Take home assignments should be illegal

In the job-hunting process, take-home assignments are the worst. They nauseate me. They highlight how little employers care about candidates and their well-being, underscoring the deeply flawed nature of American hiring practices. These assignments often demand excessive time and effort from candidates without any guarantee of acknowledgment or feedback, creating an unfair burden on job seekers.

I believe these hiring practices, like take-home assignments and other similar hiring dysfunctions, are among the most significant problems in American society today, causing a ripple effect throughout our social fabric. The hiring process is the 'prosperity interface'—it is where we gain our essential opportunities in life. If this process is fundamentally broken, how can we expect anything to function correctly?

A Personal Tale of Frustration

Recently, I experienced this frustration firsthand with a prestigious company. My resume was accepted, and I had an enthusiastic screening call with a recruiter who appreciated my unique use of the company's technology and my background as a software engineer and fantasy author. The company and its product, which aids developers, deserve respect. However, what followed was a textbook example of the problems inherent in take-home assignments.

After speaking with the hiring manager, who praised my qualifications, I was informed that the next step was a take-home assignment. The assignment was complex, involving the creation of a significant technical presentation. Despite the company's claim that the estimated completion time was two hours, it realistically required 15-20 hours to do well. As someone who tends to go a little overboard, I spent 30 hours on it.

I submitted the assignment, expecting some form of feedback or acknowledgment. Instead, I was met with silence. I was terrified. I had no idea what was going on. Did they miss my email? I didn’t even want to open up the possibility in my head that they weren’t going to respond. They never responded.

After two weeks of incessantly mailing their recruiting team, I finally received an automated email from a recruiter informing me that the job was no longer being offered. That was it. They decided they weren’t going to hire for the role and never informed candidates what was happening.

The Impact of a Broken Process

This experience was deeply disturbing. I considered reaching out to the company's C-suite but ultimately decided against it, unwilling to expend more energy on a process that had already drained me. While candidates have the free will to decide whether to complete take-home assignments, this practice only serves to burn out the workforce, reducing overall effectiveness and leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

The current state of hiring does little to foster morale or support for job seekers. Instead, it creates an environment of disillusionment and frustration. To address this, we need a collective effort to overhaul the hiring process, promoting practices that boost morale and effectiveness for all involved. It requires a collective stance, with more people standing up against the status quo rather than accepting it.

A Better Future

In response to these issues, I have been working on an experimental project called UpskillHero, a puzzle-solving adventure game designed to help candidates navigate the interview process through a less grueling experience. While I am rapidly iterating the project (and would love your feedback on how to make it more valuable and more fun!), it represents a step towards finding outside-the-box solutions to the pervasive problems in hiring. I am eager to hear your thoughts and ideas on how we can collectively push back against these flawed practices and create a more efficient (and enjoyable) hiring landscape.

In conclusion, take-home assignments epitomize the broken nature of hiring practices in America. They waste candidates' time, sap their energy, and contribute to a widespread sense of disillusionment. It is time for us to demand better and work together to build a hiring process that truly supports and values job seekers.

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