Homework for an interview

[Twilkes]

Hi folks,

I've done tasks and exercises as part of recruitment days before, but this time I've been given some homework for a reporting role (perm). In a way that's good, as it means I can take my time and solve any problems using the web etc, but it's the size of it that concerns me.

Based on six months of data (six separate spreadsheets for each of two markets) they want:

For Market 1:

* a summary management report in a format that can be duplicated monthly; has suggested KPIs that I think are appropriate; issues/actions for the sales team to take based on the sales data; any other things I think such a report should contain

For Market 2:

* a summary spreadsheet for the 6 month period, including overall performance by client; overall performance by each client's end users; issues/actions for the sales team to take based on the sales data

* a report that can be sent to a sales rep for one of the clients, highlighting issues that need to be followed up

* a summary senior management report in a format that can be duplicated monthly, covering the above and highlighting issues/actions

And for dessert, based on a product slidedeck:

* five key points to present to a new client to persuade them to sign up

The spreadsheets for Market 2 are full of subtotals and merged cells so it will probably take at least an hour to tidy them up so I can run queries and get charts out of them, and I could easily spend a full working day doing the rest to a standard good enough to present to a prospective employer (unless I'm being a chuffwit and it's really easy, but I don't think so)

How to respond? I've never really seen anything like this, and I'm not sure they fully understand how much effort is involved to do what they are asking, which is ringing alarm bells for what it would be like to work there.

[Scrag Meister]

Sounds like they are trying to get a project completed without paying anyone for the work.

and for that reason I would be out.

[kingcook]

I had homework for pre-interview, once. It would have taken me all day (maybe 2) to do.

About 15 minutes into it, I thought, "what the fook am I doing?!", stopped, and sent them what i'd done so far.

I didn't get an interview

[cojak]

If you decide to do it make sure that you DON'T leave the spreadsheets with them.

If they ask tell them that they'll have them if you get the job.

[Wanderer]

If you decide to do it make sure that you DON'T leave the spreadsheets with them.
If they ask tell them that they'll have them if you get the job.

^^^ this!

[Kanye]

Unless you are desperate, turn it down on principle and explain why.

[jmo21]

If you decide to do it make sure that you DON'T leave the spreadsheets with them.

If they ask tell them that they'll have them if you get the job.

What are the odds the OP has to email them in before the interview?

[MyUserName]

Between my phone interview and face to face one I was asked to write a program which could determine the amount of ways a set of chess pieces could be placed on a board. The board size and number of each of the pieces would be inputted by the user.

The twist was I was not allowed to use any language on my cv. I only had a stone aged laptop at home (actively tried to avoid computers when I was not working) and by the time I had downloaded Eclipse etc it was almost falling over.

In the end I simply informed them I had no interest in proceding with the application as it was too time consuming and offered no more money than other applications which did not require any of this.

The agent did not even bother arguing and did not sound suprised in the slightest.

[jmo21]

Between my phone interview and face to face one I was asked to write a program which could determine the amount of ways a set of chess pieces could be placed on a board. The board size and number of each of the pieces would be inputted by the user.

The twist was I was not allowed to use any language on my cv. I only had a stone aged laptop at home (actively tried to avoid computers when I was not working) and by the time I had downloaded Eclipse etc it was almost falling over.

In the end I simply informed them I had no interest in proceding with the application as it was too time consuming and offered no more money than other applications which did not require any of this.

The agent did not even bother arguing and did not sound suprised in the slightest.

I couldn't even be bothered doing that with my usual languages, and a perfectly fine laptop that had my usual tools on it.

Nowhere is that good that is worth jumping through that many hoops and I say that having worked at one of the so-called best software companies to work for.

[cojak]

What are the odds the OP has to email them in before the interview?

Then I'd send a values only spreadsheet.