Learn everything you need to know about the recruitment process at Pdi Dreamworks Skg. Ensure that you are prepared for the interview and that you understand what is involved in the hiring process.
It can be difficult to get your résumé noticed when so many candidates are applying for the same position. Give yourself the best chance of success by crafting a concise, neat résumé that highlights your achievements.
The interview at Pdi Dreamworks Skg is the cornerstone of the hiring process. This is the opportunity for you to stand out from the other candidates. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. But, balance this with a level of proffessionalism. Make sure to have concrete examples to back up any strenghts you list.
If you are asked to take a pre-employment test, don’t panic. These evaluations are merely a way for employers to determine if you have the necessary skills to succeed in the job for which you are applying. You can pass these tests with ease if you take the time to prepare.
INTERVIEW AT DREAMWORKS ANIMATION | Episode 5
Interviews for Top Jobs at DreamWorks Animation
Intern Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at DreamWorks Animation
Interview
Pretty casual. First went through the recruiting team, then the team you interview for. Pretty basic interview questions but overall had a very lovely conversation. Also light hearted for most the interview with my team.
- – Tell me about yourself- Why do you want to work in ___
Story trainee Interview
I applied online. I interviewed at DreamWorks Animation (Los Angeles, CA) in Aug 2022
Interview
The interviewer sent me an email showing interest in my portfolio and then talked about the possibility to schedule a call so we can get to know each other and talk about the program.
- What are you more interested about storyboarding?
Internship Interview
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at DreamWorks Animation (Jackson, MS) in Apr 2022
Interview
The interview process was virtual over the computer and it was pretty quick and laidback. The questions were simple and the process didn’t feel too strict or formal and I felt like I could be myself.
- What does diversity mean to you?
The storm before the storm
Have I mentioned how stressed I was about this interview yet? Because the days leading up to it were the most stressful in my entire life. I couldn’t think about anything else. I started sleeping less. I started eating less. I stopped paying attention to my classes. Instead, I tried to cram every computer science fact, graphics algorithm, and brain teaser I had ever learned into the front of my brain. It was destructive behavior. Part of me knew my actions weren’t helping, but I couldn’t stop. The interview felt too high stakes to stop. I saw this interview as my only chance to get into the animation industry.
Before grad school, I spent six years submitting resumes to animation companies. In those six years, I didn’t hear back from anyone. Now, I had an interview with an animation studio on the calendar! Awesome! But what if I screw it up? What if I don’t get hired? Will it be another six years before I get another chance to prove myself? “Probably,” said my stupid brain. Then my stupid brain followed with, “Actually, this is probably the only chance you’re ever going to get.”
I felt like I had stumbled upon a giant fork in my life road. Interviewing well at the fork led to an internship at DreamWorks, and then further down the road, to a fulfilling career in feature animation. Interviewing poorly at the fork led to none of those things. As far as I could tell, that path led to a life of sadness.
This sounds shortsighted. It was shortsighted. It’s unlikely that bombing one interview would have ruined my life forever. But that’s how I felt, and I was incapable of controlling those feelings. Even knowing what I know now about the industry, if I were to go back in time to this interview, I think I’d feel the same. I think I’d freak out all over again.
I wish I could tell you to take it easy and to not freak out about your interviews. I can’t. Some experiences will fundamentally change the course your life takes. They will change who you are and who you become as a person. Jobs are often those experiences. One bad interview can lock you out of those experiences. For me, this DreamWorks interview led to a formative internship, and that internship led to a full-time gig with Blue Sky. Had I not performed well during this interview, I don’t think I’d be working in the animation industry at all today. I’m not sure where I’d be.
So, yeah. I was really stressed.
One. How would you count all the grains of sand on a California beach without the use of sophisticated tools? (Start small. You can estimate the number of grains in a cubic centimeter easily by hand. Build on that knowledge.)
Two. You have a drawer with 12 white socks and 12 red socks. The power is out in your room. How many socks would you have to pull out of your drawer to guarantee a match is made? How many socks would you have to pull out to guarantee two matches? What is the formula for matching any number of pairs of socks? (Solve for the worst case at each step.)
Three. There are three boxes. One with all red balls. One with all blue balls. One with red and blue balls mixed. All three boxes are mislabeled. Can you properly label all the boxes after only drawing a single ball? How? (You have to draw from the box labeled “mixed” if you want the information learned to be unambiguous.)
Four. You have eight coins. One coin is counterfeit and is heavier than the other seven, which all weigh the same. You have a balance scale. How can you identify the counterfeit coin using the scale only twice? (Fight the urge to divide the coins into two even piles at the start.)
Five. Given the Fibonacci number sequence and the sequence of prime numbers, which one grows faster? (Work out the first few cases in your head. The solution quickly becomes obvious.)
When answering these questions, start small and think out loud. It’s not important how quickly you get to the correct answer. What’s important is how you arrive at the correct answer. Sometimes, there is no correct answer. In those cases, what’s important is how you arrive at a reasonable answer.
One. Explain the model, view, controller paradigm to us. (Asked because I had iOS projects listed on my resume.)
Two. What is unit testing and what are its limitations?
Three. What are the differences between interfaces and abstract base classes?
Four. What scripting languages do you know? (I had played with Perl and Python some. My resume implied I knew them better than I did. This could have bit me in the ass. Luckily, we didn’t do a deep dive into scripting languages.)
Five. What is your favorite programming language and why? (C++, because it was the only language I could talk about semi-intelligently at the time.)
Six. How does Maya’s Dependency Graph architecture work? (Asked because I had a Maya plugin project listed on my resume.)
Technical questions usually get pulled straight from your resume. If you claim to know C++ on your resume, then you should expect to get asked some C++ stuff during your interviews. Inflating your knowledge on your resume will probably bite you in the ass, but it might also help you land an interview in the first place, which gives you a chance to prove yourself in-person. It’s a balancing act. Outright lying on your resume is something I’ll never condone.
Example: “I’ve worked with several different types of animation software throughout my career. I started out working with Flash when I was a student at CalArts, where we learned to use Flash for both 2D and 3D animation. After graduation, I worked as an animator for a small studio that primarily used Toon Boom Harmony for its projects. While there, I also learned to use Adobe Animate.”
Example: “I worked on a project for my college class where I had to create a short film that was at least five minutes long. My partner and I were assigned characters, but we got to choose everything else about our movie. We decided to make it a comedy because we both enjoy laughing. We wrote the script together, chose all of the music and sound effects, and even designed the costumes. In the end, we received an A+.”
Example: “In my last position as a graphic designer, I was tasked with creating a logo for a new company in two weeks. The client wanted to use the logo on their website and social media accounts immediately after launch. I worked hard to meet the deadline by designing multiple logos until I found one that the client liked. They used the logo on all of their marketing materials and launched their business within the two-week period.”
This question is an opportunity to show the interviewer that you have a realistic idea of what it takes to succeed in your role. You can use this question as an opportunity to highlight any relevant experience or skills you may have that would help you be successful in this position.
Example: “I’ve worked as a technical director for two animated films at my current company. In this role, I was responsible for overseeing all aspects of production, including managing the budget, hiring staff members and ensuring that the animators completed their work on time. This position taught me how to manage large projects and collaborate with other team members.”
Kantar Interview Rounds and Process Coding TestAptitude TestTechnical
1st Round is Up to an hr in that we have to perform Coding as per the test provided & also SQL round involve in it we have to show as output as per the test is concerned to provide valid outputs.
2nd round was an aptitude test of 90 mins it was like 100 Questions we have to solve and submit that it involved Logical Reasoning, Mathematical problems, Word Problems, etc.
FAQ
How long does it take to hear back from DreamWorks?
What are the questions asked in animation interview?
Is DreamWorks a good company to work for?
Are DreamWorks interns paid?
