VR Jobs Overview
Do you wish your job was a bit more fun? If you find yourself daydreaming at your desk, it might be time to find a career where you can create virtual worlds instead. Enter the career field of virtual reality (VR). VR jobs focus on creating simulated environments that the user can interact with and feel a part of, such as a VR headset.
Virtual reality shares many similarities with augmented reality (AR), but AR combines the real and virtual world, while VR is exclusively virtual. Together, the two make up the category extended reality (XR), a field expected to grow at a rate of 42.2% globally over the next few years. When many users experience either VR or AR in a shared world, this is also called a metaverse.
These are some examples of common VR jobs:
- user experience designer: User experience (UX) designers focus on creating a positive user experience that meets user needs and preferences.
- 3-D animator: 3D-animators create moving 3-D images, such as characters for VR games.
- project manager: Project managers oversee a VR project from inception to completion, often managing creative and technical staff as well.
- software developer: Software developers build apps and other software.
- product manager: Product managers oversee a product, taking on technical, artistic, and business responsibilities.
- game tester: Game testers work in quality assurance. They play virtual reality games to look for and report tech problems, as well as the general usability of the game.
- game developer: Game developers are software developers who focus on developing VR games.
- design engineer: Design engineers design new products and systems.
- system engineer: System engineers develop and manage the architecture for a product.
Salaries for VR Jobs
Salaries vary greatly for virtual reality jobs because there are a wide range of different positions. You can compare salaries for many different locations and jobs using Monster’s salary tools.
User experience designers and system engineers are some of the highest paid jobs in this field, (besides supervisors and managers). These are some examples of median national salaries for common job titles in VR:
How to Find the VR Job That Fits You
Finding a job that’s a good fit for you is a combination of a good match between what you want and what the company is looking for. Consider the following factors when choosing between different jobs in VR.
Schedule
Do you want typical office hours or can you take on shifts during evenings and weekends? Jobs in supporting roles, such as responding to outages and other tech problems, are more likely to include shift work. But different companies have different work cultures. Some have more hectic schedules due to taking on several projects simultaneously.
Work Culture
Reading about corporate culture on the website, for example in “About us” or “Our Values” is a good start, but sometimes reality differs from the image.
If you interview in person, observe employees. Is the website describing a great work-life balance and a friendly environment, but everyone is eating lunch in front of their desk with a headset on? Not a great sign. You can also ask questions during your job interview, such as “What do you like about working here? And “How would you describe the work culture?”
Location: Do you want to work remotely or in the office? Creative roles or jobs that require a lot of brainstorming and bouncing off ideas with other team members are less likely to involve remote work. Security constraints can limit other tech workers ability to work from home too.
Red Flags
Look for red flags in the job and during your interview. One example is an ad that describes job responsibilities of a more senior position with the pay and title of an entry-level job. While this can help you grow your skills, it could indicate that the employer doesn’t pay well enough to match the title to the job. A company that is constantly hiring could be a warning sign of high turnover rates (unless the employer is a large corporation).
Your Career Goals
If you want to climb the career ladder, finding a company that has a clear hierarchy, for example with junior, middle, and senior developers, as well as a development supervisor/software development manager, can help. A company that has opportunities for professional development such as career development programs can also be a good fit.
Job Requirements
We all have our dreams jobs, but to increase your chances of getting a job offer, apply to virtual reality jobs that you’re qualified for. While employers may lower some of the requirements for a candidate who is a fit culturally and personality-wise, focusing primarily on jobs where you have the right qualifications will be a more productive use of your time.
How to Apply to VR Jobs
The first step to getting that VR job is creating a well-written and detailed job application. For best results, customize your resume and cover letter to the job ad. Identify key skills and qualifications to emphasize, for example words or skills that are repeated in the ad.
Update Your Resume
Whether you work on the artistic or technical side, you’ll need to be well-versed in computer programs and other technical skills for virtual reality jobs. Place relevant certifications and licenses high up on your resume. Highlight any previous experience in VR. Use both the terms virtual reality and VR to ensure that resume scanning software finds your resume.
See how to best detail and describe your tech skills in our article on how to show your tech skills on your resume.
Write a Cover Letter
Need inspiration to write your cover letter? Check out this article on cover letter tips for a web developer. In the cover letter you can see how to showcase how your work had a direct impact on the company; in this case on factors such as load times, user engagement, and Google rankings.
Many people struggle with writing resumes and cover letters. If you feel like yours are missing something, get help from Monster’s writing services.
Apply to Jobs in VR
After you have a winning resume and cover letter, it’s time to put them to the test. You can apply for new jobs in VR right here on Monster. Just create a profile to upload your resume and get started.
How to Follow up With an Employer
Before you follow up with an employer after submitting an application, ask yourself, should you follow up? Getting in touch with the employer can make you stand out from other candidates, but don’t do so if the ad discourages it. Some ads ask candidates not to get in touch. If you still do so, thinking that persistence will pay off, you’ll come off either as unobservant or impolite.
In other cases, following up after a job application can increase your chances of getting an interview. Get in touch by phone or email after a few days. Learn what to say in our article on how to follow up on a job application.
As hiring managers are often very busy, following up by email is often ideal. If you submitted the application through an online system or a generic email address, contact the company directly to find out the right person to get in touch with.
Interviewing Tips for VR Jobs
Once you get a job interview invitation, prepare by researching the company, such as its culture and products. Many companies post this information online in sections targeted towards either prospective employees or customers.
Learn How to Answer Interview Questions
When it’s time for your interview, you’ll most likely encounter both standard interview questions and questions typical to the industry. These are some possible interview questions for virtual reality jobs:
- What are some of the challenges of virtual reality?
- What is your favorite VR experience?
- How do you see VR changing in the future?
- What does the term immersive reality mean and how does VR play a role in it?
Because many VR jobs aren’t entry-level positions, you might have to pass more than one interview in order to get a job offer, for example an initial screening with a recruiter, an interview with your potential supervisor, and a final interview with their manager.
Follow Up After Your Interview
Following up after interviewing is a two-part process. The first step should be within 24 hours to say thank you for the interview in an email. However, after a week or more has passed, you can follow up again by phone or email to see if the employer has any news.
Consider any timeline the interviewer mentioned when deciding when to follow up. If they said that they will make a decision in 2-3 weeks, don’t call after a few days to ask about the status of your application.
What to Do When You Get an Offer
Yes, it finally happened! You got an offer for the job you want. Before you rush to sign your contract, make sure it has the details you expect. Is the salary within a reasonable range for your position and experience? Does it include the benefits that the employer mentioned at the interview? Did they throw a curveball such as a 10-page noncompete agreement? Keep in mind that the offer often isn’t final, you can and often should negotiate the salary and other details.
Follow up as soon as possible with the employer. If you need to think about the details, or if you have doubt about any parts of it, you can say so. The company will appreciate that you keep them in the loop even if you can’t give them an immediate answer.
If you plan to negotiate, come prepared with information about reasonable compensation for your situation. If you’re an entry-level worker, it may not be reasonable to expect pay at the high end of the salary range. Similarly, if you have years of experience, you can ask for a salary at the higher end of the typical compensation.
VR Career Paths
The extended reality industry is poised for great growth, with an estimated growth rate of 42.2% globally over the next few years. Not only is there high job security in this industry, it’s also a field that will see much innovation in the future since technologies continue to develop. Virtual reality can be combined with other emerging technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence, making for interesting possibilities in the future.
Jobs in VR
When choosing between different VR jobs, consider these common options:
- Technical path: Many VR jobs are tech jobs where you’ll work as a computer engineer, programmer, or developer. You’ll start in an entry-level job and can climb in the career to a job with more responsibilities. It’s common for these jobs to be divided into junior, mid-level, and senior, for example junior engineer, middle engineer, and senior engineer. After working for a few years you can aim for a position as manager, such as an engineering or development supervisor.
- Artistic path: If you’re more artistic, consider a career as an animator or designer. You can progress to a position as an animation lead, production manager, or principal designer.
- Project management path:Project managers combine responsibilities across different areas, such as tech, art, and business, and oversee both artistic and technical teams. Some project managers start as assistant project manager, project scheduler, or project coordinator. Others begin as developers or engineers. After a few years as project manager you can move on to a job as a lead project manager, executive project manager, or senior project manager.
Education in VR
There aren’t that many degrees specifically labelled virtual reality, but you can specialize in a related area. Getting a VR-related certification can also help you advance on the job market. Degrees, courses, and certifications may be in related areas, such as:
- modeling and simulation engineering
- immersive technologies
- virtual production
- wearable computing
- interactive media
- human-computer interaction
Similar Occupations to VR Jobs
If you’re interested in working with, or creating, the latest technology, consider also looking into these jobs: