This happened to me a couple of years ago. A potential employer asked me to run a mock project kickoff meeting and they would play the roles of other stakeholders while I was the Project Manager leading the new project and kicking it off. The problem is they didn't supply any of the information they said they would and didn''t play any of their roles well. I've kicked off dozens of projects so I pulled the meeting along as well as I could, but their dead weight negatively affected the whole things.
Now, what caught me way off guard four years ago seems to be a new hiring trend. Employers looking to speed up the hiring process sometimes ask job applicants to try out for roles by completing assignments. The company may then quickly be able to determine whether a person can do the job. While these “job auditions” can be small tasks, job seekers say some employers ask for projects requiring substantial time commitments. Some feel that companies are more interested in free labor than hiring. To avoid being taken advantage of, one career expert suggests doing your homework on employers, asking questions and negotiating the terms of the test.
Now, what caught me way off guard four years ago seems to be a new hiring trend. Employers looking to speed up the hiring process sometimes ask job applicants to try out for roles by completing assignments. The company may then quickly be able to determine whether a person can do the job. While these “job auditions” can be small tasks, job seekers say some employers ask for projects requiring substantial time commitments. Some feel that companies are more interested in free labor than hiring. To avoid being taken advantage of, one career expert suggests doing your homework on employers, asking questions and negotiating the terms of the test.
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