UK Recruitment Glossary
Take-Home Assignment
In recruiter context
Used widely in product, design, marketing, data, and engineering hiring. Length varies — 2 hours for marketing, 4-8 hours for product, 8-16 hours for engineering. The 'time stated' on the brief is usually 50-70% of what candidates actually spend; this is normal. Two ways take-homes go wrong: spending 30 hours when 6 was expected (signals desperation), and submitting work that's clearly under-effort (signals not interested). Aim for the stated time + 30%, document your approach and trade-offs, ship to a public link rather than ZIP'ing it. The work itself is rarely the deciding factor — the conversation about your decisions is.
Related terms
Sabbatical
A pre-arranged period of extended leave — typically 1-12 months — granted by employers for travel, s…
Job Offer
A formal proposal of employment from an employer, usually issued verbally first then confirmed in wr…
Equity / Share Options
An ownership stake in your employer, granted as options or shares that vest over time.
Cold Application
Applying to a job without any prior contact, referral, or recruiter conversation.