How to Run a Work Sample Test for Veteran Candidates

A resume tells you what someone says they can do. An interview tells you what they sound like. Neither one shows you the work. That gap trips up a lot of hiring for veterans.

A veteran may have run gear and led people under pressure. But the resume calls it "logistics operations" or "detachment leadership." You read that and still wonder. Can this person do the job in front of you?

A work sample test closes the gap. You give the candidate a real task from the job. They do it, and you score it against a rubric. Many veterans show more by doing than by writing. Below is how to build one and score it fairly.

What Is a Work Sample Test?

A work sample test is a small, real task from the job. The candidate does the task. You watch the output and score it. That is the whole idea.

Think of a scaled-down version of the actual work. For a dispatcher role, you hand them a busy shift log and ask them to prioritize calls. For an analyst role, you give them a messy spreadsheet and one question to answer.

For a maintenance lead, hand them a fault report. Ask for a work order and a parts request. The task looks like Tuesday at the job.

This is different from other steps in your hiring flow. A resume screen checks the paper. An interview checks how they talk and think. A work sample checks the work itself. It turns "sounds good" into "can actually do it." Our guide to pre-employment assessments for veteran candidates covers the other tests in your process and where they misread veterans.

Why Do Work Samples Fit Veteran Candidates So Well?

Military work is hands-on. A veteran was judged for years on whether the task got done. How it read on paper mattered less. So a task-based test plays to a real strength. You get to see the thing they were actually trained to do.

A work sample solves the translation problem. A veteran writes "managed logistics for a 200-person unit." A hiring manager reads that and shrugs. Now give that same veteran a real inventory with a shortfall. They sort it in 20 minutes and explain every call. The skill was always there. The resume words just hid it.

Many veterans are used to timed work with a clear goal. Watch how they triage. Then ask what they would do next with more time. That answer matters. A candidate who runs out of time can still show sharp judgment. That can beat a slow finish with weak calls.

For more on reading past the resume words, see how to evaluate a veteran's resume. Still deciding whether to drop hard degree filters? Read skills-based hiring for veterans next. A work sample is the tool that makes skills-based hiring real.

How Do You Design a Job-Relevant Work Sample?

The whole value comes from one thing. The task must match the job. Test a skill they will not use, and the score means nothing. Worse, an off-job test can be unfair and can put you at legal risk. So start with the job, not the test.

Step 1: List the core tasks of the role

Write down the three to five things this person will do most. Not every duty. The ones that decide if they sink or swim. For a warehouse lead, that might be reading a pick list and spotting a count error. A clear handoff note could be another. Pick from that list.

Step 2: Shrink one real task into a sample

Take one core task and cut it down. Use real materials when you can. A redacted work order. A sample data set with fake names. A short scenario from a past shift. Keep it small enough to do in a set window. Big enough to show real skill.

Step 3: Set a clear goal and a time box

Tell them exactly what "done" looks like. Give them a time limit. Thirty to sixty minutes works for many roles. If a task truly needs longer, cut it down more. Or pay them for the time (more on that below).

How Do You Keep a Work Sample Test Fair and Legal?

A work sample is a selection procedure. Federal fairness rules for hiring tests apply to it too. The test should be job-related. It should also be scored the same way for everyone.

The EEOC's guidance on employment tests and selection procedures lays this out. Title VII bars tests that screen people out because of race, sex, or other protected traits. A test that screens out one group more often can still be lawful. It must be job-related and needed for the business.

The Uniform Guidelines at 29 CFR 1607.5 describe how to show a test is valid. The EEOC has said it plans to rescind them. Title VII keeps its job-related standard either way.

Content validity is the plain path here. It means the task on the test matches the task on the job. Build a job-relevant sample and you have a strong start.

Four rules keep the test fair:

How Do You Score a Work Sample With a Rubric?

Gut feel is where fair tests go to die. Two managers watch the same task and rate it two ways. The fix is a rubric. Write it before anyone takes the test. Score every person against the same lines.

A good rubric has three to five things you are scoring. Each one gets a short scale. Something like 1 to 4. Give each score a plain meaning so two people rate the same work the same way.

Pick your scoring lines

Pull the lines straight from what the job needs. For a data task, you might score the answer, the method and the explanation. For a leadership scenario, you might score: made a clear call, thought about risk, and communicated the plan. Keep the list short. Three good lines beat ten fuzzy ones.

Write out what each score means

Do not just write a 1 to 4 scale. Say what a 4 looks like and what a 1 looks like. A 4 on clear method might read: steps make sense, and anyone could follow them. A 1 might read: no clear path. Now the number means something real.

Have two people score when you can. If their scores are far apart, talk it out and land on a number. This checks one manager's bias. A structured interview scorecard for veteran candidates works the same way for the interview. Pair the two for a fair read on each person.

What Work Sample Mistakes Should You Avoid?

Many bad work samples fail in the same few ways. Watch for these and you skip a lot of pain.

Give candidates fair warning. Do not spring the test on them. Tell the candidate ahead of time what the task will cover and how long it runs. A surprise test favors whoever has a free hour that day. Fair warning lets every candidate show up ready.

Our recruiter's checklist for screening veteran applicants covers the resume screen that comes before this step.

How Do You Run a Work Sample Remotely?

Many roles hire remote now, and a work sample still works. You just plan the setup a bit more. Every candidate still gets the same task and the same time.

Send the prompt and materials by email or a shared link. Set a clear start and stop. Some teams put the candidate on a short video call and watch them work through it live. Others let the person work alone inside a set window. Then they get on a call to walk through it.

Both setups are fine. The live walk-through is gold. You hear how they think, and it is harder to pass off someone else's help.

Keep the tech simple. Some tasks need a tool the candidate will not have on day one. Hand them a simple stand-in or a sandbox. Do not let a login screen decide who gets hired. On video, every person gets the same time limit and the same rubric.

A work sample is one strong tool. Pair it with a good interview and a fair way to rank your finalists. See how to interview a veteran candidate and how to compare two veteran candidates fairly.

Where Do You Find Veterans to Test?

A work sample only helps if the right people reach it. You need a steady flow of veteran candidates who match the role. Many midsize teams struggle there. You may not have a big veteran-hiring program or a full recruiting staff. You just need qualified people in the door.

Finding them is the part BMR handles. 77,901 resumes have been built on BMR. BMR adds over 1,000 new profiles a month.

Your search covers only veterans who have consented to employer search. Filters cover clearance, branch, state and work location. Profiles stay anonymized, and interested candidates reply to you directly. A name and resume arrive only when a veteran applies to a job you post.

Your work sample shows who can do the job. Describe your role and message the veterans who match. Then invite those who reply to try your task. Find veterans to take your work sample.