I never see an interview listed for this position - so I'm here to fill the void! They do recruit for this position periodically via their normal website applications, but I've tried that multiple times over the years and after a week or less there's a phone screen... which in my past attempts has gotten me nowhere. This time, I attended a "job fair" type posting on their website where I could just pick a time to interview for Tech Services, which includes Scenic Paint. I was not the only person who had this idea, as I saw a few others with their portfolios and one with a canvas.
As for the interview process, assuming you get in via job fair or pas the phone screen and get invited, you go to their main HR lobby and do a quick pre-screener where they tell you the basics of the pay rate, hours, etc.. they are currently looking for and an HR person does some basic vetting of if you're at all a good fit. If they like you enough, you're off to an interview with the managers for the area.
The manager interview wasn't as stressful as others I've had in the past. They're pretty laidback and just ask about your background, some basic questions about how you paint, etc... Just be honest. This is where you'll make a point of showing some photo or examples of your work - they do want to see them an chat a little about it even if you're pointing them to a website to look - but they're also fishing deeply for a personality fit in their group. Know what role you take in a production group that doesn't necessarily have defined titles but do share a common goal.
Pass the manager interview and you'll be invited for a Showcase of Skill, aka: Paint Test. It's going to be early morning in the next week or so and last for 6 hours. They'll schedule two people per day they're doing them (they have two shops and don't want the testers working off each other). I was told they took 6 of the interviews for my group to the test.
You arrive at the butt crack of dawn and will be out of there in the early afternoon, dress for painting, and it's indoors, so dress for the weather but also AC/heat inside. They provide all of the materials - brushes, little cups of basic paint colors, rags, a sponge, etc... They set you up on a workbench and give you six square panels that are half finished. Your job is to paint the other half to match. The panels are 1.5 or 2ft squares. You're working with chip brushes, so bring your patience for anything detailed (there's not much in the test.) You have a panel to color match with basic flat colors, a marble panel, a stone panel that's carved, a metal panel with rust, a flat brush technique woodgrain, and a carved/sculpted woodgrain. The tip I got from a friend before going in was to use light-light washes and build up color. That's why you have 6 hours. This is particularly important on the sculpter woodgrain because it's a pain, doesnt dry quickly, the sculpted stuff absorbs water, and you want to pigments to settle in the valleys for a very specific look. I completely screwed that one up, but I got the job, so don't totally freak out if you're floundering on a panel.
When you're painting you're pretty much left alone. Some people finish pretty quickly - the other painter on my day I heard had finished in about half the time. I took almost the full 6 hours. You're not actively being stared down, but I hear they are watching how you work, professionalism, etc...
You finish, they clean everything up (no matter how much you protest) so dont leave time for cleanup at the end no matter how ingrained in your work ethic it is. You can take breaks during it, especially while things dry, but you have a heat gun and some things are a race against the clock because of the layers/washes needed. I used brief periods washing my brushes to get a mental breather.
In the next week, they'll make decisions and an HR rep will call to offer or let you know they're moving on to other candidates.