The Double-Edged Sword of Recruitment Tasks

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Recruitment tasks have become a standard part of the hiring process in tech. Whether it’s building a small application, solving algorithmic challenges, or integrating an API, many companies use them to test a candidate’s skills in a practical way. But as with most things, they come with both pros and cons.

The Frustration

On the one hand, these tasks can be frustrating. They eat up precious free time-time that’s often already scarce between work, family, and personal commitments. Unlike an interview, which typically takes an hour or two, coding tasks can sometimes stretch into evenings or weekends, leaving candidates feeling drained and undervalued. There’s also the underlying frustration of doing unpaid work for a role that might not even materialize into an offer.

The Upside

On the other hand, recruitment tasks can have an unexpected upside: they can enrich your portfolio. If you’re early in your career or your portfolio feels a bit thin, completing a recruitment project gives you something tangible to showcase. A well-crafted task can demonstrate not only technical skills but also your approach to problem-solving, design decisions, and code structure. Even if the application doesn’t land you the job, you can refine it, polish it, and present it as part of your professional profile.

A Glimpse Into the Company

There’s another hidden benefit too: tasks often reveal whether a company is the right fit for you. By working through their challenge, you get a glimpse into the technologies, frameworks, and methodologies they value. Sometimes it’s exciting-you find out they’re using tools you enjoy and want to grow with. Other times it’s a red flag: the task might expose outdated practices or rigid approaches that you know will cause headaches in day-to-day work. In that sense, the assignment is not only the company testing you-it’s also your chance to test them.

The Risk of Exploitation

Still, there’s a risk that lingers in the back of many developers’ minds: what if the recruitment isn’t even real? What if the company is simply trying to get free work done under the guise of a hiring process? Unfortunately, situations like this do happen. That’s why it’s important to stay alert and critical.

If a task looks suspiciously like real production work-say, building an entire website from detailed company mockups-it’s worth questioning whether that’s reasonable for a recruitment exercise. A well-designed task should test your abilities, not exploit them.

How to Recognize a Fair Recruitment Task

Here are a few tips to help you distinguish a genuine test from a potential red flag:

• Scope: A good task should be limited in scope-something you can reasonably complete in a few hours, not days. If the task feels like building a full product, be cautious.
• Purpose: The assignment should test your skills, not deliver a ready-to-use business feature for the company.
• Clarity: Legitimate tasks usually have clear requirements, but they leave some room for interpretation so you can show your decision-making. Overly detailed mockups and strict production-level specs may signal misuse.
• Time flexibility: Most fair companies respect your time and let you decide when to complete the task. If they impose tight deadlines on large assignments, that’s a red flag.
• Compensation: Some companies pay for longer or more complex tasks. While not always the case, it’s a good sign when they value your effort enough to offer compensation.
• Reputation: Check reviews on Glassdoor, LinkedIn, or even ask other developers if they’ve gone through the process. A company with a history of exploitative tasks will usually leave traces online.

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So, while recruitment tasks can feel like a hassle, approaching them with the right mindset-and a bit of caution-turns them into opportunities: to showcase your skills, expand your portfolio, and evaluate whether a company truly deserves your time and talent.