Students will have a unique opportunity to kick-start their game career at an upcoming online event.

Nicole Callahan, Talent Co-ordinator at Ubisoft Toronto, will present a two-hour workshop on working in the games industry for Brock students Monday, Sept. 20.

Callahan will discuss the history of Ubisoft, what life is like working at the studio and possible careers paths. She will also give students tips on the recruitment process and touch on topics such as resumés, cover letters and portfolios.

“The schoolwork that you’re doing, the extracurricular activities, attending game jams — stuff like this is really beneficial,” says Callahan. “You’re already ahead of the game if you’re attending a talk like this.”

Nicole Callahan, Talent Co-ordinator for Ubisoft Toronto, will be sharing tips on getting started in the gaming industry during a workshop for Brock students on Monday, Sept. 20.

Participating in workshops, networking and using LinkedIn make a difference to employers, she says, and are activities that recruiters pay attention to.

Callahan encourages students not sure about working in the games field to come to the workshop to at least learn more about potential opportunities.

“You really don’t have to be afraid of applying to jobs in the gaming industry if you don’t have that gaming knowledge or even if you haven’t worked for a gaming company before,” says Callahan, who has a degree in English and a background in human resources.

Tom Brown, Project Co-ordinator for Brock’s Centre for Digital Humanities, says it is “never too early to start networking or thinking about what you want to do after graduation.”

“Ubisoft also takes interns,” he says. “This could be a great opportunity to start planning for a spring or summer internship.”

Ubisoft Toronto has around 850 employees. The hiring cycle is synced to the school year and the company is currently hiring for employees to start in January 2022, Callahan says. The application process itself takes two to three weeks.

Monday’s workshop, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m., is the first in the annual series organized by the Centre for Digital Humanities.

“We’re excited to have the workshop series back again with a great lineup of industry and alumni speakers on a wide variety of subjects,” Brown says.

“Ubisoft has been a longtime supporter in the educational sector, with Brock invited annually to their faculty night in which they share industry knowledge with our faculty,” he says. “It is great to have Ubisoft back again with a workshop never before seen by our students.”

Upcoming workshops focus on technical skills, including using Blender and Unity, and working with audio.

Workshops are open to all Brock students and are held online. Pre-registration through ExperienceBU is required.