A take-home exercise can help a candidate show how they work. It can also become an unclear project that consumes an evening. Before sending one, decide what single piece of evidence the hiring team actually needs.
Start with a skill needed on day one
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management describes work samples as tasks that closely resemble the job. It also cautions that they fit competencies a candidate should already possess; they may be inappropriate for tasks the employer plans to teach after hiring. That distinction matters when a remote team is tempted to test every tool in its stack.
For a support role, you might need to see whether an applicant can identify a customer’s question and write a clear next step. You probably do not need a complete help-center strategy to observe that skill. Choose an exercise whose size matches the question.
Make the boundary visible
Here is an original planning example: provide three fictional support messages and ask for one reply plus a short explanation of what would be escalated. Give everyone the same background information. State an expected time budget, what to submit, the deadline and timezone, and how to ask for an accommodation or clarification.
Use fictional or safely prepared material. An applicant should not need access to real customer information, an internal account, or production systems to demonstrate a basic skill. Explain whether outside tools, including AI assistance, are allowed and how their use should be disclosed.
Write the scoring notes before you see the work
A simple review sheet might ask whether the reply answers the actual question, avoids an unsupported promise, and identifies missing information. Describe what a strong answer looks like before submissions arrive. Ask reviewers to point to evidence in the response rather than judging who sounds most like the current team.
Be clear about compensation and how the exercise will be used before someone accepts it. This checklist is a design suggestion, not a statement about applicable employment law. Get the appropriate advice for your location and hiring process.
Finish the process as clearly as you started
Tell candidates when they can expect the next update, and follow through even if the role changes. A small, well-explained exercise gives both sides something concrete to discuss. A vague assignment mostly reveals how much ambiguity someone is willing to tolerate.
Sources and further reading
OPM: Work Samples and Simulations
Sources checked November 2, 2026. Practical examples and checklists are original StayHomeHire editorial suggestions.