Dear strategy hiring managers: stop asking candidates to do an assignment for a current paying client as part of the interview process. It’s exploitative, unethical, and is a terrible look for the agency. Asking people to do free work for you is not okay, not matter how ‘hot’ you think your agency is. Everyone who does it just feels dirty afterwards like they’ve been used. And HR folks, if you see hiring managers ask for an assignment, tell them it’s bad hiring practice, because it is.

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

I’ve been asked to do something similar as well. When that happens I quote them my rate.

likesmart

It never gets that far. I always aim for clarity before wasting anyone’s time with interviews (especially mine).

As soon as they mention a test, I say that given my work and extensive client/product experience, my portfolio is more than enough. They usually double-down on their response in which case I tell them that I’d be more than happy too… and quote my rate.

They stop responding after that.

Yup. I had this happen to me so they could see how I would click with the founder of the company. And it was for one of their pitches.

like

FFS

like

I’d be forwarding that communication directly to the client.

like

I’ve been asked to do assignments but NEVER on actual clients.

like

Personally, I’m against any form of unpaid labor, whether it’s for actual clients or not

like

I remember one of my first jobs(associate planner) I applied to in the media industry at Media Storm they asked for a media recommendation deck during the first interview. I did it and never heard back.. I’ll never apply there again and happily turn away their HR emails.

like

I had to do an assignment for a FT job, but I feel like it was fair because I accidentally dove into pharma too early in my career and tried to get back, so they wanted to see if I can. I was hired for one okay account, but after the test I was offered a far better one with a super creative team I adored.

However, when a large agency reached out to me when I started freelancing, and needed someone for a 5 day shoot and wanted me to do a test before… that was too much and I never replied to them

CC: Translation 👀

Ugh I was told in my final interview where they offered me the job that I was “already making an impact” because the hiring manager incorporated my work into their deliverable for Nike. I turned that job down.

Related Posts

Hi,

I joined mphasis a few days back. Now I have a better job opportunity (HCL) with 20% more. Can I exit in 20 days from mphasis with prior information or should I abscond, if i abscond what are the consequences

I don't understand the point of hiring candidates. Its been more than two months and i am sitting idle. There is no updates from management. I am getting info like i will get half salary this month because of the bench policy. I m confused what to do next

like

Hi Friends, I had HR discussion on last week Wednesday, primarily on salary part for GCB5 in HSBC. HR told that they will update in this week, but I am yet to hear back from them. Usually how much time do the HR takes to update. TIA

like
like

Hey I was informed my position was eliminated due to corp restructure. I am a marketing vet with 10 years diverse experience from social to email and both b2b and b2c marketing. I also am about to complete my mba. I love to tell a brands story. Looking for a position at a people first company marketing manager positions or above in Atlanta or remote thanks for your help.

like

Hi pals! Anyone here currently working at Accenture open to referring me to an Account Exec role ?

like

Hello in Infosys careers portal my application status is Scheduled interview showing I last 5 days. So is there any one suggest me what is next ??

like

Hello Fishes,

I recently had a interview call with TCS technical team and the interview went well. HR asked to upload my documents in ibegin portal. But they are yet to contact me for my salary negotiation it's been three weeks since, can i know how much can I expect as compensation?

YoE :8.5 years
Current CTC: 14 LPA
Skills : information security
New salary ask :30 LPA
No other offer in hand

I am holding two offers,

1. Tiger Analytics for Senior DE role, WFH.
2. Fractal for DE role, 6 weeks DE Training later project, WFH.

Finding both companies similar in terms of project. Please help pick one.
Looking for better hikes while working.

like

Anyone know how to get a position as an HRBP without HRPB experience? All positions I've looked at want previous experience. Would over 5 years of HR experience and a PHR suffice, or what skills should be added to that?

like

Have a interview next week for a M&A consultant job. However, I haven't done any project related to M&A(audit background). How can I prepare to answer technical question related to M&A. Is there a handbook or good youtube video (deal process, day 1 planning, etc.)Accenture McKinsey & Company Deloitte KPMG

like

EY -TAS , S&O . We are hiring. If interested, reach out...

likehelpfulfunny

Final round of interviews for EY Parthenon Deal Tech end of week, any tips or suggestions? Appreciate any insight

like

How is the NOKIA R&D project in TCS ? is there a good scope in that project? And how is the WLB in that project....Can we work in our base location without moving to project location

like

Hey Fishes,

I am preparing for Google Cloud Engineer - AI role
I know there would be DS & Algo, Programming and ML Questions but
I was given a long list of topics to prepare by google - Web/Internet Technologies, Databases/SQL/NoSQL, Linux/Unix, Distributed Systems, System Design, Troubleshooting, Networking
Any suggestions on which topics to concentrate more on ,
any good resources that you can think of and any interview experiences would be very useful, Thanks in advance

like

How many days before onboarding and recruiter clearance we will get from HCL? I see status as BGV Completed is this means am I fine with BGV ? can someone please let me know pre boarding process and onboarding process

Post Photo
like

Folks applying for Data and Analytics roles in the industry at M, SM, D Levels, what technical/functional topics do you prepare for on the Analytics side?

like
like

Rate my offer for a business valuations associate role at a boutique firm in Toronto:
- $90k + ~7.5% annual performance bonus
- $5k in clawback reimbursement
- will pay all professional fees throughout term of employment (CPA & CBV)

My background:
- SA1 in assurance
- Master of Accounting
- passed CFE, qualify in about half a year
- enrolled in CBV program of studies
- 24 yrs old

like

Does anyone know comp for an L4 Global Account Rep role (base, equity, bonus). I’m asked to give my expected earnings prior to going into my final round. Any advice would help!

More Posts

Yall think I should trade Odell & Barkley for Brandin Cooks and Darrell Henderson?

likefunny

Looking to book two Iberia tickets using avios NYC to MAD business class in March but can't seem to find availability - can anyone help?

like

Any recommendations on anything apart from coinbase to buy BTC in usd? I am unable to find any platform using it. Please let me know if you guys are aware of any cheaper alternative. Want to try altcoins but looks most need BTC which in the end can only buy on coinbase. It takes higher fees and time for buying.

I have an informational interview with a director of a consulting firm. I’m currently in banking. It’s just been 6 months at this job for me. It’s too slow for me. How do I tell this director why I want to work with him and justify why I want to leave my current firm just after 6 months? I’m an analyst and the role I’m targeting is also analyst level role

like

My old employer asked me if I wanted to come back to the company as a manager. The pay will likely be much better and the position holds more responsibility than I’ve had before, so overall it would be a step up. The issue is I left the company because of an abusive manager who constantly put me down and made me feel like I wasn’t doing anything right. If I come back I’d be working under her again. I’m torn because the opportunity is great but the stress was awful. Continued in comments…

likesmart

Hello I am looking to pivot careers. I’ve worked in warehousing, shipping and logistics my entire life. I don’t have much experience else where. How do I find the right move to make?

like

Interviewed for internal manager role at BCG and moved to second round but across another role at BCG that is a better fit. Should I tell the recruiter and withdraw from the current interview process?

like

Hi 🐠

Looking into purchasing the Product Uplevel course from Product Alliance. I was wondering if anyone has taken the course and what their thoughts were. Thanks!

like

How long do y’all like resume bullets to be? I know to keep them to 1-2 lines and to keep the resume to 1 page but I’m conflicted about how to balance details vs white space. I’m in product and see some resumes with bullets averaging 5-10 words that state “Manage roadmap for $200mm product” while others use ~20 words per bullet and highlight product info, process, or impact in a bit more detail.

If you live downtown, do you have a car?

Any recs on sourcing glass bottles for bottling cold brew? Not sure where to start, tried Webstaurant but didn’t seem like they had it. Any types of local biz I should contact?

like

What are your thoughts on Hult International Business School? I heard EYers can get their MBA through them for free virtually.

likefunny

Anyone able to buy SNOW at $120?

funnylike

Any body aware about central excellence in cognizant?

I want to know about any company who are looking for core Java developers.
Almost every jd in job portals are asking for numerous skills.
Below are my skills with 3 yoe-
Core Java
J2EE
Soap
Docker/Jenkins/Kubernetes/GIT
Linux
Skills I'm familiar with but no working exp-
Spring boot
MySQL
Rest apis

Hello fishes,
Can anyone from Johnson and Johnson pvt ltd Pune refer me for an opening?

Job/Requisition code - 2206050675W

Please DM or comment below I will ping you in the DM.

like

It’s week 5 for me of the breakup and even though I had a full and fun weekend with friends and people I love, I woke up today so so sad because I wanted to text my ex. I just feel overall so defeated and exhausted from sadness and unmotivated at work :(

like

Man PwC PEVC is poaching KPMG Strategy folks like crazy! Recruiters are swarming the DMs out here. Does this mean that the good natured roasting that KPMG Strat gets is just for jokes and in actuality we’re actually well respected professionals? I’m actually very impressed with the practice and everyone I’ve worked with and I feel as though clients really gravitate towards us as well given the positive numbers this year. Jw what our true reputation is out here on the streets is all

like

Hey trying to bring this bowl back to life, how's everyone doing? Busy season blues/last year of school/interning/ looking for a job? I'm finishing my last year of grad school before I work in the sum

like

What are your thoughts about a transfer from the US to London? Is this something EY will allow? I am a Manager in Data and Analytics, a SMR in Adobe Analytics. Do you have many Adobe Analytics projects?

like

Additional Posts in Advertising

When you're on a date and you say what you do...what are the reactions?

like

How many months in is it normal to hate a new job vs you've given it a long enough chance to know it's a wrong fit?

like

Looking for senior designers that knows shopper marketing. Please DM with books!

What are your thoughts on leaving a stable but unfulfilling job for another one during these times?

like

My browser history is failing me and hope y’all can help! I recently stumbled upon a website where some ad folks had compiled a bunch of idea/conceptual thinking approaches and if you clicked through there were past spots that had utilized that idea / way of thinking. I wanted to share it with a mentee and can’t track it down. It was a simple layout: grid of images w/headline naming the idea … Sound familiar?

like

Anyone looking for a jr writer who wants to be in office with their new team as much as possible?

like

Hiring managers and recruiters: a lot of well-respected schools (Harvard, BC, Cornell, Penn State, MIT) now have pretty robust online programs. Contd

like

How do you find joy in a business where you’re told “no” 100 times a day?

like

What are some questions to ask/things to look for before the first time you’re jumping ship that helped you decide whether it was worth it (other than remoteness, salary, and benefits)?

like

I promise you, whatever you have to tell me as I sit down with my lunch is not as important as eating my lunch.

likesmart

Today my boss told me I need to work on showing my frustration directly to people. She mentioned a meeting THREE weeks ago where, during a meeting, I said one single thing that showed I was unhappy with not being included in a particular meeting (for a project I was leading), and my tone made it clear I was unhappy about it. She said the person I “called out” didn’t even bring it up to her; it was what she “noticed.” Cont’d...

like

Tips for dealing with procrastination?

like

What is the difference between an account executive and a project manager? When I look at the job descriptions there is not a lot of clarification. Could you enlighten me?

like

Dogs in offices are cool, but who's offering some comfy siesta benefits? 😴💤

likesmart

Been at a new job for a couple of months. Overall it’s been disappointing and I’m starting to feel anxiety for the future. I feel this way because I’ve just been working on one account I really don’t feel will create anything book worthy and I’m afraid that I will have nothing to show after a year. I’d been interviewing with this company for a while (off and on for 7 months+) and during that time made work I’m proud of and as of this past may, is award winning. (continued in comments)

like

Why do people in this industry say "like" so much? It makes it annoying to, like, walk around the building and listen

like

Coworker (we’re the same level) has a tendency to use “I” statements and then proceeds to present the entire deck that we both contributed to equally…. So annoyed. How to get across to our bosses that I worked on it too?

like

Is it really that hard for managers to book their own conference rooms and send out invites? The time it takes to ask one to do it could it not have just been done by themselves?

likefunny

Are CPGs pushing more faux-health benefits than before?
Or is society catching up to the bs?

Post Photo
like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal