I applied online. One day later I got a phone call followed by an email to start an interview. Already, it was very responsive. So I had a 40 minute over the phone interview that asked for my skills, backgrounds etc. However, there was something that ruined the entire process. When it came to software, the Employer wanted me to learn a specific program called "Lumion" as I had mentioned I worked using 3DS Max. I was invited to come to the studio the next day to do what was basically an Art Test, however, the phone conversation I had, I put all my studying and training into Lumion. When I show up and start the test, it was 3DS Max. WTF? The last minute switch left me shell shocked because why would you tell my skill in a software I already knew wasn't important over the phone? Regardless, I still tried my best but there was more red flags going up. The Test wanted me to make a Kitchen for them, but I had no access to any reference. All the chairs, tables, cabinets may have been custom design, but I only had one off-tilted photograph to work with. Speak with any 3D Artist and having good reference is KING. On top of that, I was not actually given a source to pull my textures from, so I either had to make it from scratch, or try and download them off the internet. All this, while the Boss gave me a self imposed time limit of an hour to finish a FINAL RENDER.
With all due respect, that's a recipe for burning out employees when you set the expectation bar so high. The job ad would later update itself and say the position actually requires "5 ~ 10 years" experience but that is not necessary. Someone who just graduated from 3D School should technically be able to do the same work I did, but instead of an hour, give them 1 or 2 days to actually adjust themselves into the work environment. I did see an actual job review posted on Glassdoor giving it a 1 star and I can totally see why. It's true that even during my 1 hour of doing the Art Test, there was lots of yelling and tension going on despite what looked like a 5 person team in a small office. I respect the the type of Archviz projects they worked on but unfortunately, the toxicity aimed at the employees is a major turn off.
