A job application should not become free consulting
Employers can assess skills without shifting unlimited recruitment costs onto applicants.
A candidate completes an interview, then receives an assignment requiring a strategy, a polished presentation, and several evenings of work. The employer calls it a skills test. The candidate cannot easily decline without losing the opportunity. Even if the company never uses the output, the burden is real.
Measure the skill proportionately
A short, clearly bounded exercise may reveal something an interview cannot. The problem is an open-ended task that resembles the work being hired for. Employers should explain the time expectation, evaluation criteria, and whether any output could be used commercially. A fictional or retired problem can reduce the risk of extracting useful work.
Small employers face constraints too
Paying every applicant for every interaction would make some hiring processes difficult to sustain. That does not justify unlimited unpaid assignments. It suggests screening carefully before requesting substantial work, compensating finalists for lengthy projects, and avoiding tasks that reward free time more than relevant ability.
Respect the candidate's alternative
An applicant may have a job, caregiving duties, or several other applications. Designing recruitment around unlimited availability can exclude capable people. A process should be able to demonstrate what additional evidence a long assignment provides. If the task is valuable enough to resemble a deliverable, the employer should be prepared to explain why producing it deserves no payment.
Bring your perspective
How much unpaid assessment work is reasonable before an employer should compensate an applicant?
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