I will use my interview at NetEase Games as an example to tell some insights and experiences from my interview:

NetEase is one of the leading Internet technology companies in China, with a very strong game division that has developed many popular games such as onmyoji and Fantasy Westward Journey. Character design plays an important role in their game development.

I interviewed for the position of character original paint designer(concept art\CG), the interview is divided into 3 rounds, the first round is the initial CV screening, when I passed it will be tested, I successfully passed the first round of interviews, into the test, we are required to draw and upload the title that the company came out within the stipulated time, my title is the second dimension style and the American game style two choices for the drawing. I was asked to draw and upload the topic within the time limit, and I was asked to draw either a Japanese or an American game style. If I passed the drawing, I would go on to the third round of interviews. Unfortunately, I failed the interview, so I have learnt the following experiences:

Firstly, I think I did not have enough time to prepare for the interview and I did not fully understand NetEase’s preferred game style, and I did not fully understand the task description, so my work did not meet the expectations. In subsequent interviews, I will carefully study the corresponding company’s art style before testing to ensure that the style of the work is consistent with the company’s expectations.

Secondly, NetEase, as one of the largest game companies in China, has very fierce competition for positions. Since my original drawing skills are not very outstanding, I may have deficiencies in drawing skills, anatomy, perspective, and other fundamentals, resulting in poor quality work. I think if I still want to submit a job related to the original painting field afterwards, I need to further strengthen my basic training and improve my painting foundation, including skills in anatomy, perspective, light and shadow, and colour. More copying and sketching practice. Also become proficient in the use of the drawing software Photoshop to ensure that I can use these tools efficiently in my tests.

 Thirdly since I have no internship experience or experience working in a game company, I may have a lack of creativity and design ideas for commercial game characters that conflict with my personal, subjectively created style during school. I think I need to enhance my creative skills: more brainstorming and creative training, trying different design styles and elements, and improving innovative thinking. When designing characters, it is also important to consider the character’s backstory, personality and worldview to make the character design fuller and more in-depth. Learn to draw according to the company’s requirements instead of adding too much subjective views.

After this interview, I have a clear idea of my abilities and deficiencies, which will help me to provide experience support for subsequent interviews, and I hope I can get an offer from my favourite company!

I finished preparing my CV and portfolio and decided on the position and direction I wanted to apply for, so I was able to submit my CV. I selected the companies I wanted to apply to and focused on the ones I preferred the most, as well as making large-scale submissions to increase my chances of success and to gain interview experience.

After selecting the companies I was interested in, I focused on understanding the background and projects of the companies I interviewed with to help me answer the questions better in the interview and to show my understanding and familiarity with the companies. At the same time, it is important to show the interviewer my core skills and uniqueness, such as my experience in 2D character design and stop-motion animation. Emphasising my flexibility in adapting to different projects and environments and managing different design styles will give the interviewer a more comprehensive understanding of my abilities.

Secondly, an interview is not only a chance to present yourself, but also a good opportunity to learn more about the company and the team. Actively interacting with the interviewer and asking questions about the company’s culture, teamwork and project process will give me a clearer idea of whether I am suitable for the job and whether I fit in with the company’s philosophy and values.

During my interviews, many companies would ask for on-site demonstrations or analyses of past works, so it is also important to expect what questions the interviewer might mention and be well prepared to ensure that I can clearly talk about my creative thinking, technical details and problem solving methods during the interview, and also avoid getting nervous when encountering interview questions because of lack of preparation.

Sometimes, in addition to focusing on demonstrating professional skills, you should also demonstrate other skills, such as teamwork, communication skills and project management skills. You can prepare some specific project examples to illustrate your teamwork and communication skills.

In the next journal I will analyse my experiences and feelings specifically when interviewing companies.

According to the previous self-assessment and CV making, I have a clearer view of my ability and interest, because considering to increase the chances of job hunting by submitting a sea of projects, I will organise and plan my animation portfolio, which should be able to reflect my ability in character and stop-motion production.

I have summarised some of my experiences and shortcomings in the production of my portfolio as follows:

Firstly, I have to choose the right works, the portfolio should focus on quality while including different types and styles of works, and select the most excellent and typical works, so that I can stand out in the huge amount of works, in my portfolio shows a variety of different project types and styles such as, 2D Character Design, Stop Motion Animation, Short Films, Storyboards, Character Turning and so on. Secondly the portfolio should be up to date and show my current skills and style.

Next create a concise cover containing my name, contact details. In the portfolio I arrange my work by category or project, character design, set design, storyboarding, 2D animation, sand animation and stop motion animation, making sure that each section is clearly and organically presented.

Thirdly making sure that all images and videos are of high quality and not pixelated or blurred, also using a uniform colour palette to go with the typography. My portfolio mainly uses black and beige colours, visual uniformity increases the comfort level of the viewer.

Based on my subsequent interview experience and chatting with the interviewer, I realised that I did not have a good description of the project in my portfolio, such as the background of the creation, the software used, technical details and the characters. It may make the interviewer more difficult to interpret in terms of understanding my workflow and thinking. As well as I didn’t add a table of contents at the very beginning to make it easy for the viewer to quickly find the section they are interested in.

In the final part I added the beginning state of my Graduation project and some daily exercises, and after that I will update my portfolio regularly as the project progresses. Make sure it always shows the latest and greatest.

I have reflected deeply on my skills, future career path and career aspirations, firstly I have clearly defined the target company and field for my CV submission, there are various types of different companies, large animation studios, independent animation companies, film and television production companies. Each type of company has different working environment and development opportunities. Based on my ability level and long term vision I eventually narrowed it down to small studios hiring stop-motion animators, and large game companies hiring 2D characters and design.

Before looking for a full-time job, I have also considered getting involved in some freelance projects or internships. This would not only increase my practical experience, but also enrich my portfolio and showcase my diversity and abilities. I have also referred to other part-time jobs as my job search security, such as the pre-production work such as line clearing and colouring for the production of entry animation in my personal studio. Next is freelancing to increase income security.

After comprehensive consideration, I think the more suitable jobs for me are 2D and stop-motion animation, and I need to create a CV and portfolio as an important support for pre-application.

Because of the difference in the job hunting environment between China and foreign countries, China tends to recruit fresh graduates and slightly relaxes the requirements for fresh graduates’ ability, so I must seize the opportunity to apply for interviews.

Regarding my CV, I believe that I need to show my basic information and personal skills, experience and educational background in order to attract potential employers, and I can also include my awards and honours in it.

Here is my CV, because the company I applied for are Chinese companies, so I just rough translated it into English