Unreasonable pre-interview task?

LearntMyLesson

Hmm, in the same line of work as you. Have had a few interviews whereby I've been asked to provide a project plan but not a full media plan as I would write it. If you want the job best give them the benefit of the doubt and work smart.

I would honestly do a brief piece on how I'd go about the media plan, link it to their business plan etc, timescales, etc

Then I would focus on one area and relate in detail how it is part of the media strategy whether it be research, branding, audiences, relationships, crisis management, evaluation etc. I would like that in an interviewee - shows a grip of the organisation overall and specialist skills.

I got the job which asked for a media plan and when I started I was given the ideas and plans the other candiates had provided. The plans with considered focus really stood out.

Good luck!

eamon

I agree with many of the other posters. I would also suggest that many employers have little grasp of the employment market and the candidates that are out there. From what I understand many NGO and similar tend to operate like a continous circle with people (those with ambition) gradually moving between the various organisations gaining promotions as they go. Its why they all sound and look the same.
Unfortunately its the nature of the game. Its also why many of the jobs go unfilled and breeds the suspicion that there is no point in applying unless you already work there. You may find that you have little alternative but to go ahead with the little game. Three pages of A4 is not very much. 1/2 dozen headers and 30 bullet points is not huge. You have the literature and internet access and essentially what they are after is a glimpse of how you think in comparison to other candidates.

yours

Eamon

cazziebo

I once sat in an interview panel where the panel chair told the candidate that if they were selected they would be asked to present a business plan. She answered "I'm happy to provide an outline plan. If you want any more then I'll be putting considerable time and energy into it and would therefore expect to be charging you for it."

She got the job and the idea of producing any kind of plan was abandoned.

Incisor

Cheeky_Wee_Lassie wrote: »

... the usual pre-interview task is something like writing a press release. No problem.
However, I've been invited to an interview for an NGO, and they want me to write an entire one-year media strategy as the pre-interview exercise.
This is a huge piece of work that should normally take weeks, and involve several members of staff.
They've sent me three briefing documents, plus asked me to do additional research using publications on their website, and from outside sources. They want my submission to be on three pages of A4.
....
I'm tempted to tell them to shove off as I feel angry every time I look at the task ahead. I still have to do the 'write a press release' exercise when I go for the interview, so this feels like taking the p***.
Any thoughts?

Yes, it took 2 times of reading to spot it, but it has got to be on 3 pages of A4. If that is indicative of the expectation for several man-weeks of work, it looks quite a cushy number. My feeling is that you have not actually taken on board what what they are actually after. It's something to kick around a discussion with a panel and to show whether you can come up with a coherent plan.

Limit yourself to about 4 hours for the task and use the last page to detail the assumptions you have made and to evaluate the work - how it different assumptions would influence it. The other 2 pages are not about being right or wrong with a strategy, they are about showing that you grasp some of the strategic requirements of the task and that you are capable of more than just writing press releases.

Conor_3

Cheeky_Wee_Lassie wrote: »

I don't know much about this organisation so it's all new to me, and it will take ages to digest it all. It is a huge imposition on my time. To add to that, I also just feel it's really unfair, as if they join together all the submissions from all the candidates they have a ready-made media strategy to work with, without needing to do all the hard graft themselves.
I'm tempted to tell them to shove off as I feel angry every time I look at the task ahead. I still have to do the 'write a press release' exercise when I go for the interview, so this feels like taking the p***.
Any thoughts?

Yeah...make sure you copyright your submission. That way, if your suspicions are confirmed you can sue em for breach of copyright.

brightonman123

sounds like they are getting work done for free- send a note back with a note of fees payable for your work, and request payment or acceptance of a bill!

Cheeky_Wee_Lassie

Thanks for all the advice on this.
As it turns out, I have another interview for the same day, only that one is in Edinburgh and for a job that I am more interested in so I will be at the opposite end of the country when this interview comes around.

So, I withdrew my application from the London one. The pre-interview task would need completing by the end of this week, and I've got other things to do that are more of a priority.

Thanks for all the comments and advice.

marcus45

Tell them to get lost ...