Yep, we’re talking unpaid job interview assignments.
Some think it’s necessary, some think it’s an insult to candidates. My thoughts? It makes sense, BUT if a company loves you enough to ask you to solve a business problem, and they aren’t satisfied with the work that you’ve already laid out in your portfolio, then they should PAY you.
Yes, some companies are paying their candidates to complete job interview assignments! So, my advice, is if you’re asked to complete an interview assignment, ask if the company also compensates for this.
You can ask for this, but the reality is that most companies don’t and won’t compensate for this, and it’s still a requirement. Instead of complaining about it, I’ve decided to reframe my thought process, and you can too! Think of these assignments as a way to get relevant and tangible work examples that are based on current market trends and business problems. If you get the job, GOOD, if you don’t that’s still GOOD. I’ll explain why below!
What is a job interview assignment?
Job interview assignments are usually assignments that require you to prove that you are able to do the work that you’re interviewing for before you’ve been rewarded with an official offer. Candidates are usually asked to solve a problem that closely resembles the type of work that they will be doing in the role. Candidates are asked to explain their thoughts and work processes in the form of slide decks, written Google docs, charts, papers, etc. This type of assignment was common for creative roles but now has become common in business roles, such as consulting.
What happens to the job interview assignments if I don’t get the job?
Nothing. They sit in your Google Drive and collect dust unless you do something about it. Sucks doesn’t it? It’s a good thing we live in the digital age! You can give your assignments some extra face time, and who knows, that face time might land you an even better job.
What to Do With Job Interview Assignments After the Interview Ends
First things first, if you shared your project in a Google Doc, remove the access from everyone. Another tip, make sure you remove the option that allows people to make copies of your work! Now, that you completely own your work, let’s get started!
Put it in Your Portfolio
I got the idea to put my job interview assignments in my portfolio after spending hours on it. When I do work, I tend to fret over it and go through multiple edits, just like if I were doing REAL work in my daily job. So I said, hey, why not just drop it in my portfolio?
I’m all about discretion, so I say don’t come out and say that the work that’s posted was from a failed job interview. Here’s how you can set it up.
- Call it “spec work,”
- Explain the problem (aka the prompt or brief given to you)
- Lay out how you solved it (aka the project that you submitted)
A wise creative once said that your portfolio is supposed to show off what you can do, without giving too much away. So, in all honesty, you don’t even have to go too deep into your process or what you’ve done. Briefly explain or show what you can do, and wait until your next interview to go into more detail.
Examples:
- Miles does a good job briefly describing and displaying his “spec work” for Spotify.
- Check out this sample campaign I did for a strategy job interview
Show Your Work Off via Social Media
Social media is so powerful. A lot of people are tuned in just to see what the heck everyone else is doing. This is perfect for someone like you who has worked and needs more eyes on it.
My advice:
- Start connecting with people within your desired industry
- Then connect with people who have the specific job title that you want.
- After you’ve built your fanbase, start pumping out content (aka your job interview assignments). You can share the bits that you’re most excited to talk about.
Which Social Media Platform is best?
Your next question might be, but where do I post? I say, post everywhere! Be strategic though.
- Figure out where the people in YOUR industry hang out the most.
- Connect with them, and post on that platform first.
- Then, post on platforms that will get the most views on the type of work that you’ve produced. (i.e. a video-based project might do better on TikTok or YouTube, while static images might do better on LinkedIn or Instagram).
Examples:
- Zoe’s Website Redesign Project. This is an excellent example of how you can lay out a project you’ve done via social media.
- And if you do good work others might share it! Check out Luli Kibudi’s project, reshared by Paul Parsons on Linkedin.
Write a Blog Post About It
Be like me! Start a blog, and document your work experiences.
Which Platform Should You Use?
If you don’t want a big commitment like WordPress, then I say use a platform like Medium or LinkedIn’s Article feature. Both platforms make it easy for you to break down the problem, your process, your learnings, etc., and share it with an existing audience.
Example:
- How I Landed A Competitive Uber Internship. In this article, I broke down my interview experience and showed off the assignments that I did as a part of the process.
Shop it Around to a Competitor
With this one, I say proceed with caution. Make sure that you read the fine print on whatever you signed during your interview process. You don’t want to get into legal trouble. Once you do that, then I say why not shop it around to the competition? Chances are, the competition is or has run into a similar problem that you’ve just solved with your project.
You could change up your assignment a bit to match the branding of the company you’re approaching OR you could shop it around as is. Just make sure you frame it as you solving an industry problem!
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