Strange and unfair, to be diplomatic. 1ST INTERVIEW (PHONE): It started very promising. "We love your work" "Are you being courted by anyone else" "We are very interested, we want this to move fast, can you please give us a chance by staying put" in other words. DONT TAKE ANYTHING ELSE FAST DEFINITION: moving or capable of moving at high speed. So I did. I had recently relocated to Miami from New York. Their products seem decent But I'm not there to judge quality, I'm there to design. Granted I worked for L'Oréal USA for 12 years and Publicis Groupe, pretty international companies. They had my resume, portfolio to detail where I had been and references to confirm that. As I purposely gave them the L'Oréal main number, (they key in the last name of person) to avoid any doubt about whom they were speaking to. 2ND INTERVIEW: PHONE & QUICK 3RD INTERVIEW: PERSON. I thought it went well. A month into the process, I was asked to ask me references to set aside a half hour to talk to R&Y. Creative Directors, AVP's; busy people. my references, will vouch for me forever but to ask for a half hour of their time; that's a favor! AWKWARD! NEXT: Could I do a test for them? REDUNDANT!! as you have my portfolio and references. But I said, sure. PROJECT: Create a 3D model of one of their products (skill on my resume) and create a 30 sec motion video (skill not on my resume). MARKET VALUE: about maybe $7,000. PROBLEM: • Not knowing what's in this for me? • is this full time? • freelance? • benefits? • what if I don't get hired and I just gave you a whole bunch of ideas for FREE. and how is this process fair to me in any way?? SOLUTION: Bring promising candidate in-house for a week or two freelance gig, you both get a sense of compatibility and whether skills meet your needs. If it doesnt work out, candidate gets paid for labor as it is customary in the US. Company may even get a better understanding of what they are looking for! RESULT: FAIR PRACTICE