Creating a good online presence: what is the best approach?

 

How do you establish an online presence?

In this blog, I will be discussing the importance of establishing an online presence for success in the creative industries and how to go about this, specifically for those intending on a career in the games industry. I will cover topics such as networking, the benefits of various online platforms, how to get noticed by potential employers, how often you should update your portfolio and what to include.

Networking

Building a network is an important aspect of advancing your career and professional reputation. Benefits of networking include:
  • meeting new people
  • boosting your confidence
  • generating new ideas
  • gaining deeper insight into your field
  • finding new opportunities

Image by Shutterstock

Which platform and why?

There are many platforms now available to us online. I've chosen a few that I think are worth noting and shared them below:

LinkedIn is a fantastic professional networking platform. It is a great way to keep up to date with what is going on in your industry, make lasting connections and attract potential employers. You can include your previous education history and job experience on your profile as well as your skills. There is even a feature in which others can give you a recommendation.

Behance is a social media platform catered toward creatives. It enables you to create an online portfolio showcasing your projects. Having a well-maintained and up-to-date profile allows you to direct potential employers to a catalogue of your past work.

Itch.io is a platform for independent game developers. Creators can sell their content for a small fee or upload projects that users can download and play for free, this is a great way to get your work out there and receive feedback from the gaming community.

Twitter is another good choice of social media for game developers. According to Brian Dean of backlinko.com, Twitter has 396.5 million users as of 2022. You may choose to use Twitter to show clips of your games, share industry news and information or even create a devlog showcasing the development stages of your latest project.

There are many other platforms you can utilise and through a little research, you can find the best one suited to your needs.

Image by Neoreach

What is a good way to get noticed by potential employers?

Competition is fierce in the creative industry; therefore, it is imperative to promote yourself regularly and always be ready to put your best foot forward.

 Maintain your portfolio

Keeping your portfolio up to date with your best work is essential. You never know when the next potential employer will be looking for someone with your skill set. Frida Garda, marketing and editorial intern at SlideRule, offers tips on creating a portfolio for game developers here.

 Create a showreel

Creating a showreel that you can post online or link to in a job application is a great way to show what you can do. You want to capture your potential employer’s attention as quickly as possible therefore you should keep your showreel short, around one minute is enough, and begin with your best work. If you are particularly good in one area, show it. Your showreel is just a glimpse of what you can do, you can always include a link to your portfolio or website in case they want to see more.

You can view my example here.

Post on social media

Platforms such as LinkedIn are a good way to gain attention from prospective employers however always remember to be professional when posting. Appropriate topics to include are professional achievements, career events that you are attending or interesting industry news.

Create a website

Having a website to direct potential employers to is a great option. A website gives you full control over its aesthetic and content. It allows you to showcase your work and skills as well as your web design knowledge. When building a website make sure that it is intuitive to navigate and that your work is categorised appropriately, possibly by game engine or game genre. You could also embed a video of your showreel into your website, making it easy for a potential employer to see an overall view of your work.

General advice

          Keep up to date with industry developments, know about events that are taking place and attend when you can. These events offer you an opportunity to network with others in the industry as well as improve your knowledge in the field.


Strive to develop your soft skills as well as your hard skills. Employers are not only looking for someone who can do the job, but also someone that can fit into their team, and whom they can rely on.


Image by Melissa Ling via The Balance


          Look for feedback and constructive criticism wherever you can. Industry professionals may offer you advice after viewing your work, this input can be extremely valuable to your professional growth. 

    My work

Level creation in Unity 

Screenshot from my game, "Sheltered"

You can keep up-to-date with my latest projects using the links below. 

Behance

Itch.io

You can get in touch with me on LinkedIn

 


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