I once spent two full days cutting together a fake sizzle reel for a company “to see if I had the chops.” I didn’t get the job, and they ended up using parts of my work anyway. It felt like free labor disguised as an interview. Some people tell me it’s just part of proving yourself, but I can’t shake the feeling of being exploited. Do you see test projects as fair or predatory?

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Any unpaid test project that requires days of work is predatory, in my opinion. I can understand they want you to prove yourself, and it can even be a great option for those without traditional experience. However, some are just asking for far too much with zero guarantee that anything will happen.

Any test project that takes two days should be refused, that's just out of line. Presumably you've got credits, but if a prospective employer wanted to see how you work and asked you to do something quickly, fair enough. But it does seem that they got some free work out of you. For future reference, don't go along with demands like that, it's a total red flag.

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