Is it a Good Idea to Task Candidates with Projects in the Interview Process?

Will a job seeker be a good fit? No better way to find out than to ask them to submit a sample of their work.

For a creative, this might mean having them work on a fictional project to see what they deliver. For a writer, it might mean having them write on a certain topic to see how they perform.

In the past, this sort of approach to hiring may have worked well, but it’s no longer such a viable way to hire. First of all, in a candidate’s market, job seekers have less patience for jumping through hoops. And unfortunately, too many candidates have been burned on this type of activity before — pouring hours and hours of their time into a project only to be ghosted by the hiring manager.

Asking potential hires to submit a sample of their work is one thing. Asking them to commit hours of their time, energy, and talent to do work for your company before they even get hired is another.

You’re also excluding candidates who might be a great fit but do not have the flexibility or time to “work for free” during this part of your hiring process.

A better approach? Hire them as a freelancer for an hourly rate as a trial run. And if you’re unsure of where to even begin with assessing candidates, give me a shout. We can talk through some viable alternatives.