Maybe a bit offtopic and i do not want to rant: Isn't this exactly "the problem" also in other areas (even other "industries") ? "The industry" does not define clear standards (and also the management fires everyone doing the real work).. So not only the newbies does not know what to put into their portfolio but also the…
"Which makes them very hard to look good for portfolio renders. I generally spend extra time to re-bevel and subdivide the low poly version to make it look better." This makes no sense ... Please show what you mean by providing examples. IMHO it sounds like you are unknowingly shooting yourself in the foot here, as no…