Underqualified for job, apply anyway?

Professional
#1

Hey guys,

I’m still a “young” tech artist, only 2.5 years experience, but in my opinion I’ve accomplished quite a bit and proven myself in all the nightmare scenarios you run into in this business, and my employers seem to agree.

…yet I still feel ridiculously underqualified when I read the laundry list of requirements for tech art job postings.

There’s one I have my eye on right now, you could certainly say it’s one of my “dream” companies and the job description actually sounds like something I am more than capable of. There ARE knowledge gaps right now, however, so this is where I’d like to ask for your advice.

I’m coming from the mobile space, so obviously not a lot of realtime 3d, physics, or console experience. This job I’m looking at (and, really, most job listings) specify a WIDE range of expertise and preferably in the console realm. This includes tools, rigging, animation, shaders, particles, general pipeline optimization… the “shotgun” approach to job postings!

My experience has been 90% in tools (Maxscript) and generally putting out fires as they arise in the pipeline and coming up with creative solutions to getting that extra 100 KB we need, or knowing when to use sprites vs particle for an animation, documentation, etc etc… but I don’t quite fit the bill for this job posting I’m seeing, at least not at this very moment.

But I truly absolutely 100% believe that I am capable of doing the job and rapidly filling in those gaps in my skillset… hell, if I wasn’t able to do this, I would never have lasted at my current job.

So do I apply anyway? And hope that the work I’ve done speaks for itself and shows them I’m capable of filling this role? Or will my resume be laughed at and tossed out immediately when they see I’m missing X, Y, or Z?

#2

go for it. Tech art jobs are rare and sometimes companies have to take the best candidate even though its not a perfect match. RnD is our daily life. We here have to research so many things clients throw on us all the time, there’s no way to be prepared for everything. Being a TA = learning on the job. To me, when I hire people, drive, motivation, personality, curiosity, ability to communicate go a long way, because they enable you to learn quickly, grow and adapt. You just have to sell this to the HR people, in case they think differently. Good luck!

#3

I can say out of personal experience, just apply. Do not worry about it as there is nothing to loose and a lot to win.
So far I experienced that attitude can be more valuable then hard skills. If you show the impression that you can learn/research all the stuff necessary to solve the problems, then that is possibly a huge part of what they are looking for.
It can depend on whether how the company thinks about technical artist or if they ever had hired one, but in the end I would just do it.

That has been situations though where companies were looking for someone specific, for a specific case. But then still …
If you apply, they have your details for maybe a future job.

#4

I agree with the first two posts, its better to apply than to not apply. The worst they can say is no, and the best is that they give you the shot you need to gain more experience.

#5

Yep, just go for it! It’s not unheard of for companies to overstate the “qualifications” or required experience as a method of automatically filtering out those who feel they’re not qualified. Worst case, it doesn’t work out, but you’ve at least established some communication with the studio and made yourself known for future openings.

#6

Thanks for the confidence boost, guys! Definitely applying!

I’m putting together a portfolio of some of my best tool work, and will be honest about what my core knowledge is not make up anything…

I would agree with what you guys have said… that attitude goes a long way. I honestly can say that every single week of my 2.5 years experience, I’ve been doing something I’ve never done before. The art pipeline has a wacky way of not staying the same and needs constant tweaking and adjustments… I often find myself buried in the Maxscript help files learning something new, or learning a new particle tool, or whatever else the problem of the day is, and I love every minute of it!

I’ll be honest about this and try to stress what my strengths are and not focus on the stuff I’m lacking. I’m sure if given the chance I’ll be picking up the new stuff on the job fairly quickly.

#7

Great post. Thank you for the advice!

#8

Can’t stress enough that you need to have a good reel and a clear, strong cover letter that explains why you might be a good fit even though you don’t meet the paper qualifications. Every job offer in games is flooded with underqualified applicants: I once posted an add specifying 5+ years and 2 shipped titles and got 200 resumes from students. The screeners are really looking for a quick efficient way to get rid of the bottom 90-95% of candidates, and “I didn’t bother to read the ad” or “I really want to be in games even though I have no skills” are the main things they look for.

So, if you’re under the tech or experience bar you have basically one paragraph to sell yourself to the screener as a real (if longshot) candidate.

#9

> I didn’t bother to read the ad
haha. We’ll probably find “attention to detail” listed in this guy’s resume.

But yes, supply and demand can work for or against you as TA. Also, if you feel you’re underqualified, make sure you highlight your potential. People with “potential” are always a gamble, but they’re often cheaper and if they live up to the promise then they’re a good investment.

#10

From Game Developer back in 2006

Dear Job Applicant,

Thank you for applying for the opening we advertised. While we specifically requested only applications from candidates having four or more years of industry experience, we understand that you might not have realized which industry we intended. However we are impressed by your entrepreneurial drive and are sure that the skills you learned behind the cash register at McDonalds can contribute greatly to our team environment.

We are somewhat concerned, however, that you may have mistaken our ad for one from another company. Since none of the four identical resumes and cover letters we received from you mentioned our company or which position you were applying for, we just wanted to contact you to be sure that you were, in fact, responding to one of our ads. My assistant and I spent quite some time puzzling over this and were unable to reach a conclusion, so we thought it best to contact you and see if we could figure out what, exactly you intended. After all, we receive dozens of applications a week – what excuse could we have for giving each one less than our undivided attention?

In any case, we also have a more personal motive for contacting you. We really wanted to thank you for introducing us to the fascinating world of post-industrial Thrashtronica – a musical style we had never even heard of around the office until we went out and bought a VHS player to view your samples. The nightmarish soundscape certainly taught us a few things about the meaningless void at the heart of modern capitalism! It’s a good thing the turntable animations on your tape were 15 minutes long, so we were able to hear the entire piece.

#11

Well, I am undergraduate for this job. Could I still apply for it??

#12

That quote just made my day, Theodox.

In terms of experience I’m in a similar position to you, Solarnoise.
I constantly get jobs I’ve never done before, so naturally teach myself what I need to know.

Its very encouraging to realize this is something I can highlight on a resume and bear in mind when making job applications. Thanks everyone.

#13

I think you should give it a try…it is worth a shot and on top of that what do you have to lose eventually…just apply for the job and hopefully they call you up for an interview…i hope everything turns out to be better and you succeed…best wishes to you.

#14

There’s nothing wrong in aiming for the stars if it gets you to the moon - if you understand my metaphor.
I always (as a 3d artist) apply for jobs that are above my level. So far nothing spectacular have came out of that attitude, but I got myself an interview with DICE once so I know it’s working.
Always tell yourself: “I am not all that I can be”