My role in HR has allowed me the privilege to be on the other side of the table – meeting and interviewing potential talents. Often times I would get asked questions like, “How do I get a chance to work at Bardel” or “What do you look for on my application?” I bet you are dying to know the answers to these questions. That’s why I thought it may be a good idea to share our recruiting process with you.
How do I get a chance to work at Bardel?
First and foremost, applying through our Careers Page. This is the best way to make sure your application is sent to the right channel and reviewed by the right people.
What happens if the position I’m interested in is not listed?
There’s always the General Application which will get your application into our online database. This is where we usually start when we want to explore who have applied and may be suitable for positions that are new and yet to be posted on our Careers Page.
How can I be sure that my application is not going to end up in the “black hole”?
Although we would love to get back to everyone who has applied to us, it’s proven to be difficult with the amount of applications we get for each of our positions. Having said that, we do make sure to review all the applications that come through our door. So fear not – your application did not end up in the “black hole”. If you are identified as a potential fit for our requirement, we would definitely reach out to you!
What would help me to stand out as an applicant?
Do you know that on average, recruiters and/or hiring managers spend only about 6 seconds on a resume? Given the amount of resumes we usually go through, we can only afford so much time on each one. So in general, a clean and well-formatted resume helps to keep my attention on it for a bit longer.
For creative positions (such as Animators, Lighting/Comp Artists, FX Artists), a strong portfolio is key to pique our interests. It shows us your technical proficiencies and artistic style, which will help to determine whether you would be a suitable fit. And for the most part, we do weigh this a bit over your resume as we understand experience is gained rather than given.
What’s your usual recruitment process?
After we’ve received your application, our team(s) review and identify whether you would be a suitable to fit. Once you are shortlisted, we reach out to you and coordinate for an interview with our team. If you are local in Vancouver, we invite you into our studio to meet in person. If you live outside of Vancouver, we do a Skype video interview instead. This helps to further discuss your qualifications and us sharing about our role.
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After the interview, our team will select the candidate(s) that would match well with our requirement. Then we would go through offer, and hopefully have you on-board with us. Pretty standard process, eh?
[bardel_post_image name=”Recruiting”]
Recruiting fair during the Spark Animation Film Festival. L-R: Stephen Jolliffe, Susannah Skerl and Nina Brautigam.
It’s been a couple weeks and I haven’t heard back from you – how do I follow up?
Calling the studio is the least preferable way for you to follow up as it may be directed to the wrong person. We will contact you if you are shortlisted for an interview. Otherwise, be creative and I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to reach out to us.
I just graduated from school and looking for my first job in animation. What suggestions do you have for me?
Have a solid portfolio, period. This gets our attention to your application. Once you’re in for an interview, we like to see your enthusiasm towards animation. Think about how you would answer questions like – “What interests you about working in animation”; “How did you get started in the creative field?”
Research, research, research! Know what Bardel does and what projects we have done and/or are doing right now. (Hint: If I were to ask you “What does Bardel stand for?”, do you know?)
I need a work permit in order to work in Canada. Would you still consider my application?
Yes – as you can see from our website, we are very multicultural and have employees who came from countries outside of Canada.
Any last comments?
Come back and visit our Careers Page periodically as we update it with our latest openings. Also keep an eye on our social media channels as it is our instrument to share with you about our participation at various career fairs. As to which fair we would be at next – stay tooned…
