This Gen Z Worker Refused To Do A 90-Minute Task Because It 'Seemed Like A Lot Of Work,' And People Have Thoughts About It

Me: really enjoyed the call. Please see attached financial modeling test

Gen Z applicant: this looks like a lot of work. Without knowing where I stand in the process, I’m not comfortable spending 90 minutes in Excel

Me:…well…I can tell you where you stand now

— m. stanfield (@mu2myoc) April 23, 2024 ">In a viral X (formerly Twitter) post shared last month, @mu2myoc claimed a Gen Z applicant refused to do a 90-minute Excel task in the interview stage because it "looks like a lot of work." The applicant reasoned that "without knowing where I stand in the process, I’m not comfortable spending 90 minutes in Excel," the poster said.

NBC

The post, which has been viewed almost eight million times as of the time of writing, ended with the interviewer saying "well... I can tell you where you stand now," implying the poster was unimpressed by the move and would not give him a job on the basis of it. But not everyone agreed that the applicant was wrong.

To be fair, a lot of places are just using applicants for free labor. The job doesn't exist. The "test" is the only work they need done.

— Travis Parker (@c137tparker) April 23, 2024 ">Many people stood with the worker, including one user who wrote, "To be fair, a lot of places are just using applicants for free labour. The job doesn't exist. The 'test' is the only work they need done."

I don’t mind doing work for free to show what I can do. But last time I did this, the company ghosted me after I spent a weekend on a take home. So I don’t mind this stance. If you don’t like me protecting my time now, you’re not going to like me working for you anyways.

— Nathan Drake (@nathandrake) April 23, 2024 ">Another X user wrote that they'd been "ghosted" by employers after finishing lengthy tasks for them, adding, "If you don’t like me protecting my time now, you’re not going to like me working for you anyways."

Because he values his time?

The kid isn't wrong just because we accepted this type of behavior from the Boomer employers our whole lives.

— Matt Eshelman (@TheMattEsh) April 23, 2024 ">The original poster made a point of mentioning that the applicant was Gen Z, and another X user commented on generational changes regarding how we approach work. They praised the applicant, saying "The kid isn't wrong just because we accepted this type of behavior from the Boomer employers our whole lives."

Applicant is right. Unless you offered to compensate for that 90 minutes. He has no idea how many applicants remain in the process. He probably has interviews with other businesses. Effort vs reward definitely not there for this. Good for him.

— Adam (@Adam_Is_Pneuma) April 23, 2024 ">Yet another poster said that it wasn't the request that was so much the issue as it was that the applicant wasn't getting paid. "Effort vs reward [is] definitely not there for this. Good for him," they wrote.

A response I would have actually enjoyed would have been. “I’m good at this and do t work for free. Give me $1,000 and I’ll break this deal down in amazing detail”

Would have gladly paid and probably hired

— m. stanfield (@mu2myoc) April 23, 2024 ">The interviewer clarified that they would have actually been fine with paying the applicant if they'd asked, and that the move may have even helped his application. "A response I would have actually enjoyed would have been, 'I’m good at this and [don't] work for free. Give me $1,000 and I’ll break this deal down in amazing detail' would have gladly paid and probably hired," they wrote.

But this is pretty much the subtext of his email, no? No one is obtuse enough to suggest to their future employer to pay them $1000 for completing an interview assessment; him declining shows he understands his value and has options

— zachy (@_theta_gang) April 24, 2024 ">But people pointed out that the applicant shouldn't have had to make that explicit in the first place. "No one is obtuse enough to suggest to their future employer to pay them $1000 for completing an interview assessment; him declining shows he understands his value," an X user commented.

I once had a place give me a four hour data analysis and modelling test packet. Told me they loved the work, and then the next day laid off 30% of staff. I get why people can be suspicious. 90 mins (if true) seems reasonable

— Conservative Credit Underwriting Culture (@CECL_Allowance) April 23, 2024 ">Still, some people were on the side of the company. Though one user said that they "get why people can be suspicious," having spent four hours on an interview task before to no avail, they thought that a 90-minute task was "reasonable."

Having made applicants do intense case studies when I was at a boutique I bank, I’ll tell you they’re 100% worth it. I don’t care if it’s a lot of your time. It’s unreal how hard it is to find good people. I’ve watched people that present themselves so well fall flat when asked…

— Open Source (@EgweneAlVer) April 23, 2024 ">Another interviewer argued that they'd "watched people that present themselves so well [in the interview] fall flat when asked to do real work and [tasks are] a great weeding mechanism." They added, "You want to trust their work. The extra couple of hours upfront is worth it to see what they can do and be sure they’re a fit so you’re all happy, and I’m sorry if anyone doesn’t like it."

Couldn’t have given you a better signal.

We require applicants to do a 1 hour graphic design test.

If people raise concerns about doing an unpaid test, it is the best feeling the world because I know we dodged a bullet.

— SMM Guy (@SMMAgencyGuy) April 23, 2024 ">And yet another recruiter wrote they couldn't agree more, saying "If people raise concerns about doing an unpaid test, it is the best feeling [in] the world because I know we dodged a bullet."

Westend61 / Getty Images/Westend61

The debate went so viral that an article about it ended up in Reddit's r/AntiWork, with the post gaining over 10,000 upvotes. The top comment, from u/GhostShark, referenced a company's alleged tactic "where they would have applicants give them ideas, not hire the applicants but still use their concepts." They called it a "Great reminder not to work for free."

AMC

"Many companies post fake jobs just to farm resumes and sell their data," Redditor u/jaspsev agreed, while site user u/whiskeylips88 wrote, "My father had this happen in the '80s. He got out of school during a bad job market. He had a design degree and a portfolio. Instead of looking at your work, they’d ask you to draw up a design before the interview. Dad never got hired but saw his design in stores for the company he interviewed for. He got extremely discouraged, then mom got pregnant with me, so he took a blue-collar job he worked for the rest of his life until retirement. Luckily it was a union job."

@reamichellew via TikTok

The discussion even found a place on TikTok, where creators like Rea Michelle shared their thoughts on the post. In a video shared on the 15th of May, the creator said, "I stand with the applicant... 90 minutes for free work for what? No!"

"Basically, they just want some free work out of people," they added. "Companies are known to do this, where they get 'potential employees' to do 90 minutes of free work, right? Like that's absolutely atrocious." The TikToker finished their video saying, "the Gen Zer is in the right! The Zoomer was in the right!"

@reamichellew via TikTok

The TikToker's comments section was filled with *opinions*, like one app user who said, "[it takes]10-15 [minutes] to show competency in something important is one thing. An hour and a half? Absolutely not."

@reamichellew via TikTok

Another person wrote, "Younger generations are OVER the 'unpaid internships' and free work!"

Gen Z would benefit from being in more fistfights at a young age. A few bumps and bruises does a lot of good

— m. stanfield (@mu2myoc) April 23, 2024 ">Before we wrap up, one last thing — the poster behind all this chaos, @mu2myoc, also bizarrely suggested in the original X that "Gen Z would benefit from being in more fistfights at a young age. A few bumps and bruises [do] a lot of good." You know, for context.