Animex: Recruiters Panel

The Mill. -Mostly commercials, music promos and games. Based in London, L.A, Chicago and New York. 

Framestore. -Film, VFX, Commercials. Based in London and L.A.

Industrial Light Magic. -New studio in London- Based in San Francisco. Soon to get internships for graduates.

MPC. -Film and Advertising. MPC Film are more specialised artists in particular areas, MPC advertising is more general artists, working in a variety of areas. Based in London, Bangalore, Montreal and Vancouver. Recruiting for 2D.

Double Negative. -VFX feature films etc. Based in London and Singapore.

Entry Level jobs?
Many entry level jobs= Runners. 
To progress fastest, build relationships with the division you are aiming for within the company. 
Some divisions recruit more junior artists more often. (The Mill)
Runners are hired based on strength of their showreels and trained based on their interests. (Framestore)
Runners feed straight into the production line. They hire junior artists straight out of school and they get a 3 month intensive training program. If you graduate from the program you are offered a job as a junior artist. (MPC)

How specialised should the showreels be? 
Pretty specialised for the specific role/ division you are applying. 
Don't put everything you've ever done on your showreel. If you don't particularly love something you've done, don't include it in your showreel because the chances are that if you don't love it, they won't love it either. QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY. Put your best work on.

Important skills.
ADAPTABLE. Be able to work on projects you don't particularly like. 
TECHNICALLY MINDED. especially for compositing. Learn about all the technical things before you apply.
HAVE AN INTEREST IN TECHNICAL THINGS. 
UNDERSTAND ANATOMY and rigging.
Have a want to learn.
ENTHUSIASM.
EAGERNESS.

Stay open in your ideas of what you want to do.
When you have a junior role or runner, be enthusiastic about your job and learn as much as you can. 

Interviews. 
Evidence of team work. 
If you get an interview, be yourself. Be normal. 
Good if you know where you want to end up. AMBITION.
Have a good knowledge of the software that the studio uses and demonstrate that you can use them in your showreel.
Mostly informal/ semi-informal interviews because the showreel/ portfolio is more important. They already know that they like your work, they just want to meet you and know your work well in a team. 
Research where you are applying. Why are you applying? You've heard they treat staff well? You like they work they've done? Be Passionate.

Internships.
MPC. 8 week program. Accommodation in London paid for. Very competitive. Have a good showreel. One intern per department.

Framestore. Similar to MPC but with a chance to work on your own project evrey friday so you have a framestore approved project on your showreel.

The Mill. Internship opportunities all year round.