Unit 13 – Understanding the Games Industry Skills, action plan, CV’s and Selling yourself

Aims and Objectives All Most Some Understand their interests, strengths and personality traits ready for creating job applications. Understand the different types of skills categories and transferable skills Find a aspirational job in the games industry Most Assess yourself against your chosen Job. Create a career action plan to gain the skills necessary to successfully apply for the job Some Will start creating CV’s relevant to their chosen job.

Starters Tick anything that you consider an interest on the worksheet Complete and consider strengths worksheet Tick anything that you consider a personality trait on the worksheet Using the information gathered use the worksheet provided to list your top 7 interests, strengths and personality traits

Skills Functional: Industry specific: Communication Numeracy skills Technical Knowledge Working Procedure and Practices Health and Safety Knowledge

Transferable Skills & Behaviours Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Time Management Team Working Determined Flexible Independent Honest Leadership Team Player Creativity Dependable

Game Developers: Finding Jobs Games Industry: jobs.gamesindustry.biz jobs.gamasutra.com gamesjobsdirect.com mcvuk.com/jobs Spend some time looking at the jobs available. Choose one that interests you. Game Developers: dsdambuster.com rare.co.uk codemasters.com fullfat.com

Assessing yourself and action plan Assess yourself against your chosen job using the handout provided. Include: Skills, qualification and experience needed for this job. My own skills, qualifications, further/higher qualification and experience. Skills, qualifications, further/higher education I need to develop. Fill in and complete the Career Action Plan

CV stands for curriculum vitae, which is Latin for ‘course of life’. Why do you need a CV? CV stands for curriculum vitae, which is Latin for ‘course of life’.

You’ve got 30 seconds to make an impact Your CV advertises you to a potential employer A CV is like an advertisement, but it is selling a person rather than a product or a brand. TV adverts have just a few seconds to grab our attention and persuade us, and the same is true for CVs. Employers may take just 30 seconds to skim a CV and make a decision about whether they want to interview a person

Can you think of any ways that can make a CV stand out like TV adverts can – but without using gimmicks?

E-mail address’s in CV’s Something as simple as an inappropriate email address could put an employer off from inviting you to an interview. YOURNAME@something.co.uk is always the safest bet If your name has been used add some random numbers or variation to the email address. Make sure it’s clearly your name though and doesn’t make reference to your age.

Play be the Boss interactive whiteboard game

What goes into a CV?

What should go on my CV? Your name and contact details Skills that will help you do the job well Qualifications Past jobs and work experience Interests that show the ‘whole person’ Referees – people who can back up what you say on your CV

How should I organise my CV? Chronological (starting with the most recent) Benefits: Highlights your qualifications and jobs Shows your experience

How should I organise my CV? Functional or skills-based Benefits: Highlights your skills and qualities Shows your ability

Write a personal statement/profile Draft a personal statement that highlights your best skills and personal qualities. Use your exercise sheets from the lesson to get an idea of what could go into the statement Read your statement back to yourself, thinking about what an employer might think of it. Will it grab someone’s attention and give them the right impression?

Complete your CV’s using a template Do Be positive and sell yourself Highlight your relevant skills and experience Use evidence Be brief and to the point Check spelling and grammar Change your CV to match each job you apply for *Employers cannot ask for these or base decisions on them. Don’t Lie Use more than two pages or cram it all into one Include your date of birth, a photo, if you are male or female, or if you are married* Leave gaps in your school or work record Have any spelling or grammar errors When you apply for a job, you need to prove you’ve got what it takes. Your CV is your chance to show an employer your strengths, skills and abilities – you at your best. Follow these tips and make sure employers know you’re the right person for the job. Do: • read the job ad and find out what the employer is looking for • be positive and sell yourself • make your most relevant skills and experience really stand out • use evidence – show what you achieved • be brief and to the point • check your spelling, grammar and punctuation • set out your CV neatly using a computer • write your covering letter/email carefully, making sure you explain why you want this job • make sure your email address reflects the professional you Don’t: • lie or make things up • just list your tasks or duties • send exactly the same CV to every company: adapt it so it’s clear you wrote it with a particular job in mind. For some jobs an interactive CV such as a video, website or portfolio might help ensure you stand out in the crowd • include your date of birth, a photo, whether you are male or female, or whether you are married (employers cannot ask for these or base decisions on them) • waffle or repeat yourself • use more than two pages or cram everything into one page • leave gaps in your work record • make spelling or grammar errors • use inappropriate layouts or fonts Guide and support students as they complete the rest of a sample CV using the format of their choice (chronological is easier, starting with the most recent elements) • Help them use active words, like ‘produced’, ‘helped’, and ‘achieved’ • List a good range of skills and positive qualities, drawing on notes from previous activities. • Pay attention to accuracy and spelling • Challenge students to highlight and emphasise the skills they identified in their job adverts at the beginning of the lesson in their draft CV

Alternative ways of presenting a CV?

Alternative ways of presenting a CV Portfolio of work(Could be in conjunction with a CV) Website Video format Create a game/interactive CV! Volunteer

Summary You should: Understand your interests, strengths and personality Understand where to find relevant jobs Know what a CV is for and be familiar with two common formats Understand that a CV should highlight the skills, qualities, qualifications and experience for which a potential employer is looking for Have begun or completed a draft CV

What is a covering letter?

Covering letters This is your opportunity to explain why you want the job and the benefits that they can bring to a company, whereas a CV provides information about their skills and achievements to date Although many job applications are made online, they still need a covering email, which serves the same purpose. Applications that are made using an application form won’t need a covering letter Based on the job you have chosen spend 10 minutes making notes on what you think should be included in your covering letter?

Covering Letters Continued Highlight key points from the CV Explaining why you want the job Acknowledging where you found the job advertised