I have been put down for the hiring process trough a head hunter company. Initially it was for a technical art position, but during the interview the lead animator and the art director were very thorough and investigated also my interested in the technical animation roles. Unexpectedly but pleasantly enough we continue on that road for the rest of the interview.
I must admit that I felt a great energy when I finished the first interview. I really felt like they had several opportunities in the team and they were trying to provide my real "cup of tea".
Then I was interviewed by the HR manager who gave me an extensive explanation of the bonus and benefit and how the company works for what concern her domain of experience.
After that I spoke with the VP of the Amsterdam studio who actually went thoroughly trough my CV so that he was able to point out a timeline overlapping in my career that I slipped out of my attention. I took it like a very positive sign of genuine interest and thoroughness. He explained to me how the project was managed in terms of development phases, what they were after and he asked me how I felt I could have been useful to it and what I could have brought to PUBG that it wasn't not there yet.
Finally I had the final interview with the executive producer of the project in Korea. It was trough and interpreter who translated in real-time our conversation. It went very smooth despite the language issue, he was very interested in my craft and how I could have improved the quality of their productions. He also showed me his long time vision in terms of animation quality and technology goals and how could have been achieved. I really felt the sense of mission and commitment in a way that I hardly felt before.
Eventually they came up with an offer, matching exactly my requirements both in terms of monetary offer and starting time.
They were aware that I had another process in place and they have been very patience and show a great deal of professional courtesy. They waited for me to see the end of the other process in order to make a decision.
Unfortunately a family emergency stroke and my time, presence and focus were required elsewhere. I had to put my changing plans aside for undetermined time. I felt that was more correct to turn down the offer rather than let the team waiting for me to make up my mind.
What I perceived during the whole process was great respect, professionalism, strong vision and genuine interest for both hard and soft skills.