>>96471675Cynical HR assist here.
Unless that someone's a creative director, nobody really gives a shit about your growth. And if it is, you're most likely getting hired regardless of how much or little your skill can improve, because you're a mandate from higher up, because you come recommended, and/or because your skill's already built up and the "learning" or "improving" part can be skipped.
Most of the time, you're getting contracted (not hired) for grunt work. Can you do the one specific job we're paying you for?, yes; will you take the pay and not start with negotiation bullshit?, yes. you're hired. Otherwise, get the fuck out, you're not worth wasting time when there's 50 more candidates to see today, and fuck your skill sideways, you can go learn on somebody else's dime.
Most demo reels will be watched for a grand total of 10 seconds or less. If you've not shown to be worth it in those 10 initial seconds, nobody'll bother to keep watching the rest. IF you've shown some potential, then your reel might be added to the short list for additional review, but when you're having to watch 50 demo reels a day, organize the lists, handle the higher ups and the lower downs, call and meet with the people you've selected from yesterday's list and prepare everything for tomorrow's, you really really don't have the time or the patience to see someone start with their weakest material and build from there.
Besides, even if you were hired, your contract's not going to last long enough for your "growth" to be of any relevance to anyone, and even if it was, it's just as likely you'll be working for someone else once the terms expire, so company's not even benefitting from it.
Cut throat as it sounds, it's HR's job to make sure the job's done on time and on budget. You're not going to be seeing anyone who might appreciate your skill until you're past the gatekeep of getting hired, or if you're applying for a tiny studio where the creatives double as the people hiring.
