Test assignment
Also known as: paid trial, work sample
A test assignment is a short, paid, job-realistic task a candidate completes so you can evaluate real output instead of interview performance. For any role with a visible deliverable, it is the most reliable single signal of whether someone can do the work.
Keep it scoped to a few hours, give every finalist the same brief and context, and pay for the time. A well-designed assignment mirrors the actual job closely enough that the result maps to on-the-job performance.
It is the clearest way to expose the gap between candidates who interview well and those who actually deliver, and it pairs naturally with a portfolio review of work they have already shipped.