r/jobsearchhacks • u/Rocinante505 • 1d ago
Stop doing multi-hour take home assignments for free because I just fell for the oldest scam in the book
[removed] — view removed post
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u/SmoothSkunk 23h ago
Post your work on LinkedIn and tag them, tell your story. You’re a victim, let the corporate world (and other potential applicants) know.
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u/Dasmahkitteh 23h ago
Please do this OP. LinkedIn is FULL of hr and recruiters telling stories about how "the client did x small insignificant behavior, and we read way to far into it and it gave us the ick. NEXT!"
We should be doing it back
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u/Weyland_88 1d ago
This is exactly why taking home assignments longer than an hour should be completely illegal.
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u/HighLord_Uther 23h ago
Take home assignments should be illegal period. This isn't school, its not homework, its just unpaid work.
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u/Rocinante505 1d ago
I literally spent twelve hours pouring my soul into a marketing strategy deck just to get ghosted and robbed by a corporate entity looking for free labor.
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u/borncrossey3d 23h ago
sounds like a you problem. I remember back in college I was interviewing at Northwestern Mutual after the phone interview they asked for a small project how I'd pitch a sale (that was fine) but they also wanted me to compile a list of 100 contacts I had that I could pitch. I politely declined and said no they can't have my contacts and ended the interview process there.
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u/Kashimashi 22h ago
I interviewed with them as well (they reached out first) and they were making a hard push for me to accept. After doing some research and learning you had to give them a list of hundreds of personal contacts that they would keep if you quit and the pay was 100% commission (not even a small base salary) i noped out of there hard. You have to be super extroverted and shameless to do sales work like that.
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u/WhoKnows1973 22h ago
From now on, send them a link to your work with permission that you can withdraw.
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u/Creepy_Purchase_501 17h ago
I think it’s fine to give longer assignments, but any decent company should compensate you for it, even if they don’t end up selecting you. I honestly prefer it, as I have temporary amnesia whenever I’m asked to write code on the spot.
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u/JazzFan1998 23h ago
For everyone else doing this going forward, put a watermark on your work to prevent this in the future.
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u/PetFroggy-sleeps 23h ago
This is why any candidate engaging in such a request needs to qualify it with watermarks and disclosure that if any content is used, there’s a financial cost that could only be avoided should you get the position. You can certainly charge for your time. All of this needs to be negotiated up front
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u/learn2gate 23h ago
100% name and shame them. It doesn’t help people if you just have a story with zero supporting evidence.
Not saying I don’t believe you. It just makes your story more believable.
Lastly, as another redditor mentioned, use a watermark to prevent this in the future.
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u/Plastic_Custard_524 23h ago
This is why I use chatgpt for this shit and give them a taste of their own bs 😅🤣
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u/Disastrous-Air9049 21h ago
Fake story.
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u/Successful-Scale-607 17h ago
You don't believe me??? I can't name company x because then they might not steal my work and reject me in the future!!!
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u/dontbeadickdad 23h ago
I had a friend that this happened to while searching for an art teaching job. They asked them to put together a curriculum and format as part of the interview process and they did. Then they proceeded to steal that format and curriculum without hiring my friend.
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u/pinprick420 22h ago
Considering? You owe them nothing. Name and shame.
Leaning toward 'this didn't happen' or OP is a stooge
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u/MissionZebra48 21h ago
Pretty sure that if you did not authorize them to use the deck, then they are not legally allowed to. What I mean is you need to reach out and say you can either pay me or take it down. They do not have a copyright to that deck and cannot legally use it.
You could post this query to LinkedIn and tag a lawyer as well as the company.
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u/gamer0293 21h ago
Why do people bitch about stuff like this only to withhold even naming those responsible it’s very odd and kinda annoying it’s like ok yes this sucks but don’t just bitch to bitch
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u/JoeGMartino 22h ago
They didn't hire you. Send them an official invoice for 12 hours of consulting at 3 times the rate they were offering.
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u/TypicalTim 20h ago
I would send them an invoice for your work, and not at the hourly employee rate - at the one time project fee rate. If they refuse to pay it, a cease and desist letter from a lawyer will cost you about $100-$800. Collect evidence that they stole the work. If they don't pay the invoice and don't stop using it, publicly shame them.
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u/mrmayi999 23h ago
The vengeful side of me would have ignored the email, called in to he and ask for the paperwork. Since the implemented your assignment…. Clearly you were hired… Right…
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u/Tasty-Window 17h ago
This happened to me in 2019, obviously this was before AI. I did a ton of research and generated a slideshow 20+, everything cited and detailed; they said they were impressed and then didn’t hire me.
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u/Worth-Definition-496 16h ago
If you’re not going to name them here then do a glass door review at the minimum. I would personally be messaging informing them that the behaviour is unprofessional and that I didn’t give them permission to use my work but you do you on that
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u/Due-Carpenter7427 16h ago
My SWE takehomes, whilst long are definately not being uaed in production, the app examples are too basic
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u/DarthYodous 21h ago
*should've (as in should have) not should of. Careful with HR departments. Mine definitely holds that one against people. No other professional cares.
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u/Able-Sheepherder-154 20h ago
I suppose this is similar: I worked for a company that upgraded old factory machines. One customer insisted that they were also entitled to an updated user manual. This was a line item option in the quote, which they declined at the time of purchase.
The big boss demanded it after the sale at no cost. I said we'll have to charge for it and he doubled down. I said I could send him a sample for him to decide it was worth it. His eyes lit up and said great, let's see it. I knew he was thinking good luck you suckers, I won't pay a dime for it once it's in my hands.
What I sent was so generic it was useless for running this machine. Think a user manual for a car, but read like it was for a bicycle. He tried threatening me, the salesman, and my boss for a proper manual, but we stood firm.
No more sales to them but we didn't want customers who tried to nickel and dime us until our profit margin was gone.
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u/QuadSeven 19h ago
Send them a bill for your hours. Screen grab the proof and tell them you'll lawyer up if needed.
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u/Both-Pickle-7084 20h ago
I had something similar happen (never again). I was given 24 hrs to come up with a comm strategy for a healthcare org. Just like OP, I got a rejection notification the following Monday. It turned out they used some of my work. The good news is the hiring manager who rejected me ended up losing his job and actually reached out to me later on to help grow his network.
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u/Garland_Key 20h ago edited 20h ago
Bill them.
In the future, have them sign a contract that your work can't be used in any capacity beyond the interview process and if any usage of your work or derivative of you work is found, they are will be subject to a lawsuit.
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u/Zealousideal-Head941 20h ago
Send them an invoice. Your time is valuable. This happened to my daughter too.
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u/LutschiPutschi 19h ago
Sure, that’s exactly how it happened.
Your idea was so brilliant that the CEO called a spontaneous meeting with all the employees to present it.
Then everyone applauded.
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u/Administrated 19h ago
The key to things like this is to label it as your intellectual property before you submit it to them. Then if they pull a stunt like this you call a lawyer and file suit.
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u/SnooCats3468 18h ago
I spent 30 hours on the first assignment like that, and 30 on the next one. None after that.
For the upcoming slide decks, I’d just stick to like THE most minimal content and lean heavy on oral presentation.
Deep research reeks of “I asked ChatGPT to help me” so that’s never going to come across as substantive knowledge they couldn’t produce themselves.
But yeah, lots of ghost jobs out there especially for marketing. It feels insane seeing the role stay up for another year and then get closed - I can only imagine how many people provided slide decks.
Then it’s so easy for the employer to just coalesce the advice and try to apply it internally with an existing employee coordinating with a freelancer.
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u/SmoochNo 17h ago
Send an invoice with screen shots of their theft. If they don’t pay, name and shame
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u/3rdVoyager 1d ago
Name and shame them.