# Candidate skills task prompt: free ChatGPT template > Design a short, fair work-sample task for candidates: made-up materials, a time limit, clear instructions and a scoring rubric tied to the must-haves. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/candidate-skills-task-prompt · Updated 2026-10-01 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Hiring and HR](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#job-hiring-and-hr) · [Marketing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-marketing) · [Recruiting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-recruiting) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 1, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Use this when an interview can't show you whether someone can do the work, and a small sample would. A good skills task is short, uses made-up materials (never your real client work), is the same for every candidate, and is scored against a rubric you write before anyone submits. This prompt designs all four, plus instructions clear enough that a candidate doesn't have to email you questions. ## The prompt Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every `[BLANK]` with your own details. It uses the four parts from [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Role, Context, Task and Format. Copy prompt ```text Role: You are a hiring manager at [BUSINESS], designing a work-sample task for candidates. Context: The role is [ROLE]. The must-haves the task should test: [MUST HAVES]. Time limit: [TIME LIMIT]. Format: [FORMAT AND TOOLS]. Use made-up materials only; never real client work or anything we could use commercially. Score only the work, never the person, and don't ask for personal information. Task: Design the task: candidate instructions, the made-up materials they need, what to submit and how, and a scoring rubric with one row per must-have and a description of what a 1, 2 and 3 look like. Add one line inviting candidates to ask for an accommodation, and one line telling reviewers to score each submission before discussing it. Format: Two parts. Part 1, For the candidate: instructions under 200 words, then the materials. Part 2, For reviewers: the rubric as a table (Must-have, 1, 2, 3) and the reviewer note. ``` ## Fill in the blanks **`[BUSINESS]`** Your business name and what you do. **`[ROLE]`** The job title. **`[MUST HAVES]`** Two or three skills a short task can really show. Don't try to test everything. **`[TIME LIMIT]`** Keep unpaid tasks short, an hour or less. If a task needs more, consider paying for it. **`[FORMAT AND TOOLS]`** Take-home or in person, and what they may use (a document, a laptop at your office, any tools). ## Example, filled in **A made-up example** from the free lesson [n8n AI Agent Tutorial: Save Social Media Ideas to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-tutorial-google-sheets). BrightPath Marketing is the made-up agency in the n8n AI Agent lesson, where an agent saves social media ideas to Google Sheets. It's hiring a social media coordinator. Copy example ```text Role: You are a hiring manager at BrightPath Marketing, a small social media agency, designing a work-sample task for candidates. Context: The role is social media coordinator. The must-haves the task should test: writing short posts in a client's voice, matching a post to the right platform, and explaining a choice clearly. Time limit: 45 minutes. Format: take-home, submitted as one shared document; any tools allowed. Use made-up materials only; never real client work or anything we could use commercially. Score only the work, never the person, and don't ask for personal information. Task: Design the task: candidate instructions, the made-up materials they need, what to submit and how, and a scoring rubric with one row per must-have and a description of what a 1, 2 and 3 look like. Add one line inviting candidates to ask for an accommodation, and one line telling reviewers to score each submission before discussing it. Format: Two parts. Part 1, For the candidate: instructions under 200 words, then the materials. Part 2, For reviewers: the rubric as a table (Must-have, 1, 2, 3) and the reviewer note. ``` ## What a good answer looks like - A made-up client brief (a fictional neighborhood business with a voice and an offer) so nothing the candidate writes is free work for you. - A task that fits 45 minutes, such as three posts for two platforms and a two-sentence note on each choice. - Rubric levels you can tell apart: a 3 "sounds like the client's voice in every post," a 1 "generic copy that could be for any business." - A reviewer note to score alone first, so the loudest opinion doesn't set the score. ## How to check it before you use it An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the [Reply Faster lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out. - Do the task yourself with a timer. If it takes you longer than the limit, cut it down. - Make sure the materials are clearly fictional and contain nothing from a real client. - Match each rubric row to a must-have. A row that scores "creativity" or "culture fit" with no definition gets rewritten or removed. - Give every candidate the same task, time and instructions, and keep the scored rubrics with your hiring records. ## Why this prompt works Writing the rubric before anyone submits is what makes the task fair: the AI turns each must-have into levels you can apply the same way to every candidate. It's the same idea as the Strong, Partial and Not discussed scale on an [interview scorecard](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/interview-scorecard), applied to work you can see. ## Practice it in the free lesson **[Turn an Interview Debrief into a Scorecard and a Candidate Follow-Up (Recruiting & HR)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-interview-debrief-scorecard)**: Turn the transcript of an interview panel's debrief into a scorecard against the role's must-haves, the decisions, action items with owners and dates, and a follow-up email to the candidate. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/recruiting-interview-scorecard) Also useful: [Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format) ## Terms used here [Interview scorecard](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/interview-scorecard) · [Output format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/output-format) · [AI bias](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-bias) ## Related prompts - [Interview questions prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/interview-questions-prompt): A structured interview prompt: two questions per must-have, what a strong answer includes, a follow-up, and job-related swaps… - [Interview scorecard prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/interview-scorecard-prompt): Turn interview notes or a debrief transcript into a scorecard: each must-have rated with a quote as evidence, gaps marked Not… - [Interview scheduling email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/interview-scheduling-email-prompt): Invite a candidate to interview with all they need: time options, place, who they'll meet, what to expect, an accommodation line… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)