I hate taking tests to get a job

[wienerdog]

I find I'm wasting lots of time designing work for potential employers, only to find I don't get the job. I spent all day last Sunday designing graphics for a gig that would pay me well and I could work from home. Of course, I didn't get it. While I'm disappointed by that, I'm even more frustrated by spending so much time on non-paying work to not get a job.

Unless it leads to future freelance work, I'm considering not wasting time on tests anymore. I've done them for 3 or 4 jobs in the past 6 months.

[morea]

Have you explored the freelance option? Are you sending out resumes like crazy?
Have you tried doing informational interviews?

There are a lot of folks on the board in the same boat... I put together some good informational threads that cover a lot of aspects of job searching. You might want to give them a look:

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7892

[wienerdog]

Thanks, morea. I am freelancing for a few clients on and off, most are short gigs or long-running, low-budget ones. I do it for extra money in addition to the 40-hour week I put in for the full-time freelancing I'm doing, so I've been in worse situations. I just hate having to spend an hour or two to prove myself to a potential employer who, several times now, doesn't hire me. Once it happened while I was unemployed, and after several interviews.

[Patrick Shannon]

I've never actually been in that position, that's an interesting one. Now I have taken tests, but they were more or less generic test jobs to see how well I comprehended something. The way I see it, if you have portfolio pieces of successful campaigns/real world work that you pulled off yourself, why even require a test? Sounds like they're trying to get free work, and that sucks.

[defjoe]

if they want to do this then why look at a portfolio or call your reference.

at the point I am in my career now, I would turn down a place that asked me to do a test (unless I really NEEDED the job)

[D-Zine]

I have to agree with Joe. 8 years in and I ain't doin no stinkin test! Obviously if I made it this far then I know the damn software somewhat!

[morea]

^ presactly.