Job candidates withdraw from final interview after hiring manager sends them an assignment that requires hours of unpaid work: ‘I find [it] very unprofessional’

How much unpaid work do you think you provided for all the companies you interviewed for?

The last time I was looking for a job, the assignment a company I was interviewing for gave me was to come up with ideas for their social media accounts. I came up with really funny ideas, if I do say so myself, so I was not surprised when they told me we were moving forward with the hiring process.

I was surprised when I looked at their social media account before the final interview and saw they used my idea and made it into a post. At first, I thought it was a good sign, an indication that I would get the job, but when they eventually told me they were going with another candidate, I was actually quite annoyed. Not only did they use my ideas, but they didn't even hire me. They took what they needed from me and tossed me aside, and I wish I had confronted them about it.

Similarly to what the job candidate in the story below did.

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