#yellow flags

Green Flags

Jun Sekibayashi

Haruo Kono

Lihito

Okubo Naoya

Kaneda

Ryo Himuro

Cosmo Imai

Ryo Inaba

Mokichi Robinson

Kaolan Wongsawat

Takeshi Wakatsuki

Yellow Flags

Sen Hatsumi

Kanoh Agito

Minoru Takayama

Kiozan Takeru

Omori Masamichi

Sawada Keizaburo

Ohma Tokita

Yōkai Hakashita

Kosuke Metsudo

Red Flags

Muteba Gizenga

Adam Dudley

Julius Reinhold

Ren Nikado

Raian Kure

Kuroki Gensai

Ren Nikaido

Black Flags

Seishu Akoya

Bando Yohei

Hajime Hanafusa

Setsuna Kiryu

Sometimes, we may allow ourselves to tolerate a situation just because the flags haven't turned red enough for us. Truth is, while the conditions may not yet be at a level where we're severely impacted, continuing to waver between the uncertainties of the yellow and orange cautions can be just as bad as an immediate red flag.

This especially applies if you notice someone continuing to treat you a certain way, or exhibit a behavior that affects you or the relationship negatively after you have clearly communicated that with them and have set boundaries with them.

There aren't any particular keywords that will auto-kill your chances, but there are some things in a submitted resume/CV that will absolutely kill any chances of employment for that submission. Remember, we often get dozens if not hundreds of applicants for a single position. Our recruiters don't have the bandwidth to go over each one in detail. Here are a few red flags that usually get a submission tossed out:

No Proofreading

Bad spelling, awkward grammar, and descriptions that don't make intuitive sense will usually get tossed out immediately. Most of these get ironed out just by re-reading your own resume/CV out loud and making appropriate corrections.

Badmouthing a Former Employer

Any kind of major negativity in either printed or spoken word toward a former employer is usually fatal. Even if past incidents were absolutely warranted and justified, most companies are looking for professionalism and to cover themselves. The hiring company's thought is "If this candidate is willing to slag their former employer in their resume/CV/interview, she'll probably be willing to slag us in the future too." In such cases, it just isn't worth the potential future trouble, so we pass and move on to the next candidate.

Lying

Lying on a resume/CV is a pretty big deal - it's often grounds for firing even if a candidate does get hired. Remember that getting a job is a process, not a prize to be won. Even if a candidate gets the offer, he'll still have to actually do the job under the scrutiny of leads and experts in the field. That kind of thing is really hard to fake. Also, the game industry is pretty small - many of us know someone who knows someone at another studio. I've gotten plenty of PMs from friends and former colleagues at other studios for an informal reference check on an applicant - "Do you know so-and-so? She's applying and her resume says she was also at X studio while you were there."

These kind of issues will get a candidate's resume/CV tossed right away. There are also some yellow flags that aren't deal breakers, but the candidate will get asked about. Any candidate who doesn't want the yellow flag turned red will have a response for those questions. Specifically, issues like:

Unemployment Gaps (> 6 months) - what were you doing during that time? (Real Question - why weren't you able to find work?)

Getting fired from a previous position - why did you get fired? (Real Question - Did you cause trouble and will you bring that trouble here?)

Multiple job changes quickly (< a year at multiple jobs) - why so many job changes? (Real Question - will you quit within a few months if we hire you?)

These kind of questions are mostly to cover the company from problematic hires. If a candidate has any of these on their resume/CV (I've had all three at some point in my career, though not all at once), they will be asked about. Expect the question, prepare and practice an answer beforehand. Be honest and be diplomatic. For example:

I was fired because my lead told me one day that I was not a good fit at the company. There was little feedback around the process. I did everything that was asked of me and my annual evaluation feedback from two months before consisted of "keep doing what you're doing". I have references from that studio who can tell you about what it was like working with me.

It doesn't have to be a really long answer, but it does need to address the underlying issue. Any answer you give needs to reassure the company that you're not going to be a liability or cause them trouble down the line if you get hired.

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if you collect too many red flags on a person,  then that should be a clear indicator that they’re not good for you.

Red flag “this one thing is bad for me”

if a friend you’ve known for a while shows a singular red flag, you can be like... ok, how do I work around this?  can it be worked around?  etc.

If a friend you’ve known for a while suddenly shows up with a bouquet of 10 or more red flags (interesting things were learned in lockdown y’all)

perhaps, it’s time to say...wow.  the bad for me is adding up.  how do I minimize my time with this person for my own health and safety?   (minimize might not cut them out altogether.  some people are still in our lives as survival mechanisms)

and if you’re really stuck in it, just be aware, and reaffirm your senses.   “Yes I see what is.  and ok, I am going with this because I have to.”    (this is the most important gift we can give ourselves when we’re trapped)

Yellow flags (this is suss, and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet, but it’s not an overt OMG)  

again if someone brings you a bouquet of suss, pay attention, maybe you don’t want to really get involved in that?  and again, if you’re stuck in it and you’re not always comfortable with the bouquet, be aware.  reaffirm yourself.  Know what is, and know that you’re doing what you have to, because you have to.

Green flags, the omg, this person is awesome and steady in their awesome (i will be attaching the green flags post here below shortly)

someone brings you a bouquet of green?  <3 <3 <3 <3 <3   

I have some new yelllow flags in the garden pond and this is the first time they have flowered so I thought that I’d share some photographs of them with you all. The pond is doing well and still has many frogs residing in it.