What are work samples?
Work samples are physical examples of a candidate’s previous work provided to demonstrate their skills and abilities relevant to a role.
These could include:
- Physical portfolio: Used by tradespeople like carpenters, painters, and seamstresses to display photos of completed projects, actual work samples, or examples of craftsmanship. The physical portfolio is ideal for roles like stonemasons or tilers, where visual examples of precision and quality are critical.
- Digital portfolio or website: Common for designers, musicians, developers to present coding or writing samples, designs, or other work. Digital portfolios offer the opportunity for candidates to send examples of their work easily to recruiters.
- Social media: Platforms like Instagram or TikTok are often used by content creators, tattoo artists, florists, or marketers to highlight their work. Florists might show popular arrangements, while tattoo artists can show designs tattooed on clients. It can be an effective way to get an insight into the candidate’s creative style.
- Video submissions: Relevant for dancers, musicians, public speakers, and voice actors to present performances, projects, or skills in action.
- LinkedIn: Ideal for sharing writing samples, coding examples, professional milestones, or completed projects. This format suits roles like event planners and public speakers, where demonstrating achievements or industry engagement is key.
These are used to highlight a candidate expertise. Work samples such as portfolios offer employers a clear understanding of if the candidate is suitable for the role.
A neurodivergent employee shared,
“In a job interview I showed the hiring manager my Instagram profile where I had posted my creative work over the last few years. My Instagram showcased some of my previous projects as well as some of my creative personal projects. It was a great visual prompt for me and helped me talk about some of the skills and experience I have.”
Work samples are a versatile way to evaluate candidates across a variety of industries and professions. Work samples such as portfolios offer practical insights into a candidate’s ability to perform job-specific tasks. Here’s what work samples typically assess, with examples of how they might be applied.
What work samples typically assess
1. Technical skills
The candidate’s ability to perform the tasks required in the role, such as precision in trade skills or creativity in artistic professions.
Example: A tiler might bring photographs of their completed projects highlighting clean lines and detailed work, while a hairdresser could provide a portfolio of hairstyles they’ve done.
2. Problem-solving skills
How effectively a candidate can address challenges relevant to their profession, such as adapting to client needs or handling unexpected obstacles.
Example: A landscaper could present a case study of a difficult site they transformed, with before-and-after photos to illustrate their abilities.
3. Creativity and innovation
The ability to produce original and engaging work, essential in roles such as content creation, design, or performance.
Example: A dancer might share a video of a performance, demonstrating their creative expression and technical skill, while a florist could present an arrangement that highlights their abilities.
4. Attention to detail
The candidate’s focus and precision in producing high-quality work, particularly for roles where detail is critical.
Example: A tattoo artist might bring images of intricate designs they’ve completed, while a stonemason could provide photos of finely crafted stonework with clean cuts and symmetry.
5. Work organisation and style
Insights into how a candidate plans, structures, and presents their work, which can reflect their professionalism and approach.
Example: An event planner might bring in an event portfolio detailing timelines, themes, and photographs of past events, demonstrating their ability to manage multiple elements cohesively.
6. Consistency and quality
The ability to demonstrate a consistent, high standard across multiple pieces of work,
Example: A furniture designer might present a digital portfolio displaying pieces that consistently meet high design and craftsmanship standards.
7. Value alignment and role fit
How well the candidate’s work aligns with the company’s values, style, or audience needs.
Example: A social media content creator could share their TikTok or Instagram account to demonstrate their ability to engage an audience while aligning with brand aesthetics and messaging.
By allowing flexibility and using neuro-inclusive strategies and tailoring the work sample to the role, employers can successfully evaluate candidate’s skills.
A neurodivergent employee shared,
“My physical portfolio tells you a lot about my personality and how I am a literal designer. From my personal graphic design branding to the types of passion projects I take on show that I am quite literal.”
Considerations when asking for work samples
Work samples have become an essential tool in modern recruitment, offering a practical way to assess candidates’ abilities in real-world scenarios.
Strong predictor of job performance
Research has highlighted that work samples are one of the most effective predictors of job performance. Unlike traditional interviews, which assess candidates’ ability to articulate their skills, work samples require them to demonstrate their capabilities.
For example, a software developer might be asked to debug a code snippet or design a feature for a hypothetical app. This type of assessment displays their technical skills and problem-solving abilities in ways that verbal responses alone cannot. For roles like a graphic designer, a candidate could be tasked with creating the image for a social media post based on a provided brief, which would demonstrate their creativity, attention to detail, and understanding of client needs. These exercises not only reveal practical skills but also indicate how a candidate might approach real-world challenges in the workplace.
Reduces biases
Work samples shift the focus away from subjective factors such as personality and instead evaluates a candidate’s output.
For instance, a customer service candidate might be asked to draft a response to a difficult customer email. Instead of assessing their ability to “sell themselves” in an interview, the focus is on their tone, empathy, and problem-solving approach. This is particularly beneficial for neurodivergent candidates, who may excel in practical tasks but may be at a disadvantage in other assessment methods due to social anxiety or difficulties interpreting social cues.
Highlights strengths
Work samples can act as a fair and relevant way to highlight skills. Research from suggests that candidates are more engaged and satisfied with recruitment processes that include practical tasks, as they perceive them to be related to the job.
For example, a marketing candidate could be asked to create a campaign outline for a hypothetical product launch. The task not only allows the candidate to demonstrate their creativity and strategic thinking but also helps them understand the expectations of the role. Neurodivergent candidates may particularly benefit as they often excel in focused, task-based work.
Inclusivity
Work samples must be thoughtfully designed to ensure they are inclusive. Tasks that are too lengthy or complex can overwhelm candidates, particularly those balancing other factors (full time jobs or caregiving responsibilities) Breaking the task into smaller, manageable components—such as asking for an outline or a single campaign idea—can make the process more inclusive.
Offer flexibility
Providing flexible submission formats accommodate diverse working styles. For example, a graphic designer should have the option to submit their work as a PDF, via an online to a portfolio, social media account, or by sketches if software proficiency is not being tested. Clear evaluation rubrics that prioritise outcomes, such as creativity, functionality, and alignment with the task’s goals, further ensure fairness and reduce the risk of subjective judgments.
Work sample type
Follow the links below for a guide on each work sample type.
