How to find a job? The secret maps to success...

Where are the jobs?

Finding work isn't easy, especially getting that vital, elusive first job. Sometimes it seems like every vacancy is advertised for professionals with 2-3 years of experience, which means that finding your first gig can feel like a catch-22. You can't find a job without experience, you can get experience until you find a job. So what is the secret?

The answer, of course, is the traditional recipe: hard work, talent, research, persistence and a good dose of luck. To help you on your way, I have listed below some super-useful websites which can help you get a head start.

Games Development map. This map shows the locations of Games studios all over the world. Click on the red dots to find 'em.

CG Studios Map. As above, this map shows the location of CG studios all over the world.

Animation World Network. Sign up for their job alerts and get a weekly email digest of who is hiring all around the world.

Film and TV Pro. Sign up for more free job alerts. Some are paid gigs, some not.

Finally, keep in touch with your fellow graduates! Your graduating class is a little community of talent, you can keep each other informed about who is hiring and who needs bodies in a hurry. Media companies tend to practice crisis-management, which is to say that when they need people, they tend to need them right away. So keep you ear to the ground, polish your online portfolio, and be ready to move quickly.

----Alex