If you are like me, once upon time ago, your portfolio wasn’t developed enough (if you had one at all), you hadn’t accumulated any recommendation letters from people with fancy job titles who could vouch for you and your work, and ultimately, you were told that you don’t have enough work experience to write for this B2B, B2C, SAAS, or any other acronym company. Years later, and with multiple projects, experience, and positive reviews under your belt, you are now being asked by a potential employer to take a writing assessment to “see what kind of writer you are.” Here are 4 reasons why employers should stop making this specific request to writers.
1. Writers Are Already Overworked and Underpaid
The WGA writers strike in 2023 demanded the attention of the entire nation. Informing us on what professional and aspiring writers already knew: writers are not paid enough for the work they create. The deal that was reached between the writers and the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) gave us more insight on what exactly the writers were fighting for, and their woes were similar to that of copywriters, content writers, and creative freelance writers.
Like the WGA writers, those of us who don’t write for the screen are also competing with artificial intelligence softwares that are being introduced in the workplace and could potentially threaten our job security. Though any article you read will tell you that AI cannot compete with the raw creativity and emotion that human writers can provide (and I agree), it’s still not a comforting statement in a capitalist country that we often witness valuing profit over people.
It’s also fair to mention that contracted writers do not receive benefits from the companies they write for, seasoned, full time writers are asked to train junior or entry level writers without extra pay, and the budgets set for the design and dev departments are often larger than the budget for marketing. All of this has to do with undervaluation of business and marketing writing. By asking a writer that you may only possibly hire to write anything for you without compensation, you are continuing this petty tradition of trivializing the work of professional writers.
2. If College Degrees Are “Out” Portfolios Should be “In”
A pitch acceptance will definitely get a writer going and may even make them forget about every rejection letter in their inbox at the moment, but if you really want to make a writer’s day, ask them about their portfolio. Writer’s may spend years developing their portfolio and it’s so much more than adding a new publishing to their portfolio sites. It’s about choosing the pieces that stand out, finding the right website to host and paying for it, sharing reviews from past employers, and having the audacity to even have the gall to share your work.
A growing number of businesses say they plan to eliminate having a college degree as a requirement for employment. Parisa Fatehi-weeks, the Senior Director of Global ESG Programs & Partnerships at the job hiring platform Indeed.com, was quoted saying that part of the reason for this is “employers realizing they may be able to do a better job finding the right talent by looking for the skills or competencies someone needs to do the job and not letting a degree get in the way of that.” A writing assessment isn’t going to show you what kind of writer you’re potentially hiring and the skills they have better than that writer’s portfolio.
3. It Prolongates The Already Lengthy Hiring Process
Looking for a job has become a job within itself. It’s understandable the companies want to ensure they find the right fit for the position, but grace should also be extended to your interviewees. Realistically, you’re probably not the only company they’re interviewing with. After rounds of interviews from multiple potential employers, being asked to take a writing assessment can make the job hunting process seem never ending. Furthermore, try to remember that people are not robots, and they have real lives. Some of your interviewees may have been in the job hunting process for months by the time you scheduled their interview. A writing assessment from a burnout writer may not produce the results you or the writer are looking for.
4. We Are Not Employed By You
Potential employees do not gain access to company calendars, Slack channels, or various passwords for the array of CRM softwares used at companies during the interviewing process. So it’s simply not fair that potential employers are able to assign work to people who do not work for them on a W2 or contract basis, before an offer of employment is extended.
The job post went up for a reason. A company believes that they would benefit from having a professional writer on your team. If this is truly the case, putting your potential employee through rounds of interviews and then asking for free labor during the interviewing process, gives off the impression that your interviewee needs this position more than you need them. That’s not a great first impression on your company’s behalf and can be telling on how much you truly value your current employees and the skills they bring to your business. If an impressive resume that details years of experience, rounds of interviews, and an impressive portfolio isn’t enough for a writer to demonstrate what they can do, maybe companies should realistically re-evaluate what they’re looking for in a potential candidate, and make sure the benefits that they’re offering are worth the writer’s time.