A long, long time ago (longer than I'd care to admit) my little daughter Lee came home on the first day of second grade. As she crossed through the yard there were tears streaming from her face. "What's wrong honey?," I said. She tearfully sobbed, "Mom - I got no homework. I'm in the second grade now. I'm supposed to have homework."

"You want homework?," I said. "We can get you homework."

I took her little hand and walked her back to Miss Kinney's second grade classroom. She was very happy to oblige Lee and sent us home with work in hand. Lee was thrilled.

(Over twenty years later, as a New England marketer for Broadvision, the girl still loved homework - laptop in tow every weekend visit!)

Unlike Lee however, many of us have unpleasant homework memories and would never dream of giving an assignment to a job candidate. If you fall into this group, you're missing out on a fantastic hiring evaluation tool.

We recently helped a company on a search for a regional sales director. This was an important position and candidates had to have experience managing a regional or national sales force, P&L responsibility, etc. In the final round of interviews, we gave the top candidates homework: submission of a 90 - day sales plan.

We weren't looking for concrete sales numbers as much as the thought process of our potential hire and how they would map out their first 90 days, the important tasks to be tackled, relationships to be forged, etc.

Why did we do this?

First off let me say, I am NOT talking about testing, (personality profiling, sales leadership testing, etc.) These can be great tools but they are not what I mean by homework. What I am talking about is giving a specific, job related assignment in order to judge your candidate's skills and thought process.

All you're looking to find out is if your candidate can really do what you're hiring them to do!

This is the only reason to give homework. If you're absolutely sure your candidate can do what you need, skip it. But, if there's the slightest question, proceed with the drill. For example, if you are hiring a marketing communications person, don't you want to know if they can write?

Although a candidate for this position may bring a portfolio, giving a short assignment to write a press release on your newest product or newsworthy event in your company will give you a sense of their writing style. If your company's face to the world is low key and conservative, so to speak, you need a communications manager who reflects that style. Homework should point that out.

In the sales arena, ask your candidate to build a hypothetical pipeline - ask them how they would construct the first 30 or 60 days on the job. These are all exercises that should not take much time.

• Put a time frame on it.
  
  Give your candidate a specific task (i.e. a proposed schedule for a product launch,) and ask them to have it back to you within a day or two. See how the candidate reacts - because that's how they'll react on the job. If they enthusiastically say "no problem" and ask you for your email address so they can send it, that's a great sign. That's how they'll be as an employee. If they tell you the 20 things they have to do within the next few days and ask you for a week to complete the task, well . . . . . . you get the point.
  
  
• How much homework should you give?
  
  Just enough! I'm not recommending that any assignment be too long. The 90 - day sales plan we talked about earlier took only a half - day to complete.
  
  Here's a good rule - If you think you may have given too much, you probably did! We know one candidate who was interviewing for a position in a technology publishing company and was asked to help work on a major proposal as part of the "assessment" process. This would take about six to eight hours of his time. The candidate told the hiring manager he really looked forward to working on the proposal - as soon as they made him an employee. Bravo!

Remember - you're not trying to get someone to work for nothing. You're only assigning a project that will help you assess whether the candidate can do the job. Don't make the candidate feel that they've been taken advantage of.

Now - what to do with it once you've got it?

How they performed on their assignment - and the spirit in which they assumed and delivered the assignment - will be an important factor for you. Also, you may need that homework assignment if you are in the (fortunate) position of having two candidates who are equally qualified for your position. If everything else is equal, let the candidate who did the best job on your assignment - and had the best attitude - - have your job!

And in case you're wondering . . . .

Lee is a newlywed now and she and her husband have moved to Mexico. Already she has signed up at the local university for advanced classes, joined a book group, and is hoping to volunteer substitute teach at an American School. See - the more things change, the more they stay the same!

Click here to tell us what you think of giving homework as an assessment tool.