Recruiter Writing Exercise

What it tests

Whether the candidate can communicate clearly and persuasively in written form — from cold outreach to offer summaries — without over-engineering their language.

Format

1. 1Candidate receives three writing prompts: a cold outreach message to a passive candidate, a role summary for a job post, and a candidate debrief email to a hiring manager
2. 2Completes all three within 60 minutes as a take-home or timed in-session exercise
3. 3Presents written outputs and discusses choices in a 30-minute debrief
4. 4Interviewers probe on tone decisions, what they'd change with more time, and how they'd personalize at scale

What to look for

• Clarity and economy of language — no filler, no buzzwords
• Ability to adapt voice across audience types (candidate vs. hiring manager vs. exec)
• Outreach that feels human and specific, not templated
• Debrief email that gives the hiring manager actionable signal, not just a summary

Adaptation guide

Use real scenarios from your company: an actual hard-to-fill role for the outreach prompt, your own job posting format for the summary, and a candidate archetype you commonly need to evaluate. Look for writing that reflects your company's communication standards, not generic recruiter copy.

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