Hello! I am running into a constant issue when applying for jobs. Every time I apply for a job for scripting people ask me, “Any previous work?” I tell them that this would be my first job and immediately they tell me, “Then I am not interested.” This has happened to me four times now!
So my question is, how can I build up a reputation for myself so that way I will be hired?
I’m sure you have personal stuff you can show them
I tell them that I have a game that I am working on that I can show and then they still say I’m not interested. They want people with a professional background with previous jobs. How do I get there if I cannot get hired?
You don’t have to work with people to build up a portfolio. Just try to script whatever you’d want to script and later on use it as examples of what you can do.
People usually ask for previous work because they want to make sure that you’re not a scammer and that they don’t waste their money and time on you.
You build that reputation with previous work.
If you’re trying to get commissions, you should probably do some smaller work for free or make a few showcases to display your skills. It’s unlikely that you will be hired if you can’t show how talented you are in your field.
Make a portfolio and request people to hire you. You could also add a discount, so more people would be interested. By previous work, they don’t mean to work on a previous game, but if you have ever scripted before.
My recommendation would be, and this could be controversial but;
Do some simple jobs for people, free or paid, do some example work to test yourself. I often see new and aspiring graphic designer give out free commissions to test their skills.
Yeah I just created a portfolio!
Just tell him that this is my first time being hired and don’t have any previous works, but I’ve some games I can show you that are well scripted.
Sorry, but I would like to make a portfolio, how can I do this?
No one will hire you without previous work. If you want to be hired, first make some work that you can show.
happens to me all the time lol
I am one of those people who don’t have projects going on for themselves but definitely has knowledge of scripting. When I am asked “can I see your previous” work I just say something like “I wouldn’t be applying if I was not able to fulfill your request” and then I link some tutorials I wrote and my activity in #help-and-feedback:scripting-support. Usually that convinces them lol