A job I applied for is asking me to submit a work sample, but I no longer have access to any documents from past employers.
My only option seems to be to recreate a document myself, which I am able to do. Is this how most people approach such a request?
I assume it would not be necessary to reveal that it isn’t the actual document unless prompted nor would they be able to tell.
There is also a possibility a writing sample might be requested if I advance to the next round, but again I have no samples in possession.
As long as it’s a sample of your work I think that’s fine. I don’t think it has to be (or can be) from a previous job, as that might violate employment agreements.
I would actually call out that your prior work belongs to your employer. That should earn you points with your new possible employer.
“My most recent examples would be work I did for my prior employer. However, that work contains confidential policies or trade secrets that are not meant for public disclosure. I respect my prior employers confidence and cannot share that. Should I get this position with your organization, I will respect your data just as strongly as I do my prior employer’s. However, I am providing Sample #1 document I have written which I wrote which reflects my writing style and subject matter expertise without violating any prior employer agreements.”
It is not uncommon for employers to retain ownership of the material you produce, though it sounds like they’re expecting you may have a portfolio for the work you’re in. Explain the situation to the hiring manager.
This won’t work with your present predicament, but you may want to create a ‘personal portfolio’ site with samples of your work (down to individual tasks) for use of your future self.
I was given that advice a long time ago, and it really came handy across different jobs. Just passing it forward.
I usually take a request for a work sample to mean “an example of something you created” rather than “an example of work you did for a past employer.” The latter could serve as the former—assuming you’re allowed to show it, which it sounds like you’re not in this case—but it’s not the only way to go about it.
You could make a sample or mockup of something similar to what you’ve made previously without including proprietary information. If you need branding guidelines or a set of content to work from to get started (maybe you’re building a website or something), you could search online for publicly available versions of those documents from other companies to demonstrate that you’re able to follow guidelines when requested.
I work in HR and it could also just be a poorly setup, unmonitored, unmanaged ATS (Applicant Tracking System) question that doesn’t apply. I was applying for a job yesterday and one of their standard intake questions was about whether I had experience in molten metal pressing or something that (I hope?) didn’t have anything to do with my application.
I’m constantly blown away at how poorly companies setup the top of their talent funnel. NO ONE looks at the applications they force people to go through.