Takeaway 1

Turn the Project into a Role Rehearsal 🎯

If your assignment is not something the candidate would do on the job, it is not a useful signal. Strong hiring projects test for the skills that are required on day one, not what can be taught on the job.

Why It Matters: Projects are only useful if they reflect the work the person will actually be doing. When candidates complete realistic, relevant assessments, they get a preview of the job, and hiring teams get a better understanding of capability. If a candidate dislikes the project, they probably will not enjoy the role either, and that’s valuable insight for everyone involved.

Quick Tips:

• Build assignments around core responsibilities. Hebba ensures every project reflects something the candidate will be doing immediately in the role. It should assess skills expected at that level, not areas that are highly teachable.
• Be clear about time expectations. Assignments should specify how long they will take to complete. Hebba recommends including a note like “this should take one hour” to respect candidates’ time and avoid burnout.
• Use projects as a preview, not a trick. Hebba’s team checks in with candidates after the project to ask, “Did you enjoy it?” If the answer is no, the job probably isn’t the right fit.

Takeaway 2

Create Rubrics to Drive Consistency and Clarity 🧮

Even a great project falls flat without a rubric. A clear evaluation framework keeps hiring fair, helps teams stay aligned, and gives everyone a shared definition of success.

Why It Matters: Rubrics are essential for structured, consistent evaluation. When expectations are aligned upfront, hiring teams stay focused on what matters: the actual skills needed for success. A shared framework ensures candidates are assessed fairly and avoids ad hoc judgment calls that can introduce bias.

Quick Tips:

• Define bad, good, and great before assigning the project. Hebba’s team outlines these distinctions upfront, tying them directly to expectations for the role. This prevents guesswork when evaluating results.
• Score as a group to spot more signal. Hebba encourages multiple team members to grade projects together. Each person may notice different things, and collectively they build a more complete picture of the candidate’s strengths and gaps.
• Lock in rubrics during kickoff. At Workweek, rubric planning is part of every hiring kickoff. Managers must confirm if a project will be used, and no new assignments are added mid-process. This avoids scope creep and sets a consistent standard from the start

Takeaway 3

Use Projects Early to Catch Skill Gaps ⏱️

Projects should not be the final hurdle. When used early in the process, they help teams filter out candidates who do not have the skills needed to succeed.

Why It Matters: When projects are placed too late in the hiring process, teams may already have developed a strong preference for certain candidates based on personality, communication style, or perceived culture fit. This can lead to confirmation bias, where project performance is judged more favorably simply because the team already “likes” the candidate. Moving the project earlier allows hiring teams to evaluate skills more objectively and helps ensure time is spent only on candidates who can do the core work. It also prevents teams from investing hours into interviews with candidates who are ultimately not a fit for the role.

Quick Tips:

• Assign projects after the hiring manager screen. Candidates complete the project before advancing to team interviews. If their submission does not demonstrate the technical skills or level of capability expected for the role, they do not move forward.
• Use the project to shape deeper questions. Project results often surface areas of uncertainty. Hebba’s team uses this signal to customize follow-up questions that help dig into how the candidate thinks and solves problems.
• Be transparent from the first conversation. Candidates are told upfront what to expect - when the project happens, how long it will take, and whether it is paid. Clear communication keeps trust high and surprises low.

What Hiring Excellence Means to Hebba

For Hebba, hiring excellence means building a process that actually leads to the right outcomes, not just one that looks good on paper. It means creating systems that are fair, repeatable, and honest about what success looks like. She believes hiring excellence starts with intention: being clear about what you want to evaluate, when, and why. Her goal is not perfection, it’s progress.

>> Watch the Clip

Hebba's Recruiting Hot Take 🔥

“It should not take you eight stages to assess a candidate.” Hebba believes long, drawn-out hiring processes are a sign something is broken. Not only do they waste internal time and money, they increase candidate drop-off and reflect poorly on the company. She keeps Workweek’s process under four hours, even for complex roles, by being focused, efficient, and thoughtful about what actually needs to be assessed. Unless you are hiring an executive, anything more than four to five hours is likely overkill.

>> Watch the Clip

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(02:13) Interviews can’t fully assess skill

(03:51) Vibe hiring and unconscious bias risks

(05:36) What makes a project fair and useful

(07:57) Projects should supplement, not replace interviews

(10:50) Where projects belong in the process

(14:27) Using rubrics to ensure fair evaluation

(17:10) Setting expectations early with hiring kickoffs

(21:15) Candidate feedback improves the process

(24:15) AI’s impact on take-home assignments

(30:20) Projects help preview the real work

(34:39) Keeping hiring efficient without over-interviewing