hi guys...i just received a call from a well-known post-production company located in kl...they asked me to come for an interview this thursday...i'm so stoked...although it's just an internship application interview...but i'm worried because of my little knowledge on interview skill...the last interview that i gone through was when i got a part-time job as a kitchen crew at a well-known fast food chain years ago... n___n;

i'm seeking any tips on design/animation/production industry interviews...what common questions companies ask? any topics to watch out that can screw up the interview? how to deal with money-related questions? how to deal with technical questions?

i hope this thread will give some tips not only for me but to other aspiring artist out there who's trying to make their way into the industry too...

i thank you in advance...

Nandos Chicken?

Regular questions will be whether you're willing to work till late occassionally, what are your softwares skills, whether you know what do they do (and sometimes, which works their company did - make sure you do some background check on their company), why you want to do internship training with their company and etc. Just tell them your thoughts honestly on why you're sincere to work there. I think if you're trying too hard to create an artificial answer for them, they'd be able to tell (just make sure you're not too honest by giving answers like "I wanna work here because my house is just few steps away!" or "coz the office damn big!"

Some companies might require you to do a test on the spot, so be prepared - ex : animate a scene, draw an illustration, do a walkcycle - depending on what the company does. When it comes to money matters, if you are really keen about learning from this company and not just for the sake of money, imo just take what they offer - try not to negotiate for a higher price as these folks are bringing you in to learn some real hands on training. Sometimes asking for a higher price might just put people off, thinking you're just in it for the money. If however you really, really feel that you might need some expenses covered (for ex: your house is too far from the work place and you need money for petrol), you can politely ask for an amount just enough to cover for that and explain to them why.

Just note that - when it comes to allowance - some companies offer less, some offer a lot, some don't offer a single penny at all - so do not expect much.

Also, try to find out what you'll be doing throughout your internship. Just make sure they don't say "oh, you'll make coffee for us the next 3 months!"

I got my internship job on the first interview attempt at a 2d animation studio. When asked how much I expect from them, I just said "nothing, I just wanna learn." The studio manager was like "this is the first time I hear this in an interview!!!"

Eventually I got hired and paid quite an ok sum. Two months later, I got paid incentive (it's based on work performance) and the sum doubled up. I also extended my contract with them. Most importantly, I've learnt a lot of useful skills that still come in handy today. And you know what? Many of my friends who were paid a lot higher for doing very little work (9pm-5pm routine - sometimes can go back earlier), end up learning nothing after the whole internship ordeal.

Remember, the money that you earn might be spent off easily, but the knowledge that you learn is with you forever. Sorry, but I really need to stress more on this as I find that the many students (not that you're one of them) are looking for companies based on how much they're paying! Choose the company you wanna work with wisely - if you wanna be a video editor, go work in a post production company. if you wanna be an animator, go work in an animation studio. learn something relevant and don't just take any intern jobs that come along, as you'd miss a good opportunity to learn hands on skills that can be applied in your future job.

So, that is all the advice that I could give you. Good luck with your interview!

This post has been edited by reindeer: Apr 18 2006, 01:04 AM

some real good thought from u, reindeer.

Thx for sharing..

dinodog jr,

just doing my part to help. i was such a confused little soul when i was looking for companies to do my internship.

thank you so much reindeer for sharing the experience...i'm putting together my reel now to only specifically showing character animation...

normally at the end of interviews, interviewers always say like "do you have any question?" i always afraid to ask question that can ruin my interview...do you think it's ok if i ask them questions like "how the workflow of the company for the position i'm applying?" or "do employees gets a chance to do experimental or their own projects to develope their art skills while working with the company?"...

i think if the floor is open.. ask relevant professional questions..

don't ask things like; "Do I have to stay back later every day?" instead say it like; "What will be the average working hours assigned to me?"

If they say it depends on the workload, then your first assumption would mean that you're going to be staying back quite a lot. However, if the interviewer is honest, he'll be straight forward and explain that in your line there'll be a lot of overtime hours.

if he didn't mention anything bout salary, it should be safe to ask in an friendly tone; "I'm rather new to this whole thing so I was just wondering how much will I be getting while interning here."

As far as my belief is concern, if the interviewer/employer can't be honest with me on certain things, how am I suppose to fully entrust my work/career life to this person.

Anyway, just a few things from my personal opinion.

This post has been edited by etsuko: Apr 18 2006, 10:44 AM