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Some interviewers make absurd demands on applicants’ time. From setting unrealistic requirements for a job role to asking candidates to do paid work for free, the list goes on.
Employers increasingly require job applicants to finish entire projects during job interviews before being considered for a position. These aren't assessments; they're real projects with monetary worth for the organization, regardless of whether or not they hire the candidate.
I’ve had a similar experience; a recruiter once reached out to me for a job interview. Upon confirming my availability, I was sent an assessment to carry out before the interview. In the assessment, I was required to create five marketing campaign plans that would span a year. On seeing it, I thought to myself, “this is ridiculous”. How could I create a whole year’s strategy and execution plan before the actual interview? It felt like a scam. I had heard of companies using job candidates’ ideas, but I never thought it would almost happen to me. After that, I put in a quick call to the recruiter and declined to go further with the assessment.
Now some might say, “Ehn you weren’t ready to get a job”, but trust me when I say I was desperate for something at the time, but I was not willing to trade my ideas and hard work in vain. That type of assessment is already a red flag for me. What would you do if you were in such a situation?
This method has received mixed responses from candidates. Some people see it as an opportunity to show off their expertise. Others believe they are being exploited since they invest their time and energy in a task that does not guarantee a job offer but supply the organization with free ideas and solutions. Others would be thrilled to do the task if they only had the time.
Here are some reasons why it’s a red flag for me -
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Job seekers typically work while looking for new opportunities; how can a recruiter expect them to take time away from their existing job to complete such lengthy assessments?
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When recruiters share lengthy assessments during job interviews with short deadlines, you should probably expect the worst if you get the job.
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Some assessments are obvious ways for the company to solicit free ideas from candidates. Obvious!
The same thing goes for internships. It’s unfair for any company to hire interns but request 2-3 years of experience in the job description. Because the Nigerian job market is competitive, job seekers are likely to accept such offers and be paid low wages while working as hard as a manager.
With all of that in mind, here's an absolute, universal truth: when you work for free, you've set your work's value at exactly Naira 0. As a result, the first rule of capitalism is to never work for free. It’s understandable when you’re trying to garner experience, but you shouldn’t let yourself get robbed of your ideas simply because you’re desperate for a job.
What’s the best way to deal with this type of request? Let’s look at some important considerations:
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Analyze the assessment - When a company assigns you a task, they want to know how enthusiastic you are about the position. They believe that you'll be willing to make this investment if you're interested. This assists them in weeding out less serious candidates.
Second, they want to see how you would tackle projects that are unique to their brand, even if they've probably already seen examples of your work in your portfolio. Third, they want to know how serious you are about your work: do you put in your all or do the bare minimum?
Working through an assignment would help you better understand your day-to-day obligations if you were to be hired for this role. If you don't like what you're doing or, worse, don't know where to start, this job may not be suited for you.
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Is it a fair request? - Consider what is realistic given your schedule as you evaluate the assignment given to you. If it appears that you will need to overextend yourself to complete this project, you should express your concerns to the interviewer.
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Negotiate without losing the offer - Be honest with the interviewer if you decide the assignment is too large for you to complete.
“I'm very interested in the role and would be pleased to complete an assignment, but I believe that, given my existing duties, this request will be unduly labor-intensive for me. Is it possible for me to take on a similar but less time-consuming project?”
A good interviewer will respect your request, but if they don’t, then it’s a red flag!
If you decide to go ahead with the assessment or “free work” during your job interviews, you must protect yourself from anything that sets the value of your work lower than it ought to be. Here is something you can do -
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Copyright your work - Put a copyright notice on every page of any document with financial worth. Such warnings aren't legally binding, but they serve as a reminder to the other party that you're not automatically permitting them to utilize your work as if an employee-generated it.
It's nothing new to use a job as an incentive to acquire free labor. Employers should consider how much time they're asking candidates to devote to an activity - an hour is fine, but a weekend isn't. Have you ever been in such a situation, and what did you do? Drop a comment below.