May 26, 2004: Entry Level Positions

We are about to have at least one, and maybe more, entry-level positions open. These are probably not what you studied for in college, and they aren’t about making games . . . but they’re about helping the people who make the games, and there are definitely promotion opportunities.

Based on review of some of our best hires – and thinking about what went wrong on some of our not-so-best ones – we want to try hiring by personality type rather than by a specific skill set. We have an idea of the profile we’re looking for. You are:

• Educated. Not necessarily a recent college graduate, but we expect high literacy and computer literacy.
• Energetic, productive, and interested in learning. The people who do best here are builders. You don’t have to be a workaholic or a complete perfectionist, but if you are, you’ll be among friends.
• Not necessarily a frothing “people person,” but capable of getting along with others.
• Very, very, very into the kind of games we make.
• And finally, you have a strong work ethic. We’re building something here, and we want people who will pitch in and help, not sit around and chat.

Experience isn’t really an issue. We expect to train you, and you notice we haven’t said what the job is yet. The person we’re looking for doesn’t CARE exactly what the job is, as long as it lets you use your intelligence and work for a game company. (Especially since many promotion opportunities around here start with “We know you’ve never done this before, but we notice you learn fast; want to try?”)

These are full-time Austin positions, with fully paid health and dental benefits for those who pass the initial insurance qualifications. Pay is, as we said, entry level.

If you’re interested, send a resume to mia@sjgames.com (remember to name the resume with your name, NOT “resume.doc”). We promise, if we’re interested in you, we’ll tell you what you’re applying for.
-- Steve Jackson

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