Many companies use assessment tasks during their hiring process. Most of the time, these assignments seem fair, as the company needs to evaluate the candidate and feel confident in their abilities. However, some recruiters give tasks to job seekers just to take advantage of their work and ideas without having to pay them or give credit.
This is exactly what happened to this redditor, who had to build a full website after two rounds of interviews. When they submitted the task, they got strangely ghosted by the company. Only later did they realize that they had been scammed and taken advantage of.
Not all recruiters have candidates' best interests at heart
Image credits: Mizuno K / Pexels (not the actual photo)
This job seeker learned this the hard way after their work was stolen after many rounds of interviews
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Resident-Bottle-9960
Image credits: Diva Plavalaguna / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The rise in interview fraud can be attributed to remote work getting more popular
Many job seekers are tasked with doing certain assignments by recruiters before getting hired. They commonly include writing assignments, business plans, social media posts, etc. However, some unassuming candidates might be doing all this work for nothing, just for the company to appropriate their work and ideas without having to pay or credit them.
This is a real possibility that job applicants nowadays need to consider, as this and similar types of recruitment scams are getting more common. The rise in interview fraud can be attributed to remote work getting more popular thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, around 60-80% of companies have incorporated some form of online interviewing, which not only brings positive changes but also increases the chances of deception. When employees apply for remote positions, they often don’t even meet the employer, which heightens the likelihood of fraud.
Many people might be unaware of interview scams, as the excitement of a new job opportunity can blind them, especially if the company has a strong presence or identity or offers substantial pay. So scammers take advantage of it, knowing that the more desperate job applicants would feel too eager for a job opportunity to notice the red flags.
Image credits: Vlada Karpovich / Pexels (not the actual photo)
There are ways to avoid interview scams and protect one's work
The question is, how should candidates approach interviews and assignment tasks without getting misled, all while giving themselves the best chance of getting hired? If a person is nervous about the possibility of getting taken advantage of, they first should search around to see if there’s any evidence that the company has been accused of stealing work in the past.
“This feedback is readily available on websites and through a few networking calls,” explains career coach Roy Cohen. “Companies that abuse candidates establish a reputation that precedes them for not following through and for appropriating candidate's good ideas.”
There’s also the possibility of protecting your work with a contract that prohibits the company from using your work if you don’t get hired. “As a candidate, you can protect yourself and show your professionalism at the same time,” says executive coach and business consultant Debora McLaughlin.
“Say, ‘I'm excited to take on this challenge. I'm also happy to contribute innovative ideas as an employee. For now, I'd like to address the challenge and draw up a non-disclosure (or other protection agreement) should we not move forward.’”
In case the worst happens and the company ghosts the candidate and uses their work without consent, Cohen says they should call them out by contacting their boss. “Should you discover that your ideas have been borrowed by a person who has interviewed you and who requested work from you, send a detailed email to that person's boss,” he said.
“Explain that you are writing for two reasons,” says Cohen. “You are flattered that the individual was so impressed by your work to claim it as his or her own. Also, you felt it was important to let the boss know that one of his/her trusted employees lacks integrity and is also ill-equipped to handle their responsibilities.”
Many readers were shocked by the story, while some suggested a way out of such situation
