Thank you to everyone who participated in the discussion. I was pleased to see that most of you agree that using candidates' time to perform actual work, which the company should be compensating them for, is unethical.

I do believe it's acceptable and even recommended to expose candidates to challenges and problems they will encounter on the job. A work sample or simulation is one of the more predictive assessment tools available to us. It also aids in clearly managing expectations with the candidate about what the actual work will entail, as opposed to asking irrelevant brain teasers whose connection to the job is tenuous at best. Candidates can be further motivated and engaged if they are asked to solve real-life problems related to the job. HOWEVER, this should be done as a "sample," with full awareness and respect for the candidates' time investment. We cannot expect them to work for days without compensation, nor should we use the products they create during the work sample. Consider the message such a practice sends to candidates about how the company values people's time and effort.

#interviews #candidateexperience #informedecisions