06/02/2026
Here's what I want your opinion on all tech professional, this is my reality not just confession.
First I applied for a job, got ask to interview today, and then received a client brief from the company who are looking to hire to give estimation on the project time and pricing, and then the second assignment to work on that brief the CEO or manager sent me to a certain extent which are 3 days full of working hours, these are all assignments to test my ability and not guaranteed that I will be selected for the interview or not. And I back out, I back the f**k out. Calling out this BS as free work on hand without any concrete contract or promise to be hired later to their HR Administrator not their CEO that I will not work on that brief for their client as a test without any initial payment or concrete plan to hire me after I finished their due testing process.
The role is a WordPress website developer which these day and age just figured out theme and plugin and implementing minor design to fit with what the client want and need. Done it before sent the portfolio with the live website I get done before to their HR to forward it to their CEO, and then they return the call just say not as perfect work but just a little test to see how I fit. For god sake, I sent them the live link of the website I got done for other before and they still pushing on me to work on their client brief clearly their client brief to a certain extent in exchange for a meeting brother and sister in tech a meeting to interview with their manager or CEO.
A bit mad, to be honest, this kind of process I been in before end up got rejected and the company get my work and use it for their client while not pay me a single dollar just a reply with a minor issue that they point out and dropped me off the short list.
So am asking this time, I make the right decision to back out on this type of exploitation process the reality that Tech workers in Cambodia meet in the daily basis to get the foot in the door.
I am on the right side, right all of you who strive in this industry?
Would you go to that extent just for an interview without even yet concrete promise or some sort of getting hired?
Hmm these are dirty tricks on us striving to get jobs in tech with this bull-cow hiring process. And HR personality saying sometimes it's the candidate that are the issues, being jerk this and that, read my above and can you feel our tiring heart from sleepless night, caffeinated brain to the max, scrolling through documentation to solve problem for the client. We are only human who want to put food on the table after all, Don't Put A Blame on Us. Take care, my beloved geeks and nerds. Peace be with you.
