Practical Work Samples for Evaluating Talent Acquisition Manager Candidates

The Talent Acquisition Manager role is pivotal to an organization's success, serving as the bridge between company growth goals and the talent needed to achieve them. This strategic position requires a unique blend of skills: analytical thinking to develop data-driven recruitment strategies, interpersonal finesse to build relationships with both candidates and hiring managers, and the strategic vision to align talent acquisition with business objectives.

Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in these areas. While behavioral questions provide insights into past experiences, they don't demonstrate how candidates will perform in your specific environment. This is where practical work samples become invaluable—they simulate real job scenarios, allowing you to observe candidates' skills in action rather than just hearing about them.

For Talent Acquisition Manager candidates, well-designed work samples reveal their approach to sourcing strategies, their ability to consult with hiring managers, how they analyze recruitment metrics, and their talent for creating exceptional candidate experiences. These exercises provide a window into not just what candidates know, but how they apply that knowledge to solve problems.

The following four activities are designed to evaluate the core competencies required for Talent Acquisition Manager success: strategic thinking, collaboration, analytical ability, and communication skills. By incorporating these exercises into your interview process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's capabilities and make more informed hiring decisions.

Activity #1: Sourcing Strategy Challenge

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to develop innovative sourcing strategies for hard-to-fill positions—a critical skill for any Talent Acquisition Manager. It reveals their creativity, strategic thinking, and knowledge of various sourcing channels while demonstrating their ability to align recruitment tactics with business needs.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a brief on a genuinely challenging role your organization has struggled to fill (or create a realistic scenario).
• Include details such as: job title, key responsibilities, required skills/experience, location constraints, compensation range, and any previous unsuccessful sourcing attempts.
• Provide relevant company information that would impact sourcing (company size, industry, employer brand positioning, etc.).
• Allow candidates 24-48 hours to prepare their strategy before the interview.
• Allocate 15 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for questions.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Develop a comprehensive sourcing strategy for the specified hard-to-fill role.
• Your strategy should include:
• 3-5 primary sourcing channels/methods with rationale for each
• Specific targeting criteria for passive candidates
• Approach to messaging/outreach
• Timeline and metrics for measuring success
• Estimated budget allocation (if applicable)
• Prepare a brief presentation (10-15 minutes) outlining your strategy.
• Be prepared to explain your reasoning and answer questions about your approach.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, provide one specific aspect of the strategy that was particularly strong or innovative.
• Then offer one area for improvement or consideration the candidate may have overlooked.
• Ask the candidate to spend 5 minutes adjusting their approach based on the feedback, focusing specifically on the improvement area identified.
• Evaluate their receptiveness to feedback and ability to incorporate new perspectives quickly.

Activity #2: Hiring Manager Consultation Role Play

This role play assesses the candidate's ability to effectively consult with hiring managers—a crucial skill for aligning recruitment efforts with business needs. It demonstrates their questioning techniques, listening skills, and ability to translate business requirements into effective recruitment strategies.

Directions for the Company:

• Assign someone to play the role of a hiring manager who needs to fill a position on their team.
• Create a brief for the "hiring manager" that includes:
• Details about the role they need to fill
• Some unrealistic expectations (e.g., wanting too many skills, offering below-market compensation, or an unrealistic timeline)
• A tendency to provide vague requirements
• Personality traits that make the consultation challenging (e.g., impatience, strong opinions)
• Provide the candidate with basic information about the role but not the challenges they'll encounter.
• Allow 20-25 minutes for the role play.

Directions for the Candidate:

• You'll be meeting with a hiring manager to discuss a new role they need to fill.
• Your objectives are to:
• Gather comprehensive information about the role requirements
• Understand the team dynamics and culture fit considerations
• Set realistic expectations about the recruitment process
• Establish a collaborative partnership with the hiring manager
• Develop an initial recruitment plan based on the discussion
• Ask thoughtful questions to uncover the true needs versus stated preferences.
• Address any potential challenges or unrealistic expectations professionally.
• Conclude with clear next steps and a summary of your understanding.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the role play, the "hiring manager" should provide feedback on one aspect of the consultation that was particularly effective.
• Then identify one area where the approach could be improved.
• Give the candidate 5-10 minutes to re-do a portion of the consultation implementing the feedback.
• Evaluate their ability to adjust their approach and maintain a consultative relationship even when pushing back on unrealistic expectations.

Activity #3: Candidate Experience Improvement Project

This exercise evaluates the candidate's ability to analyze and enhance the candidate experience—a key differentiator in today's competitive talent market. It reveals their process improvement skills, empathy for candidates, and strategic thinking about employer branding.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a description of your current recruitment process from application to offer (or create a fictional one with clear pain points).
• Include candidate feedback data showing areas of dissatisfaction (e.g., lengthy application process, poor communication, inconsistent interview experiences).
• Provide relevant constraints such as ATS limitations, budget considerations, or team size.
• Allow candidates 24 hours to review the materials and prepare their recommendations.
• Allocate 20 minutes for presentation and discussion.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided recruitment process and candidate feedback.
• Identify 3-5 key areas for improvement that would significantly enhance the candidate experience.
• Develop practical recommendations for each area that consider the given constraints.
• For each recommendation, outline:
• The specific change to be implemented
• Resources required (time, technology, people)
• Expected impact on candidate satisfaction and recruitment outcomes
• Implementation timeline and approach
• How you would measure success
• Prepare a concise presentation of your findings and recommendations.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, highlight one recommendation that particularly resonated with your organization's needs.
• Then suggest one aspect that might face implementation challenges or could be refined.
• Ask the candidate to spend 5 minutes addressing how they would overcome the specific challenge you identified.
• Evaluate their problem-solving ability, adaptability, and how they balance candidate experience with practical business considerations.

Activity #4: Recruitment Metrics Analysis and Strategy Adjustment

This exercise assesses the candidate's analytical abilities and data-driven decision-making—essential skills for optimizing recruitment processes and demonstrating ROI. It reveals their comfort with metrics, ability to identify trends, and skill in translating data into actionable strategies.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a dataset of recruitment metrics covering a 6-12 month period (anonymized real data or realistic mock data).
• Include metrics such as: time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, source effectiveness, offer acceptance rates, diversity metrics, and quality of hire indicators.
• Intentionally include some concerning trends or anomalies that require attention.
• Provide context about hiring goals and business priorities for the period.
• Allow candidates 60 minutes to analyze the data before the interview or send it 24 hours in advance.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided recruitment metrics data.
• Identify key trends, strengths, and areas of concern in the current recruitment performance.
• Prepare a brief analysis that includes:
• 3-5 key insights from the data
• Potential root causes for any concerning trends
• Specific recommendations to address issues and capitalize on strengths
• Suggestions for additional metrics that might provide valuable insights
• A dashboard design showing how you would visualize these metrics for stakeholders
• Be prepared to present your analysis and answer questions about your methodology and recommendations.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, acknowledge one particularly insightful observation or recommendation.
• Then suggest one area where the analysis could be deepened or a different perspective considered.
• Ask the candidate to spend 5-10 minutes expanding their analysis based on your feedback.
• Evaluate their analytical rigor, comfort with data, and ability to connect metrics to strategic recruitment decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work samples in our interview process?

Each activity requires approximately 30-45 minutes including setup, execution, feedback, and evaluation. We recommend selecting 1-2 activities most relevant to your specific needs rather than attempting all four. The Sourcing Strategy Challenge and Hiring Manager Consultation are particularly effective for evaluating core Talent Acquisition Manager skills.

Should we compensate candidates for the time spent on preparation?

While not always necessary, offering compensation for extensive preparation (particularly for the Sourcing Strategy Challenge or Candidate Experience Improvement Project) demonstrates respect for candidates' time and enhances your employer brand. Even a modest gift card can make a positive impression.

How do we evaluate candidates consistently across these exercises?

Create a structured evaluation rubric for each activity that aligns with the key competencies in your job description. Have multiple interviewers observe the exercises when possible, and conduct immediate post-exercise debriefs to capture observations while they're fresh.

What if our organization doesn't have robust recruitment metrics to use for Activity #4?

You can create realistic mock data that represents industry benchmarks or challenges you anticipate facing. The candidate's approach to analysis is more important than the specific numbers. Alternatively, you could modify the exercise to focus on designing a metrics program from scratch.

How do we accommodate remote candidates for these activities?

All four activities can be conducted virtually using video conferencing tools. For the Hiring Manager Consultation, ensure the "hiring manager" and candidate have a stable connection. For data analysis exercises, use screen sharing or collaborative tools like Google Sheets. Send materials in advance to avoid technical difficulties.

Should we share these exercises with candidates in advance?

For the Sourcing Strategy Challenge and Candidate Experience Improvement Project, providing details 24-48 hours in advance yields more thoughtful responses. For the Hiring Manager Consultation and parts of the Metrics Analysis, some spontaneity better simulates real-world conditions. Be transparent about what preparation is expected.

Finding the right Talent Acquisition Manager is crucial for building high-performing teams across your organization. By incorporating these practical work samples into your interview process, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' capabilities than traditional interviews alone can provide. These exercises not only evaluate technical skills but also reveal how candidates think, collaborate, and approach complex recruitment challenges.

For more resources to enhance your hiring process, check out Yardstick's suite of AI-powered tools, including our AI Job Description Generator, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator. You can also explore our comprehensive Talent Acquisition Manager job description for additional insights.

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