NEW YEAR, NEW JOB: PopCap’s guide to getting that design job

Every day in January we’re helping job-hunters with advice and tips from the industry’s finest development talent and HR and recruitment execs on a range of topics.

Today we bring you a guide to bettering your chances within the game design discipline, with essential guidance from PopCap’s senior designer Dave Bishop.

PopCap’s tips for getting that design promotion

The top 10 ways to get promoted as a designer
1. Look at/play as many games as you can; not just ones you would naturally gravitate towards.

2. Circulate your thoughts/findings/learnings, especially where you believe a game breaks new ground and/or does something particularly well – or badly – where lessons can be learnt.

3. Publish the above on your own design related, blog.

4. Organise/run board game evenings (and make sure you play King of Tokyo J)

5. Look for any way to get/be involved in the creative process – ask to be invited to/included in brainstorm and design review sessions. Do your homework so you are well placed to contribute in a meaningful and ‘memorable’ fashion.

6. If already in a design team then offer to help/support/review the design work of your peers.

7. Study design trends and best practices, especially in emerging areas such as social gaming, and position yourself as the company’s expert in one or more of these specific areas of game design.

8. In your own time, create new design ideas/concepts that might fit into your company’s future produce strategy. Look for ways to present these to the key stakeholders within your organisation.

9. Try to attend conferences/seminars etcetera. that will broaden your experience base; for example GDC.

10. Look for opportunities to attend any relevant training likely to enhance you skill set and standing within your organisation; for example, scrum master, product owner, running successful brainstorm sessions etcetera.

Our daily ‘New Year, New Jobs’ series of articles are extracted from the forthcoming February issue of Develop magazine, which boasts an essential compendium of advice, tips and tricks on getting a new job and improving your employment prospects. The same issue will bring you all the results from our sweeping games industry Salary Survey. Check back with Develop Online every day this month for more.

To find out more about advertising opportunities in February’s Develop contact Alex.Boucher@intentmedia.co.uk or call him on +44 (0) 1992 535 646.