UMich GameDev / XR Get-a-Job Guide

Contact : Austin Yarger ([email protected] - ayarger.com)

Preparation Tips Compiled with the help of Stardock HR

UM students are usually qualified but often present themselves sub-optimally, getting filtered by small issues. Use these tips to increase your odds significantly, then grind applications. Reach out for feedback if you like.

Filter	Technique
Filter #1 The first filter for many recruiters is a “control-f” keyword hunt for technologies and skills relevant to their teams and tech stacks. Your resume / online portfolio having “jira”, “c++”, and “unity” on it somewhere could literally be the thing that gets you one of the finite interview slots over someone else.	Take 494, 440, 498, WSoft Studio, SI 311.156, EDUC 333, PAT 305 for things to talk about. Have an online portfolio and resume. Try a template. Host via github pages. Have a blurb explaining who you are. List the skills learned / used on previous jobs and projects (jira, Wwise, C++, STL, Unity, Unreal, Blueprints, C#, SDL, etc). Bold them so recruiters see them immediately. Do not forget to list projects / skills from academic courses (280, 281, ULCS, etc).
Recruiters know that team projects are common, as are freeloaders. Your project may be great, but they want to know which parts you were responsible for.	Each project / company listed on your resume / portfolio should have at least a brief description of your specific contributions and areas of ownership.
Filter #2 A common second filter is to ask basic questions about a wide variety of engineering topics.	Remind yourself of basic linear algebra concepts and their usage in gamedev (dot / cross products, transform matrices, etc). Remind yourself of basic version control concepts (git, branching, merges, pull requests, etc) and debugging (breakpoints) Remind yourself of basic OOP concepts (inheritance, composition, encapsulation, “what does static keyword do?”, etc). Have a basic idea of what “Data Oriented Programming” means in comparison to “Object Oriented Programming”
Filter #3 A typical third filter is the on-site interview / phone call.	Smile a lot and be genuinely happy to be there. It makes your mistakes significantly less awkward and more recoverable. During interview questions, dump your brain out. Talk as much as possible. It’s ok to arrive at an incorrect answer if your underlying problem-solving process is active / visible.

High-Likelihood Companies

The following companies have a pipeline established with UMich and plenty of Wolverines on staff.

Recruiters are likely to give your resume more weight than normal, and talking to the right person (typically an alumni) could trigger an auto-interview and quick offer if your timing is lucky.

Company	Reach Out	Notes
Stardock	https://www.stardock.com/careers *Ping AY after submitting application	FOR LOVE OF GAMEDEV make your resume as C++ heavy as possible (take 498.007 to get a C++ game engine codebase in your portfolio). Largest game studio in Michigan. 20 minutes from campus Uses C++ and proprietary game engine. Has need for linear algebra basics. AY is friends with lead recruiter.
Gaudium	[email protected] (send portfolio and resume)	Small unity / mobile shop specializing in anime gacha Founded by Wolverine / 494 / WSoft alums Recent products.
Roblox	https://jobs.roblox.com/careers (They often attend career fair)	Ask AY for wolverines to contact. Often attend career fair
Electronic Arts	https://ea.gr8people.com/jobs * Better to ask Roy Harvey on linkedin.	Say “hi” to Roy Harvey (VP Mobile / alum) on linkedin. Ask about internships. Ask AY for wolverines to contact. Create job alert
Niantic	https://careers.nianticlabs.com/	Ask AY to put you in contact with Wolverines there.
Ascendent Games	https://ascendantstudios.applytojob.com/apply * Better to ask Mark Maratea (CTO) on linkedin.	Say “hi” to Mark Maratea (CTO / Wolverine alum) Ask about internships.
Schell Games	https://schellgames.com/careers *Better to ask Nico Williams on Linkedin	Say “hi” to Nico Williams (Wolverine alum / wsoft studio founder).
Mojang	https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/mojang-careers *Better to ask Ayannah Adegeye on Linkedin	Say “hi” to Ayannah Adegeye (Wolverine / 494 alum)
MichiganGameStudios.com	Find local studios at MichiganGameStudios.com	Smaller local studios can’t take as many interns, but don’t receive nearly as many applications. Worth reaching out to ones you find neat.

Academic Opportunities

The following labs / groups are internal to the University of Michigan, are often seeking talented gamedev / XR talent, pay ok-ish, and may result in powerful letters of recommendation (critical for graduate school). May be worthwhile even if you want to eventually work in industry (and definitely worthwhile if no corporate opportunities come through).

When you reach out, ask if the lab has any opportunities for a unity / unreal / gamedev / XR student.

If they say no, ask if they know any other labs in need. Then move on.

Group / Lab	Reach Out	Notes
Dr. Missel’s Lab (Umich Medicine)	[email protected]	Information here
Jessie Yang Lab (Social Testbeds)	Email X. Jessie Yang [email protected] Your resume + portfolio + skills	Focus on Unreal, Multiplayer / Social
DataVisLab	Email [email protected] with your resume + portfolio + skills	Unity, VR, AR Data Visualization
NeurroVR Lab	Email [email protected] with your resume + portfolio + skills	GameDev / XR for rehabilitation and medical impact
SEAS Lab	Contact Dean Kim Elliot ([email protected]) with resume + portfolio + skills	Educational environmental games
ICRL Lab	Contact [email protected] With resume + portfolio + skills	Hires VR students for research programming opportunities.
Accessibility Lab	Fill out this form	XR for access. Emphasis on audio.
UMSI Interaction Lab	https://www.mi2lab.com/contact/ Email Professor Nebeling ([email protected]) with your resume + portfolio + skills	Emphasis on AR / VR / Unity
XR Initiative	Email Jessi Kittel ([email protected]) and Jeremy Nelson ([email protected]) with resume + portfolio + skills	Diverse projects for a wide variety of stakeholders.
Emerging Technologies Group	Email the team at [email protected] with your resume + portfolio + skills. Ask if they know of anyone who is hiring.	This team helps out labs, faculty, and courses across the university with gamedev / XR solutions.
Prof Jonathan Rule	Email Jonathan at [email protected] with your resume + portfolio + skills.	Has received funding for cool AR / VR projects in the past.
Jose Sanchez	Email Jose at [email protected] with your resume + portfolio + skills.	Has done cool stuff at the intersection of gamedev and architecture.
AR / VR Community of Practice	Log into MCommunity Search for AR and VR CoP Go down the list of members. Research each member to see if they run a lab or might be able to hire you. If chances are decent, email them with resume + portfolio + skills	This is kind of a last resort, but don’t be afraid to go down the list. Consider also asking if these people know anyone who’s in need of gamedev / XR talent, as they very well might.

General Applications

After applying to the entities listed above, generate more opportunities by applying through the sources below. Build a habit– submit one application per workday, iterating on your resume, portfolio, and cover-letter templates as you work. Average applications-to-offer for UMich 494 students appears to be in the 30s / 40s. Don’t let listed requirements block you (you don’t need all of them to be a solid candidate, just some of them). Make the process emotionally bearable : Assume rejection and don’t focus on any one job (especially not a dream job– just focus on getting anything. Dream job is for middle / later stages of career).

Source	Usage	Notes
GameJobsCo	Unity Engine Opportunities Unreal Engine Opportunities VR Opportunities	Make use of the excellent filters
Hitmarker.net	Engineering and Design Opportunities	Also has excellent filters
Grackle	Engineering Opportunities
Work with Indies	Programming Opportunities
Indeed	Local jobs - Unreal Engine Global jobs - Unreal Engine Local jobs - Unity Engine Global jobs - Unity Engine
Wolverine Soft Jobs Channel	https://discord.gg/baEFRVe (jobs channel)	There is a lot of job spam from a bot. Opportunities posted by real humans usually have better odds.
ARI Jobs Channel	https://discord.gg/wbZ8kKBYHy (jobs channel)	Ask AY for wolverines to contact. Often attend career fair

“Good luck out there!”