Gen Z Job Applicant Gets Rejected for Refusing to Perform Assessment Task; Wins Online Support

In a job market that is becoming increasingly competitive, skill assessment tests have become a standard practice while hiring for employers, since they are used for determining the worth and skill level of a worker in the final round of the recruitment process. But it has become additional work for job seekers, and in a viral incident, a gen z applicant refused to put up with the demand for a skill assessment test, even if it meant losing an opportunity. While the recruiter was firm about the hiring process, Twitter did not agree with their policy.

The debate

A recruiter who goes by the name @m.stanefield on Twitter, shared a story of a candidate who was rejected after an interaction between the candidate and them regarding an assessment task.

In the interaction, the recruiter shared a modeling test with the applicant but the gen z applicant said that it seemed like a lot of work. The applicant added that not knowing where they stand in the hiring process, they aren’t comfortable spending 90 minutes on Excel. This was enough for the recruiter to reject the candidate.

But the post upset a lot of people on Twitter who stood with the applicant. One of the users (@CECL_Allowance) shared that once they got a 4-hour modeling test which was loved by the recruiters. However, the next day the company laid off 30% of their workforce indicating that they didn’t get the job. Thus, the user thought that @mr.stanfield’s actions could seem suspicious. The recruiter defended their stand and wrote, if the candidate couldn’t complete the task in 90 mins then they weren’t right for the job.

Another user made a valid point that the applicant was right for refusing to take the test. The user (@Adam_Is_Pneuma) said since the applicant didn’t know how many other applicants were considered, it was justified for them to ask questions before investing time. Furthermore, the candidate could be appearing for other interviews as well.

However, In another follow-up tweet, the recruiter claimed that they would have “gladly paid” and “probably hired” the applicant if they went through the task.  

Another user named @nathandrake, who had a similar experience, also defended the applicant and claimed that they once did free work for a company that later ghosted them. Thus, the user said they think the applicant’s stance was right as the company which did not like them prioritizing their time will not like them working there either.

Meanwhile, some users also shared advice for the recruiter to conduct the process in a better way. One fellow recruiter, @zachware shared another process that could be used to fairly evaluate candidates. The user said that the candidate could have been put on a limited contract with a real problem to solve. It could be for a few days or a few weeks tying the task to a salary target.

They said that they stole the process from another company called Autimattic and with it they made the best analyst hire ever.

For further updates on the debate, follow @m.stanefield on Twitter.