"An Assignment: The New Norm for Job Applicants.

11 Comments

1. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistMarch 18,2024 at 12:37AM UTC

   No.

2. AnonymousMarch 18,2024 at 1:15AM UTC

   No way. I have a resume, et al. But I don't work for free, especially if not yet hired.

   The old me might have participated in this ridiculousness, but no longer

3. AnonymousMarch 19,2024 at 1:28AM UTC

   Unfortunately, a lot of people lie on their resume.

4. Martha YoungbloodMarch 18,2024 at 12:33PM UTC

   My response would be, "will I be compensated for my talents and time?" because time is money and I don't work for free.

   Also, the writer needs to use a dictionary. "Mute" and "moot" are not the same thing.

5. Paulla Fetzek, MSEdMarch 18,2024 at 1:28PM UTC

   I completely understand why people are being asked to do assignments as part of a job search. Rough estimate cost for bringing on a new employee is about $2,000. Not to mention the time and effort companies put into the process. You're not being asked to work for free. You're being asked is to demonstrate you're as capable as you state on your resume.

   I'll give you an example: the company I work for relies heavily on the use of Microsoft Office and Excel in particular. It's paramount employees have a solid understanding of Excel including formulas, functions, and pivot tables, It's wonderful if they also have VBA experience, though this isn't required.

   As this is such an integral part of an employee's job, do we pre-test before someone is hired? NOPE.

   I've been here over 20 years and am one of only two employees with Advanced Excel experience. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've lost count with the number of times I've had to help other employees with something that a basic Excel user should know. I'm a teacher by degree and absolutely love to train. It also places a strain on my job and responsibilities to take time away just to show someone how to format information in a column.

   It would be such a benefit to our company if we could ask people to demonstrate their Excel skills prior to hiring. Because what people may learn of Excel in high school and/or college is often much different than how it's utilized in the professional world.

6. AnonymousMarch 18,2024 at 2:09PM UTC

   I refuse to provide free consultancy.
   If an employer wants my labour they will need to give me an employment contract and pay for my time, experience and skills.

7. AnonymousMarch 18,2024 at 5:09PM UTC

   70%, probably more, lie on their resume. All those here who are offended by an employer asking them to do an assignment to prove they have the skills they claim they have are probably part of the 70% who lie.

   What irks me is that the author points out something all of you here ignore, "Sadly, this practice of lying is detrimental to job seekers who present honest and transparent resumes. They’re competing against fraudulent candidates who, unjust as the reality is, have a greater chance of being selected for an interview because their lies and exaggerations make them more appealing."

   Does it not bother anyone that they're not getting interviews because of fraudulent candidates?

   As for those who are adamant about not doing an assignment, it must be nice to have the privilege of not having an employer's hiring process because you really don't need the job.

8. AnonymousMarch 19,2024 at 1:32AM UTC

   It's often very telling how someone reacts to a hiring process as well. The second someone starts throwing around their degrees and years of experience while refusing to do a simple assignment that I expect to take no more than 15 minutes of time, I've learned all I need to about how they will function on my team.

9. AnonymousMarch 19,2024 at 1:31AM UTC

   It depends on the assignment and the role.

   I'm not going to ask someone to show me basic office skills, but for example, I hire teachers to teach remotely. I'm never going to be in the same room as them and I need to know that they can teach the concepts they say they can teach. So I expect a 5 minute recorded teaching demo. If a candidate doesn't want to do it, cool, I'll move on to someone else, but I also need to know you can deliver.

10. Bridget HarringtonMarch 19,2024 at 3:29PM UTC

    After 30 years in the job market, I don't feel as if I need to "prove" anything.
    My record speaks for itself. For my current job, they asked me to wrote a press release based on a data sheet. That was simple and I knocked it out in 10 minutes. It was laughable. However, earlier in my career, I was asked to design an entire campaign as part of a job interview and furnish my working files. It was work that would take me several hours + paying for materials (disc, paste-up supplies). Not knowing any better, I did it. I wasn't hired BUT I learned that the company USED MY WORK. I saw my designs used in a national campaign. I sent them a bill for my services and told them that if they chose not to compensate me for work they used, they could contact my lawyer at (I have an employment lawyer-friend that I have used for things like this) OR they could immediately pull the advertising and publish a retraction. They chose to pull the ads/issue an apology rather than pay me. I also learned much later that this company preferred not to pay professional designers - they'd use interviews as a way to get the work. There never was a job.

    I later learned that this practice is called "Working On Spec." NEVER WORK ON SPEC. When you agree to do this, it becomes unspoken that you are willing to work and not get credit for it, and that you are also willing to be micromanaged and minimized. No matter how badly you need a job, your behavior sets the stage for how you will allow an employer to treat you.

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