The Game Job Interview RPG
Speaker: Eduardo Baraf (Director, Product Management, Tabula Digita), Brandon Van Slyke (Game Designer, Vicarious Visions), Jill Duffy (Editor, GameCareerGuide.com), Karen Wheeler (Career Services Coordinator, DigiPen Institute of Technology)
Date/Time: Wednesday (September 17, 2008) 2:30pm — 3:30pm
Location (room): Room 9C
Track: Game Career Seminar
Format: 60-minute Panel
Experience Level: All

Session Description
An interview can be a snarling, intimidating monster. Hone your skills and prepare for your next encounter with the beast in this interactive session. Being in the heat of battle is the best way to gain experience, so audience members can volunteer to take part in a 5-minute mock interview, then learn tips on how to improve. Bring your resume (and a little bit of thick skin) to participate. Or just observe, ask questions from the pros on the panel, and learn how interviewing at a game company is different from other industries.

Idea Takeaway
To truly understand how to nail a job interview, candidates have to practice actually interviewing. In this interactive session, volunteers from the audience who bring a resume will learn by role-playing through a game job interview. Through panel and audience critiques, attendees will learn how to handle typical game job interview scenarios – even the tough stuff, like how to answer programming questions when you don’t know the answer and how to master a game design whiteboard test. Attendees will also learn what makes an interview at a game company different from any other interview.

Intended Audience
Students, newcomers to the game industry, anyone ready or nearly ready to apply for a job in the video game industry, and anyone still learning the ropes. Please bring an updated resume if you would like to participate in the interactive portion of this session.