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09.06.19, 16:28 PM General Topics
25 replies
If someone gives you an exercise to do as part of the job interview process, and the exercise will take several days of your time, is it fair to ask up front if they can share the salary bracket (broadly) for this role so you can check you're aligned there before undertaking days of work? [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
General Topics 09.06.19, 04:28 PM Flag
 

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Wow, yes. But figure out how to ask that correctly. I hope the UB mom who is great at wording things is on and can help you. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 04:29 PM Flag
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i already said it! I just said essentially - thanks so much, happy to do this. Do you have by any chance a salary bracket you can share at this time, it might make sense to make sure we're aligned there given the scope of the exercise. Now second guessing but honestly i'm happy to do things even for days and not get paid as part of an intv process but if i did do that and we found out the salary wasn't aligned that would have been a waste. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 04:48 PM Flag
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As poster noted below, that's if the job even exists. This could be their way to crowdsource some brainstorming. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:07 PM Flag
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I can't think of any situation in which I would do several days' work as part of the interview process. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 04:48 PM Flag
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https://blog.simplyhired.com/jobsearch/job-search-tips/hiring-manager-stringing-you-along/ [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 04:52 PM Flag
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well it's quite a senior role who would have strategic oversight - so i get that they would want to see what kinds of strategic recommendations and ideas you would bring to the table - but i feel like if i were the hiring mgr I would get further down the line (further than 1 phone screen) in the hiring process and have synced on salary before I asked such a big workload. I get if they ask for a couple hours work before that but not days. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 04:53 PM Flag
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If it's a senior role with strategic oversight, they need to know about your background, your ideas about priorities, your understanding of the industry and its future, and *how* you strategize. If they are asking you to solve a problem, they are using the interview process to get free consulting. Ask to meet them to learn more about the job on offer and the people you'll be working with. If they won't budge unless you do the work first, there's no job. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:02 PM Flag
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yeah i tend to agree. i don't think people should hire people to essentially 'solve' their business unless they are paid consultants or the CEO. This exercise is literally as if there was a sneaker company and they were like 'pls lay out your 3,5 and 10 year plan for designing, producing, marketing and distributing sneakers'. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:21 PM Flag
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My reply would be along the lines of, "Based on my knowledge of the industry, I see X, Y, and Z as the biggest challenges to success over the next decade. My strategies to meet those challenges and lead the industry would include (leveraging the distribution network I built in Region A; using New Social Media Platform B content producers for organic marketing; taking advantage of Technology C to regionalize production; whatever your experience is). If you spend more than an hour on it, you are being taken advantage of. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:32 PM Flag
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/12/22/ten-signs-a-company-is-stringing-you-along/#4b6e71c4107d [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 04:54 PM Flag
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yes kind of what i thought - they would be getting so much free consulting from me without ever actually floating details of the role. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:00 PM Flag
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"I don't think I can do the exercise justice without meeting the hiring manager and learning about the company's and department's pain points. I would be happy to meet you at these dates and times so we can discuss it all. Please let me know if you would like to meet." [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:06 PM Flag
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Think through the exercise and come up with a strategy. Do NOT give it to them. Give them an overview of your thought process in addressing the exercise and your expected outcome with as little detail as possible, and tell them you are willing to discuss it further after you have met the hiring manager. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:24 PM Flag
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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-expecting-job-interview-unpaid-consulting-gig-liz-ryan/ [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:00 PM Flag
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THIS! It was smart of him to say, "I was told this was the final meeting before you offered the job to me. If not, let's talk about my consulting fee" and the conversation was immediately over!! [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:19 PM Flag
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My dh (a well known journalist) had to do several writing tests and send in huge volumes of writing to get a job. It took a lot of time to prepare the packet etc. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:43 PM Flag
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Welcome to the world (now virtually defunct) of magazine publishing! My dh was an editor in chief of several pubs, and all of them had him write an "ideas memo." It takes days to do it right, and yes, there were times when he did not get the job, yet saw his idea done later by the magazine. Annoying. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 06:02 PM Flag
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Not annoying. Theft and fraud. He should have copyrighted his work before letting them evaluate it as part of the interview. Frankly, he should not have written anything new for the interview stage. He has a whole body of work to speak for him. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 06:05 PM Flag
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Google the key words in the "exercise". Find out if it is a problem that has been solved in the past, and they want to compare your answer to the real outcome, or if this is a brand new problem. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:08 PM Flag
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the exercise is like 'what would be your strategy for our company' so i don't think this will work. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:14 PM Flag
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It works. If it is an "exercise" that is used in job interviews, someone will have posted it and discussed it. If it is a specific problem for that company, that they are facing now, they are just trying to get free ideas. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:15 PM Flag
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Google always works. Last year DC had a teacher who "created" worksheets for homework. I started googling the questions, and found the direct source the teacher was plagiarizing. (And the answers.) [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 05:16 PM Flag
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My friend had this situation. Basically the company wanted her experiences with big companies to find out how XYZ are managed at much bigger companies than this start up where she was interviewing. They listed a job but were really just using that to get the information and details from her experience. She basically declined to tell them what they wanted to know, the way the guy in one of the links above did. She just got vague and wouldn't give details for their "exercise" - just no. Slimy people. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 07:47 PM Flag
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This! I would never work for a place that didn’t trust their hiring instincts enough. If someone is bright and takes direction you can teach them how to do anything if they already have soon an aptitude in the past. For me I’d tell them that I don’t have the time outside of my responsibilities to my current position but I’m happy to give them examples of my work (taking out any sensitive information). If that isn’t enough for them to make a decision, we are not a good fit. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 08:38 PM Flag
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*already have shown - aka unless it’s an entry level position there should be no tests. [ Reply | More
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General Topics 09.06.19, 08:38 PM Flag
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