How to design a fair and useful hiring work sample
Create a proportionate hiring work sample with a clear brief, realistic limits, consistent assessment and no disguised production work.
A work sample should show a capability the role genuinely needs. It should not become a large unpaid project or a contest in how much free time candidates have. Define the evidence you want, design the smallest task that can reveal it and tell applicants how you will assess their response before they begin.
Choose one meaningful capability
Identify a task that resembles the work without reproducing a live commercial assignment. A coordinator might prioritise a fictional set of conflicting requests; a writer might improve a short sample paragraph. Use synthetic or appropriately redacted material. Avoid asking candidates to produce work your business plans to use without a separate, clear arrangement.
State the limits and expectations
Explain the objective, expected time, required format and permitted resources. Say whether candidates may use reference material or tools. Make the task achievable within the stated limit. If a longer paid assessment is appropriate, agree the arrangements openly. Do not reward excessive extra work when the brief asked for a focused response.
Assess against published criteria
Choose criteria that reflect the role, such as accuracy, prioritisation, reasoning or communication. Use consistent rating guidance across reviewers. Evaluate the process where relevant, not only the polish of the final output. Ask candidates to explain assumptions so an incomplete brief does not become a hidden guessing exercise.
Offer practical arrangements
Give reasonable notice and explain how to request an adjustment to the format or timing. Protect candidate submissions and do not circulate them beyond the review purpose. Tell applicants how the task fits into the process and when they can expect an update. Review whether the assessment provided information that the interview could not gather more simply.
Practical example
Example task: “Review this fictional delivery schedule and identify the three issues you would investigate first. Explain your reasoning in one page. Spend no more than forty-five minutes; we assess prioritisation and clarity, not graphic design.”
Illustrative example. Adapt it to your own experience and circumstances.Your action checklist
- Test a genuine role capability.
- Use fictional or redacted material.
- State time, tools and format.
- Apply consistent criteria.
- Avoid unpaid production assignments.
Send it to someone planning their next step.
Published by Inter-viewed. This guide offers general professional advice; examples are illustrative. Read our editorial approach or suggest a correction.