I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Wild Cosmetics (London, England) in Jan 2024
Interview
The initial call interviews were great and the company seemed like a vibrant team of go-getters. The recruitment team was very open and easy to talk to.
However, it was clear this may be the first time they are hiring an in-house creative...
...the take home task was a brief with no set budget and a description which contradicted the brand presented across all visible company channels.
The brief said to be 'bold and creative' and that they have done and seen everything, so to really kick it up a notch. They expected studio-quality photographs but provided no budget or spend limit for props or studio hire. This would have been very difficult for an applicant coming from an in-house position not having access to own equipment.
Upon completing the task, the rejection feedback was vague and felt rushed. They said they liked the concept and most of the images, but were just not going to progress. I wasn't given an opportunity for even a 15min call to present my vision which was disheartening after spending a good amount of acquiring props for the test shoot.
A word of advice to the hiring team - Consider setting a budget and creating a clear brief document.
I applied online. I interviewed at Wild Cosmetics in Jan 2024
Interview
For a company with B Corp status the interview process was definitely not equal opportunity.
For every other in-house photographer role I have interviewed for I was invited to the employers studio to use their equipment for a trial shoot.
But for Wild I had to provide my own camera, lighting and studio space along with editing software. (All of which I would not be expected to own if I got the job). And then buy props and set pieces for the shoot myself on top of that. Compensation for this was never offered. Meaning that all applicants would have to be able to invest considerable amounts of money into this interview.
I had 4 days to do the photoshoot, including a weekend. After which my work was slated in the feedback process with some very subjective comments, and a few fair ones. I feel the hiring staff were quite inexperienced in the creative process. The applicant would have to nail a "what am I thinking?" brief on the first attempt without any real discussion of what they wanted or liked. I never spoke to the person who judged or gave feedback on my work.
I also had to come up with my own fragrance and create a presentation for it. Completely off grid for a photographer.