Are your hiring tasks scaring off the best candidates?

You may think your hiring process is thorough, but candidates might see it as a red flag.

Asking candidates to complete a task is a common part of recruitment. In theory, it helps assess skills fairly. 

In practice, it can deter top applicants if the task is vague, unpaid, or takes too long to complete.

If you’re not careful, that one simple exercise could cost you your ideal hire.

In this article, we’ll explore how to balance rigour with respect, look at some better alternatives to traditional tasks, and provide tips for clearer communication throughout the hiring process. 

When good intentions create a bad experience

From the employer’s side, assessments feel logical. You want evidence of ability, not just a polished CV. 

A take-home task helps you avoid hiring someone who interviews well but can’t deliver.

But from the candidate’s side, it’s a different story.

“It was a three-hour task, for a role that didn’t pay particularly well. I didn’t even get feedback. It felt like free work.” - Candidate interviewed for a marketing role at a UK startup

Unpaid tasks can come across as:

• Exploitative, especially when they resemble real work you'd normally pay for
• Disrespectful, suggesting you don’t value the candidate’s time or expertise
• Disorganised, when the task instructions are vague or poorly scoped
• Unfair, if there's no compensation, no feedback, and no transparency

And if you’re asking for a lot? You’re not just assessing skills, you’re signalling what it’s like to work for you.

What your hiring task really says about your culture

Every step of your hiring process is a reflection of your company’s values.

Candidates don’t just evaluate what you ask them to do. They pay close attention to how you ask, how long it takes, and how well you explain it. 

Whether you realise it or not, your task is saying something about how your company operates.

If the task is long, vague, or unpaid, candidates are left to draw their own conclusions, and those  often aren’t flattering.

A bloated task can imply that your team doesn’t value people’s time, or that decision making is slow and bureaucratic. 

A lack of feedback might suggest poor communication habits. And asking for unpaid work might suggest they like to squeeze as much as they can out of their employees. 

Candidates are reading between the lines. And the most capable ones, those who have options, are also the most likely to walk away.

It’s worth asking what your hiring process says about what it’s like to work here? If the answer isn’t something you’d be proud to shout about, it’s time to fix it.

Real-world opt-outs: what candidates are saying

It’s not always the presence of a task that’s the problem, it’s the type, scope, and lack of consideration that sends candidates packing.

Here are common red flags:

• Multi-day assignments for a mid-level role
• Strategy documents without context or compensation
• Design tasks that mirror actual client work

“A company once asked me to redesign their actual homepage. For free. That was a hard no.” - UX designer (via Reddit UX forums)

“Unless you’re paying candidates for multi-hour take-home tasks, you’re limiting your pool to people with time privilege.”- Lily Zheng, DEI strategist (source)

These stories aren’t rare. A Harris poll found that 77% of job seekers had been asked to complete tasks without pay during a hiring process, and 43% say it made them less likely to accept an offer. 

How to balance rigour with respect

You want evidence that a candidate can do the job, but long, unpaid tasks aren’t the answer. 

They shrink your talent pool, favour the underemployed, and send the wrong cultural signals.

Here are examples of tasks that often go too far:

• A four-hour writing task with no feedback
• A mock sales pitch with full deck creation
• A multi-page business strategy proposal

Here are some better alternatives:  

• A 60-minute task, scoped and explained in advance
• A paid micro-project relevant to the role
• A portfolio or past work walk-through

Key principles to apply:

• Respect people’s time
• Be transparent about expectations
• Pay for work that benefits your company
• Always close the loop, especially with final-round candidates

“If the task is long enough that you'd pay a freelancer to do it, then pay the candidate too. Anything less is exploitative.” - Hung Lee, curator of Recruiting Brainfood 

Smarter alternatives to traditional tasks

Hiring doesn’t need to rely on generic take-home tests. 

There are more engaging, respectful, and often more insightful, ways to assess skills.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Paid work samples

Assign a real task you’d pay a freelancer for and pay the candidate for it. You’ll get genuine output and show you value their time.

2. Trial or project days

Invite finalists to spend a (paid) half day with your team, working through a problem or pairing on a task. Great for culture and collaboration fit.

3. Portfolio or case reviews

Ask candidates to walk you through a previous project. You’ll learn more about their decision-making, context, and approach than from a blank-slate test.

Communicating tasks clearly and fairly

Even a great task can fall flat if it’s poorly introduced. Transparency builds trust and filters out candidates who aren’t aligned with your process.

Tips for better task communication:

• Include task details (duration, format, deadline) in the job description or screening call
• Explain what you’re assessing and how it links to the role
• Offer flexibility on format or timing
• Always outline next steps and when they’ll hear back

Clarity isn’t just courteous. It gives candidates the confidence to engage fully with the process.

Final thoughts

You’re not just evaluating candidates. They’re evaluating you. Every touchpoint, from the job ad to the task brief, sends a message about how your company treats people.

Rigour matters, but so does communication and fairness.

If you want to attract great people, show them you're worth working for, starting with the hiring process.