Some potential employers are exploiting the competitive job market by requesting that potential candidates take on unpaid assignments before they’re even hired. The ‘asks’ for free work vary, from sharing a sample event budget to submitting a complete event plan for a company gathering.
“While I was interviewing for a head of events role, I was asked to plan several months’ worth of ‘sample projects’ specific to their industry as part of the interview process,” said Sherece Fullerton, senior manager, corporate events at Achieving the Dream. “They even asked me to review their staff list and bios, and to identify who should attend each event and what their roles would be on site.”
After investing hours into this, she was told she had made it to the next level and was one of two top candidates. “They then asked me to create a sample budget to support the plan. Again, I foolishly did that, only for them to tell me they were going with the other person after 5 rounds of interviews and two simulations.”
When she checked the company’s website a few weeks later, the job was still available. “I really think they were collecting free work from everyone who applied,” she said.
A Red Flag?
Requests like these are not unusual in today’s competitive job market, says Career Consultant Colleen Paulson. “It is definitely becoming more common. Companies will tell you that they do this in order to see what a candidate can deliver, but I have heard of companies taking advantage of this and using this ‘free labor’ as part of their operations.”
Is a request for free work automatically a red flag? “Trust your gut, and if it feels like too much, then you should think through how interested you are in the role and if it’s really worth it,” she said. However, If you don’t do the work, “then you probably are losing out on the job because the company will find someone who is willing to.”
The pressures of a year-long job search drove another planner, who estimates she spent more than $1,000 of her own money, to create a proposal for a holiday party as part of the interview process for a senior-level position at a global company.
“First, we did two virtual interviews, and I was told I had made it to the final round. They asked me to come in and present two projects to a panel – a holiday party and an employee appreciation event. I had to create an entire plan for each, including budgets and suggesting vendors.
“They requested 5 hard copies. Of course I wanted to impress them, so I printed everything in color and had them professionally bound. I bought tablescapes that I photographed for the presentation, and I gave each person a bento box with samples of the food. I even gave everyone a white chocolate bomb as a parting gift with a note thanking them for the interview.”
She didn’t get the job. ”It was probably one of the best interviews I’ve ever given in my life, but within two days I was told, ‘We’re not moving forward with you.’” She later learned from a friend who worked at the company that it had used elements of her proposal in their events – including the chocolates.
What Can Planners Do?
As she continued her search, the experience shifted her view on offering anything for free. “From now on, I will include a nondisclosure agreement for any work I submit. I will watermark it with my name and mark it as ‘Proprietary/Confidential’ and ‘Do Not Distribute,’ so at least I will have some recourse if an employer decides to implement any of my creations without my consent.”
Planners can also add conditions to their work, such as requiring a signed statement that the proposal is for interview purposes only and can not be used without their consent.
Some planners are fine with requests for free work – depending on the scope. One, who applied for a position with a large tech company, said he spent three hours but did not feel it was unreasonable. “I felt like the project was intended to see more how I think and what I would do, rather than trying to get free work out of me. I wound up not being selected but I totally understood. Like so many things in life, everything happens for a reason.”
Many who have had these experiences, only not to be hired, also point out that there’s a bright side: They gained valuable insight into the culture of these organizations. If a company expects free labor from someone who doesn’t even work for them, what do they expect from those who do?
“If they tell you that this may be used for their current operations, then it’s more ethical – but they are still being cheap and they should pay you just like they would any consultant who gives advice,” Paulson said.
“It’s not ethical for a company to use your work in their operations if they aren’t up front about it.”
