How to use test briefs without damaging your employer brand

There’s a lot of noise online about test briefs. Some candidates see them as a red flag.

Some refuse to do them. Some assume companies are trying to get free work.

The frustration is understandable. Poorly structured briefs, unrealistic timelines and vague feedback damage trust.

But when done properly, test briefs are valuable. For clients and for candidates.

Why test briefs still matter

A CV tells you where someone has worked.

An interview tells you how they talk about their work.

A test brief shows you how they actually think.

It reveals:

• How they interpret a brief

• What questions they ask before starting

• How they structure their thinking

• How they prioritise

• How they present and defend ideas

• How they handle feedback

• Their attention to detail
  

That’s hard to assess through conversation alone.

In creative, strategy, marketing and design roles, output matters. A well-designed test brief reduces hiring risk. It gives you signal, not just polish.

What the test brief really tests

Candidates don't always realise that test briefs are is not just about the final deliverable.

It’s about behaviour. If a candidate accepts a brief with a deadline and then misses it without communication, that’s a red flag.

Life happens. Absolutely. But most roles involve managing stakeholders and expectations. If someone knows upfront that the deadline will be tight, the right move is simple:

• Raise it early.

• Ask for an extension.

• Clarify scope.
  

Hiring managers understand that candidates are working, interviewing and juggling responsibilities. Proactively managing the timeline shows commercial awareness and planning ability.

Silence does not.

For hiring managers: if you use test briefs, use them properly

If you’re going to ask candidates to invest time, respect that investment.

That means:

• Keep briefs realistic and time-bound

• Be clear on what “good” looks like

• Don’t use real client work unless it’s anonymised or hypothetical

• Limit the time commitment

• Give feedback

• Seriously consider paying candidates for their time
  

If you’re asking for five hours of work from five candidates and providing no response, that damages your employer brand. Word spreads.

We talk a lot about candidates being assessed. They are also assessing you.

For candidates: how to handle a test brief well

If you believe in your capability, a well-run brief is an opportunity.

Before you accept:

• Ask how long it should take

• Confirm the deadline works for you

• Clarify the evaluation criteria

• Confirm whether this is the final stage
  

If the timeline doesn’t work, say so. Early. Professionally.

“Thanks for sending this through. I’d love to complete it. Given my current workload, would it be possible to submit on X instead of Y?”

That sentence alone signals maturity.

The bigger issue

The real red flag is not the existence of a test brief. It’s a process with no structure, no feedback and no respect.

Done properly, a test brief protects both sides. It reduces hiring mistakes. It surfaces how someone thinks under mild pressure. It shows how they communicate.

And ultimately, most roles are about delivery and expectation management.

If you want to remove briefs entirely, you need another reliable way to assess that.