I was genuinely drawn to OBRA’s design philosophy, so I sought a referral and decided to apply. I studied every project and installation they had done. Even when three of my friends warned me about the company's poor working conditions, I still went ahead and submitted my application out of respect and admiration for their work.
A week after I applied, I received an invitation for an interview, scheduled abruptly for 9 a.m. the next morning. During the interview, the person was late and spent most of the time glancing at my resume while asking basic questions. There was no opportunity to share or discuss my portfolio. The entire interview lasted about 30 minutes, five of which were interrupted by the interviewer taking a phone call.
I sent two follow-up emails inquiring about the next steps. Three weeks later, they finally invited me to a second-round in-person interview. I replied promptly with my availability, but never received a response or confirmation. A short email informing me that the interview was canceled would have sufficed, but they simply never followed up.
This experience suggested to me either a serious lack of time management or a general disregard for the hiring process. During this time, I also heard from people who had worked there about the unsustainable work culture: endless overtime, often working weekends, and extremely low salaries. The highest salary I heard of was $5,500 per month for a full-time position, and applicants are often expected to intern for two to three months before being hired full-time.
Among all the interviews I’ve experienced during my job search, this was the most heartbreaking one. I was willing to overlook the low pay and the long hours and just wanted to be part of this firm and design things. But in the end, I felt like I received no respect at all.