Join the Brick Team: A Guide to Getting Hired
At some point, we all have been job seekers. We know the excitement that comes with applying for a job you’ve been wanting at a studio whose work resonates with you. But do you usually know what the hiring process is at a given company, including the steps that come after you submit your portfolio?
In the latest addition to The Brick Picture, our interview series that sheds light on the inner workings of our studio, we discuss Brick’s hiring process for 3d artist positions with our CEO András Káldos. Among many things, you will get to know what you can expect from our interviews and test, as well as the support we offer our new international colleagues.
Whether you are interested in applying to Brick or simply want to learn more about how we grow our 3D artist community, join us for this conversation with András!
András, could you outline roughly how you can become a 3D artist at Brick Visual?
Basically, there are two ways you can become a ‘Bricker’. One is through Brick Academy, our educational brand, which runs archviz courses aimed at 3D artists. This is the best option for those who have less experience but want to develop themselves before applying. The other way is to apply to Brick directly through our job form. Since the hiring process is more complex in this case, I think it is worth going deeper into this.
Your recruitment journey at Brick
What steps are included in the hiring process?
The entire process is fully remote – you can complete it from home. It involves these stages: online application, first interview, the test, and the second interview. Even though we receive ~1000 applications a year, it takes like 2 weeks, at the latest 1,5 months to finalize a hire. A lot depends on the availability of the candidate too.
About the online application, what do artists need to submit? How can they make a good first impression to get into the next round?
An updated portfolio containing archviz works is a must to submit. These are then screened by Gyula Maróti a.k.a. Gyuszi (pronounced something like: due-see), Lead Artist, and myself.
We evaluate each submission based on professional criteria. Most think that we only consider the archviz works in the portfolio, the quality of images. But that’s not all we look at – we find it important to have a sense of style.
The most useful guide on building a great archviz portfolio
Many are rejected because they fail to deliver a nice layout. If we see that the material has a coherent and appealing style, we invite the applicant to an interview. Brick Academy has a full article on how to nail these materials, it’s definitely worth your time: Stunning Archviz Portfolios.
What can applicants expect from the first interview?
It’s a casual, one-hour video call with Gyuszi, the Lead 3D artist mentioned earlier (see his picture below). Applicants introduce themselves and their motivations to work at Brick. Then Gyuszi picks 1-2 images from the applicant’s portfolio and asks how they were made. Next, Gyuszi talks about the company culture and the career development possibilities at Brick. Finally, the applicant can ask anything.
Gyuszi, with whom you will have a casual chat
How strict are you when it comes to English skills or moving to where Brick is based?
Regarding English, if you are at a very basic level but we understand each other, you are given the green light. About the relocation, we need to know for sure that our applicant is 100% ready to move to Budapest or Cluj. If we sense that they are hesitant or unwilling, we don’t proceed further. But like 90% of the time, we can continue the hiring process.
When do you discuss the salary?
We send a preliminary job offer with the compensation package a week before the test. We also attach a document that lists possible living costs in Hungary or Romania. This is to help potential employees from abroad put things into perspective. Applicants need to either accept or decline this offer. We want to know a definite answer to this before making applicants complete our test because we try to be respectful of everyone’s time.
A fun day out in the green area of Budapest
So after accepting the preliminary offer, we come to the next stage of the hiring process: the test. What can we know about this?
It’s a 6-8-hour test specifically used to determine the skills of artists. 3D artists specializing in still images have to create a draft based on the basic model and texture we give them.
For animation artists, we assign a camera preview task (30-second camera movement), and a raw draft creation of a project. You need to have the necessary technical background to complete these tasks: 3Ds Max, Vray or Corona, Internet connection.
What is the expected outcome of this test and how do you communicate this to applicants?
Gyuszi briefs the candidate about the task and gives the evaluation criteria before starting the test. We expect quality work with great composition, lighting, colors and a story. Applicants should be able to work on their own but Gyuszi is available in case any issues arise. On average, we get back to the applicant with the result within a week.
Our headquarters in Budapest
What happens if the test does not meet the professional criteria detailed above?
If we see many weak points in the test, we send a rejection letter that contains short, constructive feedback. If applicants want to have more in-depth feedback, we schedule a call with them. If we sense there is a discrepancy between the applicant’s portfolio and the tasks submitted, we give another task.
We understand that not everyone performs well under stress like this when the stakes are getting a new job. So we like to give our applicants a second chance if we see potential in them.
Luckily, half of those who do the additional test do a much better job, leading them to the final round.
The team you’ll meet during Brick’s hiring process
The final round of the hiring process is the second interview. What do you focus on here, given the many international applicants you have?
Our Chief of HR, Orsolya Steiner and Chief Creative Director, Márton Zoltán Tóth talk to the candidate. Basically, it is very similar to the first interview. After that, we talk about how we help our new colleagues with the paperwork.
Brick helps non-EU applicants get work visas. We have an expert visa agency that takes care of everything – your job is to follow their instructions and wait patiently because obtaining a visa can take 3-6 months.
Image by Ivan Gutierrez who completed the Post-production in Archviz course
What do you recommend to those artists who applied for a position but got rejected at any point in the process?
If we don’t offer you a position, that doesn’t mean your chances of working at Brick drop to 0. We believe in second chances, the ability to gain more experience and become better at archviz. This is exactly why Brick Academy was founded, to help artists develop skills necessary for the demands of the industry.
We recently had an example where an artist’s test didn’t go so well. He then completed the Post-Production in Archviz course within a week, redid the test and got the job. A great example demonstrating that even though our hiring process is rather fixed, we are open to finding alternative solutions to include artists in our team.
Do you feel more confident in applying to one of our open positions? Send us your CV and portfolio through our job form.
