If I ask applicants to demonstrate their job skills during an interview, am I required to pay them for that time?

Whether it’s data entry, carrying heavy boxes up a steep ladder or teaching a water aerobics class at a gym, observing candidates demonstrating how they would actually do the job can help you select the right individual. Depending on what the applicants are asked to do during an interview, and how much time it takes, you may need to pay them for their time.

Determining Factors

Whether time spent demonstrating job skills (also called “try-out time”) must be paid depends on three factors, according to the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement