I?ve managed to get a job interview for a QA/Tester position, for this Friday. Sure, it?s entry-level stuff, but it?s a ?foot in the door? and I would really like to get the job. Since I?ve never actually had a formal job interview before, I?m uncertain as what to expect, so I thought I?d ask you guys for advice.
Has anyone else had an interview (or interviewed potential employees) for a tester position?
What kind of stuff will they probably ask me, and how should I prepare for the interview?
Also, could anyone offer any input as to what tester work is actually like? I?ve heard a lot of negative things, but it seems like any chance to get experience in the industry is a golden opportunity. It would have to be better then delivering pizzas while I develop my skills!
I suppose testers mostly work at night. Mostly? (Movie reference aside, is this true?)
Anyway, any advice on job interviews that anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated! Thanks. [:)]
(The interview is only 2 days away! [:0])
Hey good Luck with that interview palantir!!! glad to hear you could have a shot at getting your foot in the door :)
i cant really think of anything to add to what red 5 said, other than make sure you get a good nights sleep before hand, and east some breakfast, perhaps also drink a massive cup of hot milo before you go and eat a chocolate bar just before the interview, thats IF your one of those people who get big ass nerves.
Red's said most of it, and as HazarD kinda mentioned, try to relax. As much as someone who can do the job, they want a person they can kick around with and have a laugh. If you come across as being uptight and reserved (because you're so nervous) you might seem "uninteresting".
Communication skills can be a big deal in testing jobs, so try your best to speak clearly and not mumble or stumble over what you're saying.
Background knowledge on the company can be helpful, particulalry what games they have in development or have made in the past. If you can tell them some things in gameplay of games they have made in the past that you think could be better, and suggest possible improvement that should be a big tick.
Good luck,
CYer, Blitz
Thanks for the comments guys!
-Yeah, I definitely am the nervous type with this kind of thing, so I think having a big feed before is a good idea - provided I'm not too nervous to eat!
-I can't remember that Costanza job interview episode, what did he do? Anyway, even if it all goes horribly wrong, at least it's good experience. I guess most people don't get a job from their first interview anyway [:(]
I was also wondering, what should I wear? I hear games companies are pretty casual, so is smart/casual (like nice shorts and a polo type shirt) the way to go? - I don't want to seem uptight by being over dressed.
Know what your position actually is (do you know what a tester actually does?), be friendly, know where you want to be years down the track (do you want to still be testing in 5 years time?), good communication and documenting skills are blingin', be honest and don't kiss *too* much arse, and PLAY THEIR GAMES! I made this mistake once and have made sure never to do it again. Points are definitely won if you can talk about their games, and you'll get a step ahead of the other interviewees (I was surprised in my most recent interview when I was told most of the people so far hadn't played the company's latest game, and since I had, I was able to leap into certain aspects of the interview. So DO EET!)
Smart casual dress is where you want to be. Pants and a collared shirt will do the job. Good luck with it dude @:-)
For testers, I would recommend to play their games as well. (heh of course, if they've never shipped a game, then you're screwed :) Just kidding.) Oh and definitely wear pants. Even if the company is casual, you still want to show them respect, no matter what the job is for.
Other then that, smile, laugh at their jokes, and just give a good "aura" about yourself.
I'd just like to say i've never worn pants (always shorts) to an interview as far as i can remember (it was always hot!), and i usually was just wearing a normal tshirt (not polo or collared, in fact i don't even own any!), and i've been offered a job from all except 1 interview i've had (and that interview was very very positive anyway), which includes 2 game companies and 1 software startup (and the one i didn't get was a third game company).
I think your attitude is much more important than what you are wearing (although don't wear rippid up clothes or smelly clothes obviously they won't want to work with someone who smells!).
If you're going for a testing, or entry-level artists/developer job, it's not expected that you will be interacting with the "outside world" much, i think they will be much more interested in your abilities (including teamwork etc.) than in your presentation.
Of course, maybe i've been lucky and only had interviews with very relaxed companies :)
CYer, Blitz
PS. I'm not saying DON'T wear pants and a polo shirt etc. i'm just saying in my experience it is not neccessary so i wouldn't go out of my way to buy new clothes for the interview or anything.
Well, I had the interview. Here?s a fairly thorough review for anyone who?s interested. Maybe my experience might help others in the future going for QA/tester interviews.
Surprisingly I wasn?t very nervous at all, as the guys and the atmosphere there are really laid back. The interview itself seemed to go really well, with the basic questions being things like what do I know about the job and what experience do I have to qualify me for it. Fortunately I?ve studied the testing process with my games Diploma, so I was able to answer those questions quite well (I think). They were particularly interested to know that I know that testing isn?t playing games but testing them!
They also got me to do a small test to describe a certain process (in this case, making a cup of tea) as clearly as possible, which is obviously an important part of testing, being able to document your work. I didn?t have any trouble with this either.
However, it didn?t go so well at the end, when they actually got me to test play the latest build of a game they are working on and see if I could spot any problems in a small time frame. So I ran all over the level, trying silly things like jumping through the background, or dieing in silly ways, but nothing major happened. I saw a couple of really minor issues with the camera views being a bit off and the character not moving smoothly over bumps, but they were such small things I didn?t bother pointing them out ? big mistake! These were the exact things they were looking for. There were a couple of other little things they showed me that I missed, but it?s hard to know what they thought or if I blew it altogether. At least they saw me attempting to break the gameplay, which was exactly what they did, just in different spots to where I did it.
So anyway, it?s hard to know how I went, but I think I did okay. Even if not, it will help with the next interview down the track. They will get back to me next week to let me know if I got the job or not. I?ll let you all know then if I have a new career or if I?m going to be stuck delivering pizzas for the rest of my life!
quote:Where was this job advertised?
It wasn?t even advertised! I heard that they have a QA/testing department, so took the initiative and sent them an email with my resume attached ? with the cover letter stating how great I would be working for them as a tester. About a week after not hearing anything, I sent another email (again with my resume attached) and basically said in the email that they should give me an interview. Anyway, that same afternoon I rang them, to confirm they got my email and remind them that I exist. During that call they made the appointment for the interview.
I think they were impressed by my determination to get the interview, as well as my enthusiasm during the interview. I just hope I didn?t blow it by not pointing out the tiny little problems I noticed with their game during the play test. It doesn?t seem fair to judge my testing skills from a few minuets of testing. Anyway, I should know soon. (Thanks - Keep those fingers crossed![:D])
Edit: to thank moonunit [:)]
Well, I waited and waited (and called them twice but they were still undecided), and after almost two months they sent me an email saying sorry but I didn?t get the job. [:(] So now I'm all bitter and twisted, hence the Burnsy avatar. [:P]
Anyway, I've been seeking other work, and just last week I found a job with Australia Post, which I start next week. It looks like a good job, and should sustain me while I study traditional art part time (that?s the plan anyway). It will be a nice change from delivering pizza?s, that?s for sure!
Actually, I got a phone call from the games studio just yesterday saying that they have a temporary position with the QA department, though it?s only a couple of weeks work, but since I?m starting a new job next week, I can?t really do it. Curse my luck; if they only called me a week earlier, I could have gotten a couple weeks work experience with them.
Oh well, looks like I?ll have to put my dreams of working for a games developer on hold for a couple of years until I have the skills to work as an actual developer.
Thanks for all the encouragement guys! [:D]
Yeah, I realise a couple of weeks work in QA would have been a great opportunity to ?get in the door?, and even if it didn?t lead to more work with them, it would look good on my resume and be great experience. Unfortunately I had to make a tough decision: either play-test games for a couple of weeks (and probably be back at square one at the end of the work) and miss out on a fairly good job (at last!), or pass on the games and finally earn some real money. Since I haven?t had a real income in over two years, and I owe $6000 for my games course plus a lot more for my various other debts, I had to make the logical choice of taking the permanent job.
I?m not too pissed about it now though, since I realise that given my low skill level with game development stuff, I would have been working as a tester for a good 4 or 5 years before being good enough for a promotion into development.
So my plan for the next few years is to work in ordinary (non-games) jobs for a few years while I study part-time and get ahead financially. When I feel I?m getting close to being good enough for the games industry I might finish up a Bachelors course full time, and then look seriously towards the games industry.
It just took some serious thinking and self-evaluation to work out what?s right for me. For the moment, I?m happy earning real money and studying part time. And I can't wait to take some traditional art classes! I sure need them!
As a tester you'll be play testing each build on completion, looking for bugs, advising on gameplay issues, testing collision detection etc etc.
Apart from good gaming skills (and a lot of patience) an important part of being a game tester is to have good communication skills and being able to document all your thoughts/issues in an organised manner. Having some knowledge of how games are made can also help, especially if you have a reasonable understanding of what can/can't be done.
For the interview, try to be as friendly and positive as possible, they'll already realise you love games or you wouldn't be there, show that you have a mind of your own while still being a team player, never come across as arrogant or a now-it-all type of person or you'll have no show of getting the job. If all fails miserably I suggest you take the George Costanza (Yanky Stadium job interview) approach :)
Good luck mate!