A recruiter ignited controversy after rejecting a candidate who refused to complete a 90-minute skill assessment test.

The employer, who goes by M. Stanfield on X (formerly known as Twitter), expressed his frustration when a Gen Z job seeker refused to complete a task for an investment analyst position.

The post read: 

“Me: [I] really enjoyed the call. Please see attached financial modeling test.

“Gen Z applicant: this looks like a lot of work. Without knowing where I stand in the process, I’m not comfortable spending 90 minutes in Excel.

“Me:…well…I can tell you where you stand now.”

A job recruiter’s reason for rejecting a candidate was met with criticism online

Image credits: Pexels/Nicola Barts

In follow-up posts, M. Stanfield shared that the skill assessment test was “one of the first things discussed in the interview.”

He also wrote that “if an analyst can’t hammer that out in 90 minutes, they’re not the right person.”

Furthermore, the recruiter admitted that if the job applicant had asked to be compensated for the task, he would’ve “gladly paid and probably hired” the Gen Zer.

M. Stanfield’s posts were met with criticism on social media, with many users pointing out that an hour and a half is a lot of time to work for free.

“To be fair, a lot of places are just using applicants for free labor. The job doesn’t exist. The ‘test’ is the only work they need done,” someone suggested.

“Applicant is right. Unless you offered to compensate for that 90 minutes. He has no idea how many applicants remain in the process. He probably has interviews with other businesses. Effort vs. reward definitely not there for this. Good for him,” another person penned.

The recruiter complained about the job seeker refusing to complete a 90-minute skill assessment test to advance in the hiring process

Image credits: Pexels/Fauxels

Another X user chimed in, “Why would someone accept spending 90 mins of their time jumping through hoops when they might not even get the job?”

Then, a separate individual shared his experience devoting time to a skill assessment test, only to be ignored and not get any feedback from the company later. “I don’t mind doing work for free to show what I can do. But last time I did this, the company ghosted me after I spent a weekend on a take-home,” he wrote.

“Without knowing where I stand in the process, I’m not comfortable spending 90 minutes in Excel,” the applicant stated

Image credits: Unsplash/Campaign Creators

Another employer also weighed in on the situation, saying that skill assessment tests are a better indicator of whether an applicant is fit for a role compared to a résumé or a job interview. 

“I’ve watched people that present themselves so well fall flat when asked to do real work. Also, I’ve seen people who were on the fence about just kill it. When you hire these people, you want to invest in them and have them there for years,” they wrote.

To which someone responded, “Totally makes sense but the caveat is I think you need to be a final stage candidate. Not as a first-round filter for 100 people.”

Generation Z, sometimes known as “Zoomers,” is a cohort that spans from 1997 to 2012. Unlike millennials, Gen Zers are referred to as the first fully “digitally native” generation, given that they grew up with social media.

According to a 2023 survey carried out by Indeed and The Center for Generational Kinetics, more than half of respondents aged 16-24 stated that they’ve been “ghosted” by hiring managers. 

Me: really enjoyed the call. Please see attached financial modeling test

Gen Z applicant: this looks like a lot of work. Without knowing where I stand in the process, I’m not comfortable spending 90 minutes in Excel

Me:…well…I can tell you where you stand now

— m. stanfield (@mu2myoc) April 23, 2024

Additionally, 4 in 10  Gen Zers said the most frustrating aspect of looking for a job was not receiving feedback from employers when they don’t get hired. 

When it comes to drawn-out hiring processes, the response was clear: half said they wouldn’t apply for a job that required three separate interviews. 

Meanwhile, a 2022 survey from the Society for Human Resource Management found that 79% of HR professionals believe that scores on skills assessments are just as (or more important) than traditional criteria in hiring decisions.

New research indicates a growing inclination toward skills-based hiring, marking a departure from conventional résumés. Over 70% of survey respondents—employees and employers from different continents— stated that skills-based hiring is more effective than relying on résumés, according to a report published by Test Gorilla.

“I wouldn’t do a 90-minute task for free,” a social media user wrote

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