeed in sound design for Games, Animation, and Television

โ€ข How to succeed in Field Recording, Foley, and Teaching Sound

โ€ขย How to succeed in Audio Branding, Music Editing, and sound for VR

โ€ขย How to succeed in Theater Sound Design, Podcast Sound Design, and Podcast Production

โ€ขย How to succeed in Sound Editing, Sound for Advertising, and Production Sound

โ€ขย How to succeed in Sound Editing, Sound for Advertising, and Production Sound

โ€ขย The Composer Success Series: Composing for Film โ€“ ft. Pinar Toprak, Nainita Desai, & Jonathan Snipes

โ€ขย The Composer Success Series: Composing for TV โ€“ ft. Charlie Clouser, Sherri Chung, & Cindy Oโ€™Connor

โ€ขย The Composer Success Series: Composing for Theatre โ€“ ft. Elyssa Samsel, Kate Anderson, and Daniel Kluger

โ€ขย The Composer Success Series: Composing for Games โ€“ ft. Inon Zur

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Breaking into audio โ€“ guides and resources:

โ€ขย The โ€˜Quit Aspiringโ€™ book โ€“ by Adam Croft

โ€ขย How to get hired in game audio โ€“ thoughts and insights from your potential employerโ€™s perspective

โ€ขย Why gear is not the ticket to entry in the game audio community

โ€ขย 4 Effective Ways to Break into Game Audio

โ€ขย Tips for Creating a Perfect Resume for Audio Industry Jobs

โ€ขย Yet Another Game Audio Hiring Article โ€“ by Ariel Gross

โ€ขย 5 Tips for Getting a Job in the Audio Industry

โ€ขย Applying for a job in game audio โ€“ by Matthew Florianz

โ€ขย Freelance Game Audio: Getting Started and finding work โ€“ by Ashton Morris

โ€ขย How to get started (and make it) in game audio โ€“ 10+ fundamental questions answered by Akash Thakkar

โ€ขย Courses: How to network and get paid for your work in the game industry โ€“ by Akash Thakkar

โ€ขย How to Craft a Perfect Cover Letter for Audio Industry Jobs
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Finding those audio jobs:

โ€ขย Get the weekly Audio Jobs newsletter

โ€ขย Join the Audio Jobs Facebook group
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Showcasing your work:
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โ€ขย Get a free profile on Soundlister

โ€ขย Upload your demos to Soundcloud

โ€ขย Upload your demos to ReelCrafter
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Networking:
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โ€ขย Find game audio community groups around the world

โ€ขย Find interesting audio events around the world

โ€ขย Find other audio pros around the world
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Coping with a layoff - and how to bounce back:

โ€ขย How to prepare for โ€“ and power through โ€“ a layoff in the game audio industry, with Brian Schmidt:

โ€ขย How to Survive a Game Audio Layoff โ€“ insights from Damian Kastbauer

โ€ขย What itโ€™s like to be laid off from your video game studio

โ€ขย What To Do Before and After Being Laid Off

โ€ขย Facebook Group: Survival Skills for Creatives
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Education and knowledge:
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โ€ขย Get an audio mentor at the Audio Mentoring Project

โ€ขย How To Learn Game Audio Online โ€“ A talk with Game Audio Educator Leonard Paul

โ€ขย Hear the very best podcasts about sound

โ€ขย Read the 100s of sound stories and guides on the A Sound Effect blogย (search for stories here)

โ€ขย Browse Industry Data: Game Music and Sound Design Salary Survey Results

โ€ขย Browse 100+ Sound Design Guides

โ€ขย Find essential books about sound โ€“ for film, games and audio post production

โ€ขย Get tips and ideas for making your own sound effects

โ€ขย Use the Audio Events Calendar to find audio-related events around the globe

โ€ขย Get a steady stream of great sound stories from the community

โ€ขย Discover 1000s of sound libraries from the independent sound community

โ€ขย Take online courses in Wwise, FMOD Studio, Unity, Pure Data & Unreal at the School of Video Game Audio
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Getting into independent sound effects:
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โ€ขย DIY SFX libraries - Your guide to your first sound effects library

โ€ขย Sound effects survey results: Here are 90+ ideas for new SFX libraries

โ€ขย How to create an indie sound bundle

โ€ขย The quick-start guide to adding sound FX library metadata


THE WORLDโ€™S EASIEST WAY TO GET INDEPENDENT SOUND EFFECTS:

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