Company Compass: How to Find Where to Work

While internship and job applications are hard enough as is, the added factor of finding the companies to apply to is just another factor that feels to be working against you. However, once you get the hang of it, finding companies can be easy. In this article, I will be outlining some ways I, and some fellow SCAD students, discover companies in our industry.

SCAD Events & CAS

Talking with Career Advisors can be extremely helpful when trying to find a company or internship to apply to. Not only can they provide you with their insight on companies, but they can also provide you with resources. My career advisor provided me with the website Studio Hog (https://studiohog.com/), which helps locate studios in certain locations and industries!

Additionally, SCAD is constantly hosting guest panels, info sessions, portfolio reviews, and more with professionals and companies. Keeping an eye on the job portal, your email, and the SCAD events calendar is vital to staying up to date with these events! Maybe one of these presentations will open your eyes to a company you have never heard of before.

Search Engine

As simple as it is, another great way to find companies is to simply look them up. Wanting to find companies in your area? Search up “Animation companies in Savannah Georgia”, “Game Companies in Los Angeles”, simple as that. Personally, I enjoy using Google Maps, another trick a Career Advisor taught me. With a quick look up of “VFX companies in New York”, I could see a variety of new companies in an area close to me.

While the results may be limited, there are other smart ways to use search engines to find companies. Say you are a fan of superhero movies and hope to work on them one day, why not look up your favorite one, find the IMDB, and search the credits for what companies worked on it?

LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn’t just for connecting with people – companies are on there as well! Searching up companies in your industry on LinkedIn is always a good start. Additionally, keeping up to date with your connections and what companies people you know are interested in or working at is always a good way to discover new places. Not only can you find new opportunities, but you can reach out to people working there and figure out if it really is a good fit for you, and if you might be a good fit for them!

Talk and ask questions!

One of the best parts about a school like SCAD is that not only do we have an abundance of academic resources, but our community of like-minded artists is a resource in itself! Talking to classmates, professors, and others around campus is always a good way to learn about new companies and opportunities. Perhaps a classmate had an internship at an animation company you have never heard of, or a professor has a college friend that is looking for a freelance compositor. You never know until you talk to people. Clubs and extracurriculars are great places to explore these chances to talk to your peers and mentors as well.

Overall, there are a variety of strategies to discovering companies. But the one thing they all have in common is that you need to put yourself out there. Companies and studios do not just show up on your doorstep, but with the right preparation and initiative, you may end up on theirs.