SIGGRAPH 2011 officially wrapped up yesterday — but with so many industry pros still in town, the fun will keep going throughout today.

Four days of amazing speakers finished last night with a presentation from Krista Jordan, a recruiter from Australia’s Animal Logic. You’ve seen their work in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, Happy Feet, and 300.

With 15 years of experience at Animal Logic, Krista shared with current students in 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Classical Animation, and Digital Character Animation what it’s like to work at the company.

“We’re very passionate about growing the artist and growing the industry,” she said. As someone who’s seen countless applications, she offered some solid advice on how students can best present themselves not only to Animal Logic, but to any potential employer after graduation.

Some tips from Krista:

- Create a nice, clean website that clearly identifies who you are and what you can do
- Research the companies you’re applying to and check out their recent work
- Be specific in what your career goals are
- Keep your reel brief and focus it on your best skills — but show some variety as well

She also offered some advice about where to go looking for international working visas, as it’s extremely rare that an international company will sponsor someone applying for an entry-level position. There are ways to do it, but you have to be tenacious.

Thanks for the advice, Krista!