In this guide
Interviews and salary conversations
How to approach a take-home assignment
Clarify the brief, set a time limit, show your reasoning and present the result clearly. Also how to raise concerns if a task looks like unpaid work.
Clarify before you start
Questions to ask the employer
- How long are candidates expected to spend on this?
- What is the deadline, and is there flexibility around other commitments?
- What format should the result take?
- Will I present or discuss it afterwards?
- What will be assessed: the outcome, the approach or both?
Keep to the time
If the employer suggests a few hours, do not spend a weekend. Over-delivering can make the comparison with other candidates unfair and sets expectations about how you will work. Note where you stopped and what you would add with more time.
Illustrative example
A short note that accompanies a submission
- Time spent: about three hours, as suggested.
- Assumptions: the sales data covers all regions; refunds are already deducted.
- With more time I would: check the regional outlier against last year and test the forecast against a second method.
Presenting the work
- Lead with your main finding or recommendation, then the supporting work.
- Make it easy to follow: headings, a short summary, labelled files.
- Explain trade-offs you made, not just what you did.
- Check it runs, opens or reads correctly before you submit.
If there is a follow-up discussion, expect questions about your choices: why this approach, what you would change, what would happen at larger scale. Re-read your work the day before.
When a task looks like unpaid work
Most take-home tasks are reasonable. A task that asks for a full marketing plan for a live product, or substantial work on the employer's real systems, can cross the line. You can ask politely how the work will be used, whether a smaller or hypothetical version would do, or whether the task is paid.
Thank you for sending the task. Before I start, could you confirm roughly how long you expect it to take, and whether the work will be used beyond assessing candidates? I'm happy to complete a scoped version that shows my approach if that would help.
Common questions
Can I use AI tools in a take-home task?
Ask the employer. Some allow it if you say how you used it; others want to see unaided work. Being open is safer than guessing.
Put it into practice
Prepare with interview practiceDrafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.