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Politely refuse a lengthy test

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    #21
    Originally posted by greypanda View Post
    Now this test is extremely long it's actually a project. It would take me at least 3 days to complete. I can't be bothered as my brain is already dehydrated as I am working MON-FRI. How should I politely refuse it?
    "I estimate that developing this would take approximately three days. I'm happy to complete the work, and I'll knock the last three days off the end of the contract, subject to completing the six months that we've been discussing. So, I'll invoice now for those days, at the rate that we've been talking about, and then they can have a rebate in six months time"
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      #22
      Originally posted by Dark Black View Post
      Well done for sticking to your guns on this.

      There's a client local to me that always asks for a mini-project as a test before they'll even consider an interview. I've always refused, it's probably 4-5 days work including testing.

      I told the agency it was incredibly insulting to ask for that sort test given the amount of experience I've got and was the sort of think I might expect for a permie role (although even then I still wouldn't do it).

      To be fair to them they apologised and said other candidates had the same opinion but apparently the end client's HR department () does this for permies and contractors alike.
      Says a lot.
      I've managed projects with HR departments in the past (a couple of ERP implementations, shared service set-ups) and I can tell you unequivocally that people who work in HR are invariably second rate.
      The brightest and the best, on leaving the top universities and business schools, do not think "I'll go and work in HR".

      HR though has great career prospects. There are lots of 1:1 relationships: HR director -> Senior HR manager -> HR manager -> HR support: so promotion is easy, especially as it's still a female-dominated profession and hence lots of maternity opportunities present themselves. And they don't have to do a lot - just talk some BS about 'talent management strategies' 'competence frameworks' 'reward and recognition strategies' (always popular with other Board members) and you're there.

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        #23
        HR is another pseudo science, like "womens studies" and other such nonsense, full of lots of fake nonsense backed up by papers that nobody but the same closed group read.

        There are some interesting talks by clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson on youtube, who has done some proper scientific analysis of what makes the best hires, and he clearly lays out that most of the hiring techniques in use in the UK IT industry have no statistical basis in predicting which hires will perform best in the role. Most of HR is similar.

        Its about time the whole nonsense of HR was laid bare.

        Certainly when I have been the hiring manager the corresponding HR depts both large and small have been counter productive influences, and mostly routinely worked around by those actually delivering success for the organisation.

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          #24
          Originally posted by greenlake View Post
          Make sure you can be lip-read from a distance too....

          This made me piss. Prince Phillip's political incorrectness is always a highlight

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            #25
            Originally posted by greypanda View Post
            An agency has sent me a lengthy test to complete before their client can consider me for a telephone interview. Now this test is extremely long it's actually a project. It would take me at least 3 days to complete. I can't be bothered as my brain is already dehydrated as I am working MON-FRI. How should I politely refuse it? I am experiencing such a long-winded test for the first time in my 6 years contracting career.
            I got given a test for a perm job about 10 years ago. It was to write a program which takes in a number of chess pieces and then outputs all of the board permuations possible where they cannot capture each other. I was not allowed to use any language on my cv.

            I phoned the agent and told him I would not be proceeding with the application. He didn't even argue.
            "He's actually ripped" - Jared Padalecki

            https://youtu.be/l-PUnsCL590?list=PL...dNeCyi9a&t=615

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              #26
              Originally posted by CoolCat View Post
              Its about time the whole nonsense of HR was laid bare.
              Tah! Next you'll be telling me that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes!

              Comment


                #27
                Originally posted by CoolCat View Post
                HR is another pseudo science, like "womens studies" and other such nonsense, full of lots of fake nonsense backed up by papers that nobody but the same closed group read.

                There are some interesting talks by clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson on youtube, who has done some proper scientific analysis of what makes the best hires, and he clearly lays out that most of the hiring techniques in use in the UK IT industry have no statistical basis in predicting which hires will perform best in the role. Most of HR is similar.

                Its about time the whole nonsense of HR was laid bare.

                Certainly when I have been the hiring manager the corresponding HR depts both large and small have been counter productive influences, and mostly routinely worked around by those actually delivering success for the organisation.
                Are you Phil Neville in disguise?

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