pre-interview hw?
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- studderine
I know I have heard of this before, but I am unsure what to think about this "homework assignment". The recruiter explained that it was a pre-qualifier, but it sounds like they want free work.
The position is for a UX Designer and they want me to take a look at their application and redesign the contact section (for a web app).
How should I proceed?
- version30
make sure you are getting compensated for your time, they should respect this, i've never worked for free as part of an evaluation or interview period
- waterhouse0
strange, but presumably effective in their view
- studderine0
From the recruiter's email, "I wrote up a little mini-persona type summary of what could represent one of our users. Your mission is to redesign our current Contact Record (we call it a person record)."
- lukusW0
are you sure this isn't part of some elaborate crowd sourcing drive?
- ?studderine
- maybe each 'interviewee' is going to be redesigning a different part - then by the end of the week.. ;)lukusW
- studderine0
They are a software company and they have a web-application for their users. This is coming directly from the company's recruiter, NOT from a 3rd-party.
- seems you are not asking the parties that have the answerversion3
- ???studderine
- ask the recruiter how much you will be compensated for your timeversion3
- studderine0
Should I do the homework assignment or should I tell them that this isn't the best way to "test" a potential employee?
- Melanie0
Hmmm. I tend to tell people to feck off if they want free work to see what your work is like. That's what a portfolio is for.
- chossy0
Do it and show it to them on your computer so they do not get a copy of it.
- sigg0
Dude, years ago I had to do an in house test before I got a job. They gave me a work order spec sheet and wanted me to design a 1024x768 PSD concept page, THEN code the fucker out using whatever means necessary. All as fast as I could in a couple of hours.
6 months later the asshole is bouncing my checks so that b.s. test scenario should have been a HUGE red flag as to how shitty and shady this place was.
Good luck studderine!
- studderine0
Damn, I really need this job. So this is essentially, spec work? Even weirder, the job requirements doesn't say much about "designing" as it does user experience (wireframes, process-maps, so on). Sounds like they want a designer and an IA.
- Or, it could be that anyone can talk their way through an interview and they want to make sure you know...sigg
- what you're talking about, and have the skillset to prove it.sigg
- well i can't "design", i can give them a wireframe however.studderine
- sigg0
"Should I do the homework assignment or should I tell them that this isn't the best way to "test" a potential employee?"
You're in no position to be telling them how to do their job... yet. Do it the best you can and hope for the best. Hell, flatten it into a jpg and watermark it with a huge copyright symbol to let them know you mean business.
- studderine0
Thing is, I'm not really a "designer". I do IA/UX strategy work...thats what the position SAID it wanted. Now they want me to design a page for the webapp? WTF
- This is where your google/copy/paste skills come into play. Or, tell them straight up and be honest?sigg
- lukusW0
are they talking table napkin stuff though? - something to base conversation around??
- they had no requirements on the the fidelity of the design? ill just ask them if they are looking for hi-fi or lo-fistudderine
- studderine0
well i pretty much told the guy that a portfolio will suffice
- monkeyshine0
No. Tell them you would be happy to sit down in an interview and sketch out ideas so they can see how you think, arrive at solutions to problems but hell, no....they glean nothing by having you do something up front. First off, you don't have all the information you need so your solution is half winging it at best and secondly, no.
- lukusW0
paranoia about getting ripped off (due to requests for spec work) seems to be a necessary requirement to being a designer these days.
- studderine0
hey, they want my ideas for free..aint gonna happen.
- +1version3
- you want the job? if you do as they ask and get the job, great. If you do what they ask and don't get it? so what/ add it to your portfolio as annilsnihil
- example of thinking on yr feet.
If the door's open, you have to go through it.nilsnihil - Good luck in any case.nilsnihil
- true!studderine