Evaluating a Frontend Trial Task: Lesson Learned or Just a Clown Show?
In the competitive realm of frontend development, landing a new role often involves completing trial tasks or technical assessments. Recently, I undertook one such challenge that has left me pondering: Was I genuinely evaluated, or was I simply providing free work under the guise of a trial?
The Assignment
The task was straightforward yet demanding:
- Create three screens within a Next.js application, including a comprehensive dashboard
- Incorporate specific animations derived from a provided video
- Deploy the completed project on Vercel
- Complete all these by the end of the day (EOD)
Given the tight deadline and scope, I diligently worked through the project, ensuring:
- Proper layout implementation ✅
- OTP authentication logic ✅
- Animations as specified ✅
- Deployment on Vercel ✅
- Mobile responsiveness ✅
After approximately seven hours, I submitted the link with confidence, believing I had met the requirements.
The Feedback
Shortly after submission, I received an unexpected request:
“Make one screen pixel perfect as per Figma.”
This request was surprising since the initial task description did not specify pixel perfection or Figma fidelity. It was only after delivering all functionalities that they emphasized this requirement. Furthermore, they didn’t ask for access to my code—only the project link. Despite subsequent follow-ups, the response remained:
“We need pixel perfect and you are not qualified for this.”
When I inquired about specific feedback, they pointed to a single discrepancy: the sidebar width does not precisely match the Figma design.
A Side-by-Side Comparison
For context, here are the screenshots:
- My Implementation: https://ibb.co/XkvWzKnq
- Figma Design: https://ibb.co/jPTxFw9Y
Visually, the differences are minimal, and considering the tight timeline, achieving pixel-perfect accuracy across the entire project is often unrealistic—especially when working under pressure.
Reflections
So, did I fail the trial? Or was this an opportunity to provide free work masked as an evaluation?
In my view, this experience highlights a common challenge in freelance and job-seeking scenarios: the criteria for success can sometimes shift unexpectedly, or requirements can be overly rigid without prior notice. Genuine assessments should focus on core
