task assignment a job interview

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Given a 'homework' tasks on a job interview?

Recently I went to some interviews and on many I've had the 'some small projects' to do for homework. Usually in the small companies I see this as a practice.

It is not such a problem, but I've collected several projects and when I ask for a feedback it appears that the task grows with some extra requirements that are really time-consuming. Moreover I see the employers are not willing to help or to evaluate it with care. Should this be a red flag for the interview or the company?

Edit: Thank you for all your responses. You covered almost all the aspects of my question. As a conclusion I think the only task for homework that worth doing it is:

when the company is decent enough and you want to work there eagerly

the task is not supposed to take more than one day to complete

In the other cases I would apply somewhere else.

• interviewing

• 2 As an interviewer I've always wanted to see the candidate actually write code. No assignment will be as complex as the actual work, so I want to watch you work. I'm inclined to see the take-home as an attempt to apply this to a bulk lot of applicants in the hope that none will cheat. It's a bad sign. Unfortunately this practice seems to be getting more common, so ruling out companies just for running with the herd really cuts out a lot of possible paychecks. The flip side is they're likely just expect you to turn up and fit in, rather than thinking too hard. –  Móż Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 2:09
• I know this is really old, but another reason for adding extra requirements is to see how well your initial design was to see if it was well thought out and extendable. If it wasn't then you suffer. It it was, great. Then they have the 2 versions of your work and see what work you had to do to acquire the extra requirements. Possibly in their work place, requirements are always changing or the work place is high paced and they want to know if you will be able to adapt. –  TheOneWhoPrograms Commented Mar 25, 2014 at 11:54

7 Answers 7

As an interviewer, I face a number of challenges. If I just ask you about coding, I can rule out people who really don't know what they're talking about, but I might accidentally hire someone who "talks a good game" but writes horrible code - hard to read, insecure, bug-ridden, inefficient - or who is very slow, or who is rude to co-workers, or much more. So I ask you questions that aren't just about code, in the hopes I can learn enough about you to avoid a bad hire, but that isn't always enough either.

Some companies set coding problems in the interview, either on a whiteboard or at a computer. These are really expensive for the company because they add 30 or 60 minutes to the interview in many cases. A good programmer might do a bad job at these (so we recommend practicing for them) and a bad interviewer might misinterpret what happens during them.

As a result some companies think they will save money and time by giving you a sort of "take home test". They don't typically ask you to write something they want to sell, it's a way to see what you can do. Often it's a problem that was solved already so they can compare your solution to someone else's. There's still the risk that someone might help you do it, or you might spend far longer on it than you say, but they see it as a cheaper way to screen people. If you want the job, you'll invest the time in being screened, and if it's not worth it to do that, just decline the opportunity. This happens in other industries: cooks are sometimes asked to work unpaid in the kitchen for a day so their speed and technique can be evaluated, artists are asked to bring a portfolio which often includes works they created without being paid to do so, performers must audition - give an unpaid performance - and often spend time learning music, lines, or steps in order to do so, and so on.

I have heard people suggest that somehow they are not so much interviewing as doing free project work. That companies are asking for a day or two of work, then when it's submitted asking for another day or two of work, all while dangling a job offer in front of them. If this is happening to you, one of two situations exist:

• you need a day or two for something that the ideal candidate would need only an hour to do, and they are screening hard to make sure they get that candidate
• you are misunderstanding what they ask of you and doing much more than they wanted, so that either you or they have huge communication shortfalls
• they are exploiting job applicants to get their web site built or some other small task done cheaply

The good news is, it doesn't matter which of these are true - you just don't want to continue applying for this job. You don't want to work for the place whose web site was glued together from samples provided by applicants of varying quality, or who doesn't mind exploiting vulnerable or desperate people, you don't want to work with a company that cannot explain its needs to you, and you won't get to work at the place where you need to be much faster or better than you are now. So thank them and decline to go further into the process.

• Definitely agree that sitting with candidates and watching them code is time-consuming, but it's incredibly effective. And only rarely does a candidate I'm doubtful about turn out to be a competent coder, so over time I've got more vigorous about cutting that session short. I can't see how letting them go away and work on it would help that process, what I want to see is how they approach the problem. –  Móż Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 2:12
• No argument from me. I don't do take home screeners pre interview and I do whiteboard tests in interviews. Just explaining the possible thought processes of those who give take homes. –  Kate Gregory Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 2:13
• Yes. I'd love to hear from someone who does give take home tests. –  Móż Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 3:12
• The do homework can be useful for far away candidates. Not all candidate can afford it. In this case, it's a good compromise I think –  dyesdyes Commented Jan 31, 2014 at 17:33

I've never liked project-based interviews. I've done several and I have several public ones on my GitHub. Very rarely do they ever consider my previous work. Nowadays, it seems everyone wants to give their own test. However, not all employers respond to them. In the field of Android development, these apps take many hours. I've done some apps that took me five hours to do and was rejected without any feedback. Especially troubling are the companies that give them out without even having a phone conversation with them first. Who knows if that company is interested in them? You could work for hours for nothing.

So, no I don't do project-based interviews for people who I haven't talked to yet and ones that are seemingly long.

• 1 Most annoying are the companies that insist on giving you their own tests, and then in the face-to-face interview, can't make any commentary on your submission (often admitting they didn't read it). –  Edwin Buck Commented Nov 29, 2018 at 23:16

A homework exam is good news.

If you are given a homework assignment that you actually do correctly, you are almost certain to get the job. Very few employers will interview you, decide you are good enough to do the take-home, see that you did very well on it, and not hire you.

Almost every homework assignment I have been given has lead to a job offer. Moreover, you should enjoy doing them... if you don't, why are you applying for this particular job?

I don't find this exploitative. Most of the time, employers will give you a sample test that has no relevance to their business. And even if they were open to having unwitting applicants do their own work as part of an interview, would you really trust someone you've only just met, whose competence is still in question, with your business?

• Have you ever been asked to do additional work on one of these take home tasks? Seems like a red flag if they do. –  user8365 Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 13:58
• Personally, in every case I've done a homework assignment, they just call me up and offer me the job a few days later. Rarely is the content of the work even discussed. –  Code Whisperer Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 18:18
• 7 @itcouldevenbeaboat, really? I've done a couple of these and never heard a word back. I was annoyed that I'd wasted my time. I guess it depends on the company. –  Jeremy Stein Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 0:17
• @itcouldevenbeaboat, the alternate explanation is that I did a bad job. I guess you have to take my word for it that they were good answers. I was a 4.0 student in college and I work for a famously-selective company now as a developer. I felt like I gave solid submissions, but who knows! –  Jeremy Stein Commented Jan 30, 2014 at 19:00
• 3 I respectfully decline it without being paid per hour. At most I would be willing to come up with the main points of algorithm and describe it in a short paragraph of for a few minutes on the phone. If they want at least 4 hours to be spent on assessing my candidacy, I prefer it to be their 4 hours perusing one of my always-non-trivial GitHub projects. That's why I've put these projects there. If a company would not hire Alan Turing because he would not take the initial coding test, then I know I should not waste my time there. Yes, it's often an initial assignment, before even a phone call. –  rapt Commented Mar 17, 2018 at 17:56

I've had to deal with this. One measure I've had to use is to make sure that whatever the 'homework' is, it has to be something generic. If it's specific enough for the company to actually benefit from (as in -- take your work and make a buck from it without hiring you), that's a red flag.

There'd be nothing wrong with sharing your proximate approach to dealing with a challenge they present to do. But when it comes down to nuts-and-bolts details, remember that the whole reason that you showed up in the first place is so that you can get paid for your expertise.

The tact some companies take would be like you taking your car into the local mechanic and having them do an exam before you agree to pay for them to fix the car. It's stupid.

• Well, I don't mind to show my skills but in 2 hours should be enough. –  Bor Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 19:43
• For me it's not a question of demonstrating my skills. I can do that on paper, or by verbal question-and-answer. I just have a problem with solving a company's issue in the interview -- why should they pay someone who's dumb enough to give all the answers for free? –  Xavier J Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 19:46
• @codenoire if you really think they don't know the answers, and want yours for their revenue potential, don't work for them. But the chances of that are tiny. I would not run my business using code or other project output from people who wanted to work for me, and I doubt others would either. They want to know how good you are, that's all. –  Kate Gregory Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 15:49
• @Kate I'm a consultant and accordingly I am interviewing sometimes 2-3 times a year as a matter of course. This has actually happened to me a couple of times, but I got wise real quick. The first time (long ago), I'd driven about 80 miles to meet with a potential client and I didn't occur to me until I got home that the 'exam' i did was actually the crux of the technology the company was trying to implement. What's the saying... fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on ME... right? :) –  Xavier J Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 16:36
• Your last comment is a bit of an empty argument, it is more analogous to the local mechanic shop having a mechanic come into the shop and work for a day to assess his knowledge and technique. Of course, such a mechanic would be paid for his day of work. Perhaps these companies should pay a day's wages for these take home assignments? –  daaxix Commented Feb 19, 2015 at 3:37

Some homework assignments could be seen as a red flag, others not. It all depends on the type of assignment and how it is framed.

I give a homework assignment to all developer candidates who pass through the phone screen (the phone screen is with me, after carefully scrutinizing your resume and anything else I can find about you , and it's 30-40 minutes of 3 - 5 general questions about methodology, preferences, and general development practices), and that homework assignment was written by the entire development team to represent what they want to test in a candidate. Because the homework assignment will take a person a few hours to perform, and takes each member of our team an hour or so to assess, we only give the assignment to candidates who we think have the opportunity to do well on it. We don't want to waste anyone's time, ours included.

If the homework problem you are given is one that you think will take you 10 hours to complete, you can ask the company how long they think it will take to complete. If they say "10 hours" then pat yourself on the back for estimating correctly, but then wonder why they're giving you a 10 hour test -- is it work they want done and are using homework problems to get work for free? Are they just really rigorous, and this homework assignment is much like the 8 hour/all-day interviews higher level candidates in management, architecture, etc perform (I've done these a lot, for many different senior roles)?

In other words, some companies will use the homework assignment poorly, some not. It's a judgement call on whether it raises a red flag for you , but remember that it is quite common to put in some amount of time to prepare for and then execute on an interview process. In companies where I have been a hiring manager, a developer candidate could expect probably 5 hours of total interview time in three stages over a couple weeks, and a homework problem that might take another 2 to 3 hours. That's 8 hours of effort for a $100K/year job, which seems pretty reasonable to me (which is why I continue to do it).

For me and my teams, how you perform on the homework problem leads directly to what the team will talk about in their couple hours of interview -- why did you select the gems or libraries you did, what was your testing approach, what did you or did you not document in your work and why, and so on. You could always ask the company who gives the assignment to you how they plan to use it, so you can better understand the context. If they don't give you a good answer, like "we'll use this as an evaluation of basic skills in xyz, and use it as the foundation of discussion in your second round of interviews," then that could be a red flag.

• I've been given tasks different tasks - some are just 2-3 hours, other are at least a whole day and some are supposed to be easy but when you add the time to understand X technology it is still the second type task. –  Bor Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 16:56
• 1 @Bor On the latter, if it's testing technology that the company expects a developer to use, and you don't know it (and you apply anyway), that's really not the company giving a candidate a lengthy task, it's the candidate having to beef up their own knowledge in order to match the job requirements. –  jcmeloni Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 17:06

This is a sign of trouble ahead.

The companies which are doing this are testing you to see how willing you are to use your personal time for their projects. A person who states that they are uncertain about or unwilling to do so will almost certainly be removed from their potential list of candidates.

It's also rather legally tricky for the company, as if they assign you a task and you accidentally develop something which they later attempt to sell, since you are neither a contractor nor an employee, they could owe you compensation for your efforts

Also this could cause practical problems for them if you far exceed their expectations (and they may this apparent), this may change the compensation rates you are seeking to levels beyond what they are willing to pay for the position.

It would advisable to make certain exactly what they are seeking when they ask you to take a project before you accept this and what assistance (if any) that they will provide to perform this task. If they balk at this or they make it clear that you are expected to work for an extended period without compensation, then it's probably best to politely decline to do this.

Frankly, unless the companies are "industry leaders" or what they are doing is cutting edge, it might be advisable to continue to look for a company which respects your work/life balance.

• 1 It would depend upon how long it would take. If it is clear that you are being used, then it would be advisable to politely decline. If they expect you to spend more than a reasonable amount of time on their "test" (reasonable being less than 1 hour) then it also might not be advisable. –  Mistah Mix Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 14:20
• 3 sounds like a bunch of unfounded paranoia about a little coding exercise whose typical intent is to check whether the candidate actually knows how to code, knows basic concepts (like concurrency or data structures), and has a habit of writing well structured and commented code. –  amphibient Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 17:39
• 3 My time is valuable. I have no idea how (or even if) you value yours. Unless there's a strong possibility that I'm going to get the job, then in my assessment it's a waste of time that might be spent elsewhere. –  Mistah Mix Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 17:46
• 5 if your time is so "valuable" that you don't want to use a few of its hours to complete a coding assignment as often the last step before getting a job, i would not hire you. Is your time also too valuable to shower, shave and dress up before an interview? Sheesh, it'd be nice if jobs just came on a silver platter... –  amphibient Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 20:49
• 2 I've always felt more suspicious about interviews where you don't do a technical test. How on earth can they tell the level of technical competence by just talking? Soft skills yeah, but a technical test requires a sufficiently complex and small task to accurately prove skill or learning capacity. Otherwise it will look bad on both - perhaps the candidate overestimated his skill, or the employer underestimated the difficulty of the job. –  Juha Untinen Commented Aug 26, 2014 at 8:10

Few times I have received quite serious "mini projects" to do that took me almost all day to complete. These projects produced small applications that are directly useful as utilities or library functions. The produced code worked well, and I used to be deeply surprised when the companies refused the next round without much explaining.

Could it be an easy way to get a free day of attention from the professional? You need a task to be done, you post a job proposal for a job you never think to offer, you put the high salary proposal and send a "small home assignment" for every applicant. Then all you need to do is to pick between even multiple versions of the code that does that you need, maybe some really ugly but others may actually be really good, various people are looking for a job. That a great idea to grow your business productivity!

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Work assignments during interview process: here’s how to handle this request.

When you prepare for a job interview, you likely will  read up on the company , your interviewers and any other subject that will help. But you should also be prepared for your prospective employer to ask you to complete work assignments during interview process.

You may ask, what would I do if an employer asked me to produce free work as part of hiring process? Make sure you can answer that question because it could come up during your job interview. Employers are increasingly asking job candidates to complete work that demonstrates their skills and problem solving.

Some employers believe the assignments help weed out candidates who are not truly interested in the job. They believe if candidates accept the assignment, they will work hard to prove their worthiness as an employee. They also may believe if candidates question the assignment, they may not be as interested in the position.

How work assignments during interview process help employers

Employers that use this tactic say it helps them see how candidates would approach the role that they are interviewing for, so it is helpful. The  average corporate job opening  receives more than 200 applicants, resulting in four to six candidate interviews. The interview assignment also helps candidates who may not interview well to shine by showing off their skills in the exercise.

An employer also may use the assignment to learn more about the candidate’s work process. Will they complete the assignment before deadline? Will they produce work that goes beyond the minimum needed to complete the assignment?

In some cases, it could be a brief, timed exercise that the employer gives to each candidate. These assignments are not likely to produce work the employer can use. It is more of a boilerplate problem for candidates to solve or a simple writing exercise to complete.

Read More: How To Ace Your Next Corporate Development Interview: Questions and Answers

How work assignments during interview process help job applicants

The interview assignment can help job applicants during the interview process. It is a great way to prove that you are the best candidate for the job. If you do a really good job on the assignment, the employer may be willing to offer more money for salary.

The assignment also gives you insight into the prospective employer’s expectations. It can be difficult at times with some jobs to understand exactly what the daily responsibilities and duties are. Such assignments can help shed light on that for you, and may help you decide whether to take the job.

If you complete the assignment and enjoyed the work, this could be a great sign. If you find the work tedious and not what you expected, it can help identify problems in the job.

What type of interview assignments can you expect?

Most companies are likely not looking for free work from candidates. But they must be sensitive to concerns that candidates will have that their time is not valued. The truth is, some companies receive free work from these arrangements and benefit from it.

There are examples of employers asking candidates to complete more involved exercises, then using the candidates’ work product. For example, a copywriter interviewing for a marketing job may draft content that the marketing team can later use without compensating the candidate. An applicant for a project manager job might develop a workflow plan and budget for a pending project that can be used.

Some employers are sending candidates home with work assignments during interview process that are quite involved. You should be aware that these requests are out there and develop a plan to respond to it.

It is reasonable for employers to ask candidates to demonstrate their skills, perhaps with an assignment that might take an hour. It is not reasonable to ask candidates to tackle assignments that take longer, maybe even days, without compensation. Here are some tips for handling requests to complete work assignments during interview process.

What is a reasonable and unreasonable assignment request?

First, it must be emphasized that employers asking candidates to complete simple, quick assignments is not unusual or unreasonable. In these cases, the person conducting the job interview can explain that this assignment is given to each candidate. It is a repeated task that is not used by the company to complete work without compensation.

It is important for candidates to know what the assignment is used for and how it fits into the interview process. This can be a useful tool to narrow down a finalist list for a position and to pressure test candidate claims about skills.

However, the problem occurs when a candidate receives an overly long and involved assignment request. If the candidate is given multiple days to complete the assignment, that is an indication that it may be too complicated. If a complicated assignment is given with unrealistic deadlines, that also is a red flag to consider.

But how can a candidate competing with others for a good job handle such involved assignments? The biggest fear is if you refuse, the employer will simply move on to candidates who will do the job. Here are several tips to consider when thinking about how to respond to interview assignment.

Suggest a simpler exercise

If you are presented with an assignment that appears complicated and involved, you could consider proposing an alternative. You can tell the employer that you have other work commitments that make it difficult now to complete the assignment. But tell them you are willing to complete an alternative that is less involved.

You can explain that your current job keeps you very busy and you have many commitments now. But offer to complete an exercise that takes about an hour or so to complete. This allows you to protect your valuable time, while also offering them insight into your process.

Offer samples of work similar to assignment

It is not unusual for you to explain that you have limited time outside of work. If you are asked to complete work assignments during interview process, tell the employer you do not typically do spec work. You can offer to share work you have done that is similar to the assignment.

If you have a portfolio of your work, tell them this will offer them the insight they seek into how you complete work assignments. You can even offer to arrange an interview with past supervisors who can discuss the quality of your work.

Find out more about the assignment

If the request you receive in the job interview to complete an assignment appears excessive, ask why it is requested. You can ask what they intend to do with the work you produce from the assignment. Ask them how many candidates will complete the task and are they all the same tasks.

If the assignment is particularly lengthy, you can ask if candidates have declined in the past to complete it. You can also ask if they have considered paying applicants as freelancers to complete the assignment. Also, ask how long to hear back after interview assignment if you elect to complete it.

Ask the Prospective Employer for Payment

Remember, the job interview is a vehicle for you to determine if the employer is right for you. It is a chance to speak candidly and professionally with your prospective employer. You can explain that you are willing to complete the assignment if they will compensate you for it.

As the rap singer Kanye West said, “Know your worth. People always act like they’re doing more for you than you’re doing for them.” You are showing the prospective employer that you know your worth by asking for compensation.

This idea only works when the assignment is particularly extensive and potentially can be used by the employer. Discuss options with the employer about payment, including whether a paid trial assignment will work. You could also offer to forgo payment if the employer decides to hire you.

How the company responds to your request will tell you a lot about it. If a company expects free work before they hire you, it likely will  expect free work  as part of your job.

How to decline an interview assignment and stay in the running

The best way to decline an interview assignment is to be honest. If you believe the assignment is too complicated and will take too long, tell them. If you are worried that the assignment poses a conflict in your other job, tell them.

Your job interviewer may offer some flexibility if you are honest with them. They may also determine that the assignment is not necessary if you are the top candidate contending. It is possible that the interviewer will also agree to an alternative assignment.

Employers asking candidates to complete assignments must recognize that applicants have limited time. It is not reasonable to expect them to complete a task that will eat up hours of their time. And if candidates produce excellent work, offer to pay them.

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Jenny Palmer

Founder of Eggcellentwork.com. With over 20 years of experience in HR and various roles in corporate world, Jenny shares tips and advice to help professionals advance in their careers. Her blog is a go-to resource for anyone looking to improve their skills, land their dream job, or make a career change.

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Got An Interview Assignment? Don’t Make These Six Common Mistakes

Sometimes a take-home project is part of the hiring process. Don’t blow it by making these preventable blunders.

[Photo: Rawpixel ]

BY  Stav Ziv and The Muse 6 minute read

Congratulations! You’ve reached the part of the hiring process where you’ll be judged on what you can actually do, rather than how well you talk about what you can do. It’s an interview assignment–some sort of task directly related to the role you covet (most of the time this is normal and legitimate , though it can be misused).

Granted, the assignment can’t always mirror exactly the kind of work you’d do if you got the job. But in most cases, it comes closer than sitting in a room in clothes you don’t usually wear with a stranger who might become your boss, explaining why you would be the best choice.

Think of this as your best chance to show off your skills. And along those same lines, you should think about all the mistakes other people make that you can easily avoid.

1. You Didn’t Follow Directions

In fifth grade, my teacher handed out a pop quiz. It contained a list of questions and instructions at the top that told us to read through the whole thing first. A note at the bottom of the page directed us not to answer anything, and instead to put our pencils down and wait to see how many of our classmates passed the test. I was the only one who did.

At the time, my success did little but cement my status as a full-fledged nerd (and, yes, earn me some brownie points with my teacher). But it was an important lesson for a bunch of 10-year-olds that job seekers would do well to remember.

Do what the assignment asks you to do, at the very least. Your potential bosses don’t want to hire someone who will do only half the job or a different job entirely. This is how you can show them they can count on you to get it done.

2. You Didn’t Ask Clarifying Questions Or Check Your Assumptions

It’s hard to follow directions if you don’t quite understand them. If you’ve made an honest effort to parse what’s being asked of you and it still doesn’t make sense–or you’re missing information that would allow you to drastically improve the quality of your assignment–reach out and ask!

For some roles, such as sales or client services, the hiring team is actually looking for you to ask questions as part of the process to demonstrate curiosity and communication skills.

The same goes for assumptions you make about the assignment or the company or product you’re discussing. To revert to some fifth-grade humor, remember that when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.

No one expects you to know the ins and outs of a company you haven’t yet joined, but try to identify whether you’ve made any fundamental assumptions. Would it make your assignment that much better if you know whether those are right or wrong? Ask!

Related: Exactly What To Do While You Hear Back About A Job

3. You Didn’t Show You Know The Company (At Least The Basics)

Chances are if you’ve gotten to this stage, you’ve made it through at least one previous round in the hiring process. And since you passed, you probably did some research about the company. Don’t forget that now!

Whether your assignment’s a writing test, a video-editing sample, a programming task, or a sample teaching lesson, make sure you understand and reflect what you can of the company’s values, style, and tone. You might get a style guide or an example to model your work after, and it never hurts to ask for one. You can also always do some research to glean what you can on your own.

I recently wrote a sample article about the best career advice I’ve ever received as part of my take-home project for this very job at The Muse. The recruiter didn’t send a template or specify a format, but I referred back to the website and built my story based on an intro-list-conclusion format I saw come up frequently (the same one I’m using for this article).

And it probably didn’t hurt (right, new boss?) that the tidbit I chose to write about–don’t be a jerk–was in line with The Muse’s no-assholes value , which appears on every job posting.

Related: How To Prepare For An Interview When The Job Is A Stretch

4. You Didn’t Do More Than The Bare Minimum

These assignments aren’t just about giving an answer, or even necessarily a right answer. They’re a chance for you to show how you think, how you approach problems, and how you could contribute to the company.

If the task, for example, is to say what you would change, think beyond minor tweaks to ideas that explore new possibilities you believe are in line with the company’s mission and goals and explain why. Or add a brief note that delves into what you would do next after implementing whatever suggestions you gave or to explain your thought process.

You could be completely wrong (because you’re not yet immersed in the industry or aware of all the context or past decisions), but it’s a chance to showcase your creativity and ability to take initiative.

5. You Didn’t Reread, Proofread, And Review The Details

You finished the assignment! Great, but you’re definitely not done.

If any part of it is written (like my edit test, title cards for your video sample, your lesson plan or handouts, your PowerPoint presentation, your code, or even the email you’re sending with your submission), spell-check it, fact-check it, and read it again with an eagle eye. Now set it aside for a couple hours, or overnight if the timeframe allows, and read it again (and use these proofreading tricks while you’re at it).

Related: A Big Reason Tech Candidates Don’t Get Job Offers? Weak Tech Skills

6. You’re Not Excited About the Role, The Company, Or Both–And It Shows

By this part of the hiring process, you should have a good sense of what the company does and the role you’re applying for. Try to take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm. In practice, you can do that by avoiding all the mistakes above; your efforts to turn in a stellar finished product show that you care.

When you send it back, include a message that reiterates your interest. Tell them how much you enjoyed the assignment, how it got you even more pumped about the role, and how much you’re looking forward to the next steps.

If you’ve reached this stage and realize you wouldn’t want the job under any circumstances or hate the company, it might be time to take yourself out of the running, politely. Save yourself, and the hiring team, some time.

Every part of the hiring process comes with its own challenges. While the assignment can often be done in your pajamas while sitting on the couch (unless it’s not a take-home assignment, don’t show up for a sample presentation in your robe!), it has pitfalls that are just as easy to avoid as these common interview mistakes .

One final tip (that should really go without saying): Make sure you submit your work on time!

This article originally appeared on The Daily Muse and is reprinted with permission. 

More From The Muse:

• Is It Normal To Get A Job Interview Assignment?
• What Every Job Seeker Should Know About Work Assignments During The Interview Process
• Here’s What The Hiring Manager’s Looking For In That (Dreaded) Take Home Assignment

Apply to the Most Innovative Companies Awards and be recognized as an organization driving the world forward through innovation. Early-rate deadline: Friday, August 30.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stav Ziv  is a journalist based in New York City whose work has also appeared in The Forward, Dance Magazine, The Atlantic, and Newsday. She was previously a staff writer at Newsweek and the deputy editor overseeing careers and work coverage at The Muse   More

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5 Examples of Take-Home Tasks for Different Roles

Assigning take-home tasks when hiring is much like marmite, coriander, or Hawaiian pizza. Your candidates will either love it or hate it.

The ‘love it’ camp likely welcomes the opportunity to showcase their skills and appreciate the time to think it through versus answering questions on the spot in an interview.

However, the ‘hate it’ group sees it as doing work for free, might already have portfolios of work that give a much fairer picture of their experience level, and resent the infringement on their personal time (regardless of how this might be their dream job).

What we can learn from this dichotomy is that while a take-home assignment is not right for every role, it’s still worth it for some. To figure out if it’s a fit for the role you’re hiring for, let’s look at five good examples of take-home tasks that your candidates will (hopefully) love.

TL;DR — Key Takeaways

A take-home assignment is an important part of the interview process that focuses on candidates crafting and completing real-world tasks .

Incorporating a take-home assignment will give your organization better insight and skill observation over candidates. However, job seekers may see take-home tests as time-consuming, exploitative, or manipulative.

The perfect take-home assignment should be structured around providing the candidate with clarity about the role, respecting their time, and ensuring consistent testing criteria.

Toggl Hire introduced homework tasks in our skills assessment library! It’s never been easier to raise the quality of your hires with reliable proof of competence.

What are take-home tasks?

A take-home assignment is given to candidates during the interview process to complete in their own time and shows the hiring manager how the job seeker is able to complete a task.

These assignments generally consist of coding tests for developers , presentations for upper-level management, and campaigns for marketers. They’re given to candidates after the first interview round. The success will determine if the candidate makes it to the second round.

Pros and cons of a take-home assignment

Obviously, there are pros and cons to using a take-home assignment, right? Of course! So let’s go over the big ones.

• Skill observation : It allows the hiring company to understand the candidate’s skills in action and their thought process.

• Insight : The take-home interview assignment will allow the candidate to have a better understanding of the position, break any key assumptions, and what the company expects of them.

• Supplemental information : If done early in the interview process, an interview assignment allows the candidate’s skills to do the talking as opposed to the hiring manager only relying on the resume.

• Less pressure : Because a Q&A interview can be a pressure cooker, the take-home assignment makes the interviewing candidate feel more at ease.

• Time-consuming : A hiring team may claim the assignment will only take several hours to prepare and complete, but any interview assignment over more than an hour is cutting into the candidate’s personal time and current job.

• Ethical concerns and lost earnings : Asking a candidate to complete an unpaid work assignment can be seen as unethical and equivalent to unpaid labor. Some companies may even go so far as to steal the ideas of the candidate, use them, and not give credit or compensate the candidate.

• Limited personal evaluation : While the interview take-home assignment can assess a candidate’s skill set, it may not capture important aspects such as personality and behavior.

How to structure a take-home task

Creating a take-home assignment that strikes the perfect balance of helpful but not exploitative can be tricky. Regardless of what kind of take-home task or homework assignment you’re creating for hiring, it’s crucial for hiring managers to approach their creation with careful thought and attention.

Your hiring team will need to consider all of the following:

What are the common mistakes?

It’s normal to make mistakes, and learning from them can help you hire better, faster, and more fair.

So, let’s explore common blunders to steer clear of when designing and implementing a take-home assignment during the interview process, ensuring fairness and an effective evaluation process that respects candidates’ time and effort.

• Appropriate Task Alignment : Avoid assigning tasks that aren’t directly relevant to the role.

• Reasonable Task Length : Create a take-home assignment that can be completed within a reasonable timeframe.

• Providing Sufficient Context : Avoid requesting candidates to answer or solve company-specific problems without providing adequate information.

• Ethical Treatment of Work Requests : Refrain from asking candidates to produce work for free that the company may later exploit, such as writing a blog post for publication.

• Timely Introduction of Tasks : Including a take-home assignment as an early screening requirement can discourage candidates. Do this after their first interview.

• Constructive Feedback : Don’t miss the opportunity to provide candidates with constructive feedback on their completed tasks.

• Balancing Mandatory and Optional Tasks : Avoid making the take-home assignment mandatory for all applicants, as circumstances may prevent some candidates from completing it.

• Conduct post-assignment interviews : Once you have received a few tasks back from candidates, we highly recommend that you schedule a take-home assignment interview to better understand any pain points the job seeker may have had.

5 thorough examples of great take-home assignments

Now that you better understand the how , the when , and the why of take-home assignments, we’ll show you five examples. The example take-home assignments will cover tasks for:

• Developer – fixing a broken site
• Product manager – redesigning a feature
• Marketing lead – creating a marketing campaign
• Designer – redesigning the onboarding flow
• Customer success executive – running a mock QBR

Example #1: Take-home task for a developer role

This challenge is geared towards a mid-level developer who can identify and fix errors and optimize the code of an eCommerce website. The goal here is to see how well the candidates understand debugging techniques, approach problem-solving, and how they will communicate with the rest of their team.

Task: Fixing a Broken E-commerce Site

Introduction

Your mission is to debug the broken e-commerce site, fix errors, and ensure it runs smoothly. Customers are unable to place orders due to the significant increase in errors.

Requirements

• Identify and fix all of the errors on the site.
• Ensure that customers can place orders without any problems.
• Optimize the site to improve its performance.
• Document your approach and explain your reasoning behind your changes.

Instructions

• Clone the repository from the following Github URL: https://github.com/debugging-challenge/e-commerce-site.git .
• Install all the dependencies by running npm install .
• Start the development server by running npm start .
• Debug and fix all errors.
• Document your approach and explain your reasoning in a README file.

Your submission will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Identification and fixing of all errors
• Site optimization
• Completeness of documentation and reasoning
• Code cleanliness and adherence to best practices
• Clarity and organization of documentation
• Submit your code as a ZIP file.
• Include the README file that explains your approach and reasoning.
• Send the ZIP file to the hiring manager by email.

Example #2: Challenge for a product manager

Our next example focuses on testing product manager candidates on how they approach problem-solving, communicate with customers, and conduct user research while implementing open-ended questions.

In a sense, how well they’ll actually do their jobs in a product management role. This assignment is bound to produce better product management interviews for your organization.

Task: Redesigning Filma’s Collaboration Features

You are the Product Manager for collaboration features at Filma, a leading collaborative design platform. Recent feedback from customers has shown that they are not happy with how collaboration features work on the site. Your mission in this product management task is to redesign the collaboration features to better meet customer needs and preferences.

• Review the problem statement and develop a list of open-ended questions to better understand the issue.
• Conduct user research to validate assumptions and identify pain points and user needs.
• Develop a new design for collaboration features.
• Prioritize features and functionality based on customer needs and business goals.
• Outline the implementation plan.
• Document your approach and explain your reasoning.
• Review the problem statement and develop a list of open-ended questions to better understand the issue and customer needs.
• Conduct (mock) user research to validate assumptions and identify pain points and user needs. Schedule a call with a team member to role-play a customer interview. Include data points such as user feedback, user behaviour, and competitor analysis in your research.
• Develop a new design for collaboration features. Identify the key features and functionality of the new design, and prioritize them based on customer needs and business goals.
• Outline the implementation plan. Include a timeline, resources required, and technical feasibility.
• Document your approach and explain your reasoning in a presentation or document.
• Quality of open-ended questions and user research.
• Soundness of the new design and prioritization of features and functionality.
• Clarity and feasibility of the product management implementation plan.
• Completeness of documentation and reasoning.
• Clarity and organization of presentation or document.
• Submit your open-ended questions, presentation, or document as a PDF or PowerPoint file.
• Send the file to the hiring manager by email.

Example #3: Testing marketing managers

Let’s now explore an exciting marketing challenge that aims to find a candidate who can skillfully design an innovative user acquisition growth loop. This task involves leveraging valuable market research insights to craft a robust strategy that showcases a deep understanding of growth concepts.

Task: Designing a User Acquisition Growth Loop

You are the Marketing Lead at a Product-Led Growth (PLG) company that provides a collaboration tool for remote teams. Your team has conducted market research to identify target customer segments. Your mission is to design a new user acquisition growth loop based on the insights gained.

• Review the market research insights provided by your team.
• Design a new user acquisition growth loop, with a structured approach, based on the insights gained.
• Identify metrics to measure the effectiveness of the growth loop.
• Review the market research insights provided by your team. Use the insights to identify areas where a new user acquisition growth loop can be designed.
• Design a new user acquisition growth loop based on the insights gained. The growth loop should identify key stages, such as awareness, interest, and activation, and prioritize them based on customer needs and business goals.
• Identify metrics to measure the effectiveness of the growth loop. The metrics should be tied to the key stages of the growth loop and should be used to track progress and optimize the loop over time.
• Soundness of the new user acquisition growth loop and prioritization of key stages
• Creativity and effectiveness of the growth loop design
• Identification and feasibility of metrics to measure the effectiveness of the growth loop
• Clarity and organization of presentation or document
• Submit your presentation or document as a PDF or PowerPoint file.

Example #4: Take-home test for designers

This challenge is centered around an intriguing product design assessment designed to narrow down a candidate who excels in analyzing user recording sessions and crafting an improved onboarding flow design.

Task: Redesigning the Onboarding Flow Introduction

You are a Product Designer at a web-based Product-Led Growth (PLG) company that provides a collaboration tool for remote teams. Your team has recorded user sessions for the past 3 months to help identify areas of improvement for the onboarding flow. Your mission is to redesign the onboarding flow to improve user engagement and activation based on the insights gathered.

• Analyze the user recording sessions to identify user needs and preferences.
• Develop a new design for the onboarding flow.
• Prioritize design features based on user needs and business goals.
• Ensure that the design aligns with the company’s minimalist, intuitive design philosophy.
• Analyze the user recording sessions to identify user needs and preferences. Use the insights gathered to identify areas for improvement in the onboarding flow.
• Develop a new design for the onboarding flow. Identify the key stages of the flow, and prioritize them based on user needs and business goals. Ensure that the design aligns with the company’s minimalist, intuitive design philosophy.
• Prioritize design features based on user needs and business goals. Identify the most important design features that will enhance user engagement and activation.
• Quality of analysis of user recording sessions and identification of user needs and preferences
• The soundness of the new onboarding flow design and prioritization of key stages
• Alignment with the company’s minimalist, intuitive design philosophy
• Creativity and effectiveness of the prioritized design features

Example #5: Testing customer succes

Our final challenge example focuses on a customer success assignment. The perfect candidate will showcase their expertise in defining success metrics for a simulated account, devising impactful tactics to drive feature adoption and enhance metrics, and effectively presenting their approach and results in a mock Quarterly Business Review (QBR) presentation.

Task: Driving Feature Adoption and Improving Metrics

You are a Customer Success Manager at a PLG company that provides a project management tool for remote teams. Your mission is to work with a mock account to define success metrics, develop tactics to drive feature adoption and improve metrics for Q2, culminating in a mock QBR presentation.

• Define success metrics for the mock account.
• Develop tactics to drive feature adoption and improve metrics.
• Document your approach and results in a mock QBR presentation.
• Define success metrics for the mock account. Assume that the mock account is a remote team of 20 people that uses your project management tool for all their projects. Assume that they have been using the tool for 6 months, and that they have expressed interest in increasing feature adoption and improving metrics related to on-time delivery, collaboration, and budget management. Use your own assumptions to define success metrics that measure the impact of the product on their business.
• Develop tactics to drive feature adoption and improve metrics. Use the success metrics to identify the actions needed to increase feature adoption and improve metrics, and assign responsibilities to your team. Use customer success best practices, such as regular check-ins and training sessions, to ensure that the tactics are on track and that the mock account is engaged and satisfied.
• Document your approach and results in a mock QBR presentation. Create a deck that’s less than 10 slides, with consistent title and object placement, fonts, font colors, and different ways of visualizing insights. Use the mock QBR presentation to realign on the mock account’s goals, review their performance, present the tactics and their impact on the success metrics, and recommend the next steps to improve product performance next quarter.
• Quality of success metrics defined for the mock account.
• Soundness of the tactics to drive feature adoption and improve metrics.
• Collaborative execution of the tactics with your team.
• Clarity, organization, and persuasiveness of the mock QBR presentation.
• Submit your mock QBR presentation as a PDF or PowerPoint file.

Try a Homework Assignment by Toggl Hire

Ready to add homework assignments to your hiring process? Our homework assessments provide invaluable insights for hiring managers evaluating candidates ‘ ability to solve job-specific assignments.

Designed to test the hands-on skills necessary for day-to-day work, these assessments offer a glimpse into a candidate’s potential future job performance . With over 500 pre-built tasks available in Toggl Hire’s library, you can quickly implement comprehensive tests that align with your hiring needs.

Toggl Hire’s homework assessments are highly flexible, allowing for either integration with other assessments or standalone use. Create your free account now to explore a few examples!

Juste loves investigating through writing. A copywriter by trade, she spent the last ten years in startups, telling stories and building marketing teams. She works at Toggl Hire and writes about how businesses can recruit really great people.

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38 Smart Questions to Ask in a Job Interview

And a few to avoid.

The opportunity to ask questions at the end of a job interview is one you don’t want to waste. It’s both a chance to continue to prove yourself and to find out whether a position is the right fit for you. In this piece, the author lists sample questions recommended by two career experts and divides them up by category: from how to learn more about your potential boss to how to learn more about a company’s culture. Choose the ones that are more relevant to you, your interests, and the specific job ahead of time. Then write them down — either on a piece of paper or on your phone — and glance at them right before your interview so that they’re fresh in your mind. And, of course, be mindful of the interviewer’s time. If you were scheduled to talk for an hour and they turn to you with five minutes left, choose two or three questions that are most important to you. You will always have more time to ask questions once you have the job offer in hand.

“So, do you have any questions for me?”

• Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, cohost of the Women at Work podcast , and the author of two books: Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) and the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict . She writes and speaks about workplace dynamics. Watch her TEDx talk on conflict and follow her on LinkedIn . amyegallo

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Sending an interview assignment: example email

This is an email template you can use when you want to send an assignment to your candidates as part of your hiring process. For some positions, especially technical roles, adding a written assignment or test will help you evaluate your candidates’ skills through a real work project and screen people who approach problems the best way.

Email subject line: Assignment for the [ Job_title ] position

Hi [ Candidate_Name ] / Dear [ Candidate_Name ],

Please find attached an assignment as part of our interview process. I’m also attaching some instructions to help you complete the assignment.

Keep in mind that there are no ‘right answers.’ This assignment is designed is to gauge your skills and give us an idea of how you approach tasks relevant to the [ Job_Title ] role. It would be great if you could send this over to us [ within X time frame or by Y date ].

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Best of luck with the assignment,

[ Your name ] [ Signature ]

[When you receive the assignment]

Thank you for completing the assignment. Our team will review it and get back to you with feedback as soon as possible.

I hope you enjoy your day,

• Read about smart interview techniques to hire the right people.
• Read about common mistakes to avoid when interviewing top candidates .

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Is It Normal to Get a Job Interview Assignment?

Applying for jobs takes a lot of time—to network, research companies,browse job postings, pull together your materials, prepare for interviews, and follow up. And then there’s also the mental aspect of psyching yourself up before each stage and then waiting to hear back .

Which is why you’re not all that excited when the hiring manager asks if you could complete a take-home assignment as well. It feels like a lot to invest even more time and effort into a job that you haven’t even landed yet.

But before you see it as just one more hoop to jump through, you should know that it’s not just for the company’s benefit. It helps you, too.

How Interview Assignments Help You

As an applicant, two of your biggest concerns are showing you can do the job, and beating out the competition. A take-home assignment gives you the opportunity to do both.

The hiring manager’s picked a task to weed out anyone who exaggerated on their application . So, think of this as an opportunity for you strut your stuff.

Anyone can say they’re detail-oriented, or that they think outside the box, or that they know how to code, but an interview assignment gives you the chance to demonstrate it. It really is worth taking your time to show that you’re (literally) up to the task. Turning in a perfect edit test or some ideas for how you’d take an initiative in a fresh direction can be just the thing to distinguish you from other candidates.

Additionally, these tests are reflective of the kinds of projects you could expect in your new role. So, if it’s incredibly hard, you have to get a mentor’s help, and it takes you all weekend to complete something you feel good about, it could be an indication that this role isn't going to be the best fit on your end—which is a valuable lesson for you to learn before you sign on.

Unfortunately, not every assignment is above board. I should know: I got tasked with a major project to have my work stolen .

This misuse of the interview assignment is not normal, but it does happen. So, don’t ignore a gut feeling you’re being asked to work for free. One thing you can do if you think you’re being taken advantage of is to ask someone in the field whether this seems like a reasonable task. (You can also follow these strategies to protect your ideas.)

More often than not though, this assignment is there to confirm you really could do the job. So, take it as the opportunity it is, and hit it out the park.