Had an interview last week which I thought went reasonably well. They told me at the interview that getting the job would mean attending a trial day to assess suitability. Didn’t really take much notice or ask any questions about that as I was just concentrating on getting through the interview. Anyhow, they’ve contacted me today and have said that they want me to come in next week for a trial day.

Anyone use this method for assessing candidates ? Does it mean that I’m still in competition with someone and the best person to complete a trial day gets the job ? Or does it mean that the job’s mine so long as I don’t mess up the trial day ? Have said that I’ll attend but should I have directed these questions to them ? Should it even matter ?

Help to de-confuddle my confused chimp brain.

What job? This sounds like those crappy marketing companies that have people going door to door trying to sell crap to people.

I’d imagine it’s just to let you prove you can do the job ‘in the real world’ and then they’ll make an offer.

Do ask them about access to stw, though, so you can give us regular progress reports on the day.

Depends what line of work it is I suppose.
I had to do some trial work as part of the interview for my job as a cabinetmaker. I had to make a hand-dovetailed drawer….

I expect its probably something which is becoming more common these days as often, qualifications do not necessarily indicate common sense or ability.

I had one of these forever ago. Turned out to be a convenient way of them getting a free day’s labour out of me.

Does “trial day” == day of unpaid work ?

Don’t bother thinking about whether you’re still in competition with someone else. It will only cause you extra stress and is entirely outside of your control. Just turn up on the day and give it your best shot, everything else will take care of itself.

5X1 trail days will cover the first week.
Multiply by 52 and you’ve saved one year’s salary.
Ker-ching!

Get talking to the union to stop this practice of slave labour, NOW!

And good luck.

no it’s not sales, no it’s not a ruse to get a free days employment from me.

it’s a highly reputable company that sells and sources natural history books online. they’re a big player in their market, if you buy a natural history book from the bbc or the nt, it most likely will have come through them.

Do you have a website of your work kayak23?

We did this once in a previous company I worked for. It was for a candidate (German woman) who was shit-hot during the interviews but none of us could see her fitting in. So she came in for 1/2 day and it turned out she wasn’t our cup of tea.

If it was role-reversal and I really wanted the job, then I’d probably go for it, but only after qualifying objectives for both parties. No way would I just turn up regardless.

shit-hot during the interviews but none of us could see her fitting in. So she came in for 1/2 day and it turned out she wasn’t our cup of tea.

Yep, a good way for both parties to assess the “fit” in a far better situation than an interview.

whne I was at uni, I went for a ‘trial’ shift in a night club. no mention of getting paid so I assumed I would be and so did ACAS wqhen I told them.

I recieved a cheque in the post for 6 hrs work 2 days after my complaint

Tea ladies day off?

I would go, and hand them an invoice for my time at the end of the day.

‘trials’ you say……..?

😉

MSP – Member
I would go, and hand them an invoice for my time at the end of the day.

Hmm. Not sure about that. I might suggest asking about payment before the trial day, but not just dropping an invoice on their desk!

Also, well worth bearing in mind the investiment in time/effort that the employer will need to make during the trial day, given that they won’t be having an employee that’s fully up to speed, but someone needing a lot more time.

I would go in.

It is a good practise at the end of an interview to quiz them a lot about the job to get to understand their environment, their problems, where you’d fit in, and to discuss what you would be able to add to the job.

[You can also look at it as you interviewing them to see if you want to work there]

Adding that to the end of an interview (provided it went well) helps persuade them that you are a better candidate than someone else who may be better qualified but doesn’t show the same proactive interest.

Look at this as an opportunity to do an extended version of this. If it fails you might gain some useful experience of their working practises, etc, ready for your next interview.

I’d look at it as good news personally, and think about the dozens that didn’t get that far, unless of course you are coming from another job already in which case you tell them to stuff it.

Every job my daughters obtained came from temp work, where they got hired, it’s an easier way for employers to really assess the dross that comes from education these days..

At least it’s a job and they’re not offering an ‘internship’, the latest euphemism for slavery

It has to be considered that possibly the role has much more than can be detailed in an interview.

I used to short-list through interview, and then do a first days training with those that were successful. This then gave both parties (the applicant and the company) the opportunity to get a better understanding of each other.From these I would say about 25% didn’t go further, but this was their choice as much as ours.

Certainly wasn’t a “free days work out of them” as these candidates had training officers, management time, lunch/tea etc provided, and didn’t do anything towards generating an income.

It does however really help weed out the “chaff” as it shows a certain level of commitment from the potential employee.

Not sure that they would be expecting a fully productive day – more like have you the basic competence to do the job and do you fit in with the team/environment.

If they did expect a fully productive day I would say to give them a miss.

It would be extremely crass to ask about payment, if I was the employer you would be straight on my No List for having a butt one couldn’t drag a needle out of with a tractor.

Now, getting “interns” in for 3 months and paying them only with experience and a good reference, THAT is slave labor…

5AM + 1

Yep, a good way for both parties to assess the “fit” German woman trailmonkey in a far better situation than an interview

Just don’t let them make you do a swimwear parade – that’s so 70’s

I went for a trial day so to speak at a company in Sheffield where I was to be the Procurement manager, (after three interviews)
however when one of the board realised I was only 25 he wouldnt accept having me as I was too young, – it ended up in an argument in the board room, with me telling them to **** off for wasting my time.
So Its a good chance for you to decide if you want to work there.

I think this can only be a positive situation, you might even find that the job isn’t for you.

I wish my employer could operate a system like this.

Good luck mate

#EDIT – typed a load of crap first time

Trialmonkey……

…. working for peanuts 😉

What job? This sounds like those crappy marketing companies that have people going door to door trying to sell crap to people.

Hmmm, my wife was invited to do a trial day for a company like this, they had it all dressed up as a decent job. I smelt a rat so got her to call to find out what she was going to do advising her to not go if sounded as I suspected. Similar thing happened to a friend who chucked in a decentish retail job for one thinking it was a chance to get into sales management. Bad companies.

they’re just trying to see if your face fits. as your face would best fit a picasso i think you’re screwed…
😀

With this job, it seems there’s no chance you’re going to do a day’s work with productivity comparable to existing employees, so there’s no need to worry about it being free labour. It’ll just be assessment of your proactivity and how well you fit in.
If however it turns out you’re doing work that requires no training / none of your experience (eg cold calling, tea making, the usual), tell them to stuff it and go the invoice route. Nothing to stop you walking off ten minutes in!

having a butt one couldn’t drag a needle out of with a tractor

My life is richer for having encountered that expression. Thank you.

i think i’m more worried that it’s still part of the competitive interview process and that i may well turn up, do a really competent days work and still not get the job because there’s someone more competenterer than me

yunki, that’s me 😆 any visitation from the shiny van yet ?

Don’t forget to take your bike with you, it’ll be much quicker for taking them big books down the post office ;o)

Don’t use the word competenterer if your working with a load of book fans!

I don’t really. Not done too much for myself since leaving Uni but worked for other makers. Currently teaching cabinetmaking at a College.

‘Trial Day’ sounds very suspicious and I’d be pretty sceptical.

I’d also be a bit disappointed if this was only mentioned to me for the first time in interview and not beforehand in the letter etc.

Having said that I would go and give it my best shot anyway as it’s only a day when all’s said and done.

Have just remembered that 4 years ago I approached a local company and offered to do some freelance work for them. They had a good rep and were a competitor of a previous employer. Had a good (but informal) interview and was invited to spend a day in the office to check things out.

Turned up on the day only to find they hadn’t got round to prepping anything for my arrival, so there was literally nothing I could do. So I spoke to a few people and tried to get the gist of things while their MD acted like a cock. Finally went out on a job with one of the sales guys but that was tosh and not at all thought through. Returned to the office, went up to the MD, shook his hand and said “Thanks, but no thanks” and left. He started apologising again but I’d had enough. So beware, even after qualifying and setting expectations, it can fall flat particularly if people don’t ‘set you up’ with stuff to ‘do’.

We do something similar (and have two people coming in next week for their ‘trials’) – the role in question is for a junior support developer (Oracle / PLSQL and various web techs).

We interview first and then ask the candidates to come in for a 1/2 day – it’s as much a chance for them to see what the job involves as it is for us to assess their suitability. We’re hiring into a small team and a good ‘fit’ is essential; it’s hard sometimes to get a handle on someone in an hour or so of interviewing. We also get them in on the morning shift so they get to see what it’d be like – people are often blasé about starting work at 6:30am in interview, the reality is often different. No point us hiring someone who hates getting up early or can’t function before 9am.

There’s no question of it being a way of getting any sort of labour out of the candidates; it’s an investment on the part of the company rather than vice-versa; team productivity will drop for the day anyway as people will be spending time with the candidates rather than concentrating on the day job.

We don’t do it ‘competively’

I’m currently on a months trial (paid). The offer was only made to me. Remember, it cuts both ways as I’m currently finding out. How’s it going? I’ll let you decide while I continue to browse STW.