Become who you are

"Become who you are", said Nietzsche.
Think about what those four words mean to you.
If you've been in school your whole life like I had (up until 2010), the professional world feels just so esoteric and so… strangely distant.
As a student, you may listen to guest speakers with perked ears, you may scour the Internet for any kinds of insights and tips into “what it’s like” at your favorite company, you’re most likely on LinkedIn and Glassdoor 24 hours a day…
But to what end?
What do you need to do to get hired at your favorite place? What will you actually be doing day to day at work? How can you assuage your fears? How can you feel like you’re in control of your future and you have no need to worry?
It's all about slowly incrementing specific facets of your life.

Self-Confidence

Take all the confidence you think you have now... and multiply it by a fun big number. Let's go with 4,206,969. That seems fun enough.
When I applied to Blizzard as an intern in 2011, I had every intention of getting a call back. I planned what I would say in an interview — everything from projects I’ve done at school to specific things I disliked in Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty from a UX design perspective. I was confident. I was ready. I was prepared. No one really told me what to prepare, I just did it. Teachers and positive influencers can pretty much set you up for success, but yourconfidence is what will take you the extra mile in achieving whatever you want. For example, I didn’t even think about the fact that I wouldn’t get a call back. This is the first step in changing the way you act and think. I don’t want to necessarily promote positive thinking, but the law of attraction usually works. Wanna know why? It's basically just being super confident in yourself. Not to be incredibly corny, but I believe in the power ofconfidence – believing in yourself! Don't rely on the universe to bring you what you can get yourself. Amirite?
“Fake it ’till you make it” is a totally real thing as well (with respect to confidence). Try it in small doses. To use a terrible example, the next time you see someone you’re attracted to, try asking for their name. Give them yours. Obviously this is a completely different situation where it’s all about consent, gender roles, where you both happen to be at the time (social norms), and wanting to be talked to, but what I want you to take away from this, dear reader, is this — don’t be afraid of being rejected. The worst thing that could happen by just striking up a completely platonic and non-threatening conversation is that the person asks you to leave them alone and you’re where you started, before you even talked to them.
That’s how you should view applying to jobs.
Don’t worry about “not getting job x” or “what will happen if you don’t get job x” — worry about doing your best, and once you’ve done your best, don’t worry about things out of your control. I promise your brain will thank you for it.
How many internships have you applied to “in hopes” of getting a callback? How many jobs? Instead of hoping, you should be acting proactively. You should be doing more than hoping. What could you be doing right now to help yourself achieve your next goal(s)? Go do that.

Persistence , Assertiveness

When you interview somewhere, thank your interviewer(s) at the end for their time. Send them a friendly professional LinkedIn message and ask to connect. Maybe send an email, if appropriate, thanking them for their time and letting them know how much you enjoyed talking to them.
At the end of an interview, ask if there are any unanswered concerns you can address before the conversation officially ends. Do everything you can to clear the air and walk the fine line between persistence and being an arrogant prick that employers don’t want to deal with. This comes through practice.
Asserting yourself requires positive body language. Face people you’re talking to. Try to make eye contact as often as possible (don’t forget to blink, ’cause that’s creepy). Don’t end your sentences on an upward inflection. Studies have shown that this sucks and you shouldn't do this.
Try to walk that fine line of knowing your strengths and not being arrogant about them. Be comfortable with admitting to your weaknesses when they come up during interviews. These both add up to making an assertive person.

Employer Knowledge

If you don’t do any research on my company, you’re instantly a “no” in my head. I’m sure many other interviewers feel the same way. Come prepared.
Every company will also probably ask you… “Why [our company]?”
Know what you want to say to the representatives of the company in order to make a lasting impression. Prepare. How do you prepare? Play all the games. Download all the apps. Make an account. Use the product. Search. Read news articles. Spend more than a few hours learning everything you can so you can speak the language!

Networking

Every single time you talk to a: recruiter, person in a related industry, person at a competing company, person at your company, people at your school, WHOMEVER — you should be thinking strategically. “Is this a person that can be my ally in the future?” or “If I want to work at company X, can this person help me get hired at company X?” what about… “If I leave company X, will this person help me get to company Y?”
Allies are super important in every industry... but especially in the gaming industry, since it's so small!
Here’s how you network:

• Don’t be a jerk.
• Be likable.
• Find interesting people who can tell you about their interesting lives and whom you admire.
• Listen. Don’t always be thinking about what you want to say next.
• Say a few words about yourself.

networking is quite literally the best way to get a job no matter what industry you're in and what you want to be doing.
Know your strengths and know who can help you get to the next level. Remember that you're not entitled to your dream job, you have to work hard to get there. BE OPEN FOR NONPROFIT, BE OPEN TO MIRACLES.Become who you are....:)