[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/can-a-company-ask-me-to-do-work-for-free-as-part-of-the-hiring-process\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/can-a-company-ask-me-to-do-work-for-free-as-part-of-the-hiring-process\/","headline":"Can A Company Ask Me to Do Work for Free as Part of the Hiring Process?","name":"Can A Company Ask Me to Do Work for Free as Part of the Hiring Process?","description":"How far would you go for a job? In this economy, where applicants outnumber jobs, subjecting one\u2019s self to multiple job interviews and jumping through hoops to impress a potential employer seems like the bare minimum one must do. In the case of employers, with applicants outnumbering jobs, it only makes sense to subject potential […]","datePublished":"2020-10-21","dateModified":"2020-11-06","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Raewyn%20Koh\/#Person","name":"Raewyn Koh","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Raewyn%20Koh\/","identifier":126,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dcf8794e3fbb77bfb67fd0c6de80816a47a345d4c3df2beccb095b7d856dae7e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dcf8794e3fbb77bfb67fd0c6de80816a47a345d4c3df2beccb095b7d856dae7e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1603266259312_justifying-unfair-hiring-practices-singapore.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1603266259312_justifying-unfair-hiring-practices-singapore.jpg","height":838,"width":1600},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/can-a-company-ask-me-to-do-work-for-free-as-part-of-the-hiring-process\/","about":["Community","Featured","Local","Singapore"],"wordCount":1520,"articleBody":"How far would you go for a job?In this economy, where applicants outnumber jobs, subjecting one\u2019s self to multiple job interviews and jumping through hoops to impress a potential employer seems like the bare minimum one must do.In the case of employers, with applicants outnumbering jobs, it only makes sense to subject potential employees to stringent rounds of interviewing and testing to see if they make a good fit for your team and company.It is a never-ending cycle that has caused frustration among jobseekers in Singapore.What a Redditor went through in his job huntEarlier this month, Redditor u\/nayakashish, brought up his experience of \u201cunfair hiring practices\u201d. One company subjected him to create a complete social media marketing deck for the next quarter, which he had readily agreed was fair.In subsequent interview rounds, he was then asked to write three articles, to see if his writing style matched that of the company\u2019s. Throughout talks with this company, salary details were also kept hush, until his article were submitted, then a lowball offer was made, which prompted him to back out on the deal.Another company he applied at asked for multiple rounds of interviewing, then requested for him to prepare an entire digital marketing plan, including key performance indicators (KPIs), marketing channels, and even customer demographic studies for an event the company was already working on.\u201cThis feels really iffy to me\u2026 [when] a company can actually collate marketing ideas from interviewees for free,\u201d he said.Although u\/nayakashish understood how competitive the job market is now during the coronavirus pandemic, he still called these hiring practices \u201cshady\u201d and wondered if this was common among other job hunters and other companies.Hiring managers weigh in on such practices\u201cWhen you\u2019re looking for the perfect candidate, you do all you can to ensure who you\u2019re getting is best,\u201d shares Ming, a senior manager at a tech start-up, who sits in on one or two rounds of interviews during the hiring process.Ming usually gives his candidates a quick two-part, on-site coding test \u2013 one to spot coding errors, and one to write a code to execute a task. If the tests come back inconclusive, Ming might run through extra coding tests to figure out where these programmers stand in their skill.Drawing the line with interviewing testsThe one place where Ming definitely draws the line is using interviewees\u2019 work for the company.\u201cThat\u2019s unethical,\u201d he says with a disgusted face. \u201cIt very clearly is.\u201dThe sentiments are shared by Candice, editor at TripCanvas. \u201cIt\u2019s not just unethical, it infringes on the [candidates\u2019] copyrights. When we give our candidates writing tests, we make it clear that their article would belong to them and not be used by us.\u201dIn her line, it is not uncommon to subject candidates to at least one or two writing tests. \u201cOur tests give us a better understanding of the candidate\u2019s research skills. When they have been shortlisted, we hire them on a freelance position first.\u201dLonger hiring processes to save on training costsOffering interviewees a freelance position is like a mini probationary period for them. \u201cWe have come across candidates with terrible work attitudes but working with us on a freelance basis helps us assess their potential better without having to invest too much time on training,\u201d she explains.\u201cWe understand that this is a long process, and candidates who are in urgent need of getting a job might not be willing to go through with it. But we do make exceptions for those who surpass our expectations \u2013 in those cases, we hire them [to full-time positions] more quickly.\u201dMing agrees on taking his time in searching for the right candidate, as the tech start-up industry can be quite competitive and fast-paced. \u201cThe last thing you want is someone whose skills do not match up with the pace of the company,\u201d he said.\u201cTraining new employees takes time and sometimes money, so we would rather spend a bit more time on looking for the right candidate than taking a risk on someone\u2019s skills I am uncertain on.\u201dJobseekers find these processes tiringI relayed these thoughts to Devon, who faced similar long-drawn interviewing processes in the creative industry just a couple of years ago. \u201cI get where [hiring managers] are coming from, but it gets tiring very quickly,\u201d he said.Devon had gone for interviews at about five companies within the span of three months. \u201cThe \u2018getting-to-know-you\u2019 first rounds are quite standard, but the subsequent rounds can be frustrating when you\u2019re putting in hours for work and not getting paid,\u201d he said.They\u2019re also unsure of their rights as a prospective candidateHe shares that one company asked for two writing tests, one of which involved him personally going down to a restaurant to write a review on his own dime. \u201cI did ask the company if there was a media tasting I could attend instead, or be compensated for the meal, but was told this was \u2018standard procedure\u2019 for them,\u201d he shares.The position was then rescinded \u2013 \u201cthey said they were interested and would make an offer soon; I checked back in two weeks and was told they weren\u2019t in a position to hire\u201d \u2013 then Devon found his review on the company\u2019s website. Granted, some phrasings had been changed, but the gist of his review was there, sans his name.\u201cI dropped the person who interviewed me a message on the use of my work, and asked to be paid for it, but all I got was some spiel that legally speaking, they were allowed to use all content written for them in any way they deemed fit. I tried pursuing the matter more but had my number blocked instantly,\u201d he shared. Turning to the Ministry of Manpower for answersDevon did not try challenging what he was told, as he did not know if he was legally in any position to. His research on the Ministry of Manpower\u2019s (MOM) Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices\u2019 (TAFEP) employment guidelines proved to be of little help as well.TAFEP encourages employers to abide by five principles of fair employment practices:Recruit Based on Merit \u2013 where employees should be selected on their skills, experience or ability to perform the job, and to not take into account factors like age, race, gender, religion, marital status, and family responsibilities or disability;Respect Employees \u2013 where employees should be treated fairly and with respect, and employers should implement progressive human resource management systems;Provide Fair Opportunities \u2013 where employers should provide employees with fair opportunity to be considered for training and development based on their strengths to help them achieve their full potential;Reward Fairly \u2013 where employees should be rewarded based on their ability, performance, contribution, and experience; andComply with Labour Laws \u2013 where employers should abide by labour laws and adopt the abovementioned principles.However, there is no mention over what prospective employers can do with writing tests and other means they might have in screening candidates. TAFEP does ask for employers to \u201ccreate a proper record of the interview, assessment process and job offer made, and keep these documents for at least one year\u201d. What TAFEP could do with this information, however, is not mentioned on their website. Advice from a HR consultantTheHomeGround Asia did try contacting MOM and TAFEP for their views on the hiring processes of both u\/nayakashish and Devon, but they did not reply in time for publishing.In speaking with an independent HR consultant, however, TheHomeGround Asia learnt that going to a third party like TAFEP should be a last resort. Candidates should check with companies on any work they have to do as part of the interview process and the rights they hold on submissions. \u201cIf it is done on [the companies\u2019] premises, the company can claim copyright over the work,\u201d said the HR consultant.She also warned that before a report is made, there should be thorough checks to ensure that the company is not already working on a similar idea. \u201cIf it is indeed yours, then in a collegial world, [candidates should] discuss and get [the company\u2019s] agreement, then negotiate for acknowledgement or even a token fee for appreciation,\u201d she advised.Unfortunately, she does mention that whatever is submitted to a company for them can be used at their disposal.Transparency needed from employersFor u\/nayakashish and Devon, this does mean that they will not be able to pursue the matter further without strong evidence of using their work wholesale.\u201cIt is disappointing to hear that companies have a loophole around submitted work,\u201d said Devon. With little help available, Devon feels that companies could do more to be transparent in their hiring practices.\u201cI don\u2019t want to be putting in so much effort only to be told I\u2019m not suitable in the end,\u201d he says. He also wonders, \u201cmaybe this is why our generation is picky when it comes to looking for work.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Can A Company Ask Me to Do Work for Free as Part of the Hiring Process?","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/can-a-company-ask-me-to-do-work-for-free-as-part-of-the-hiring-process\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]