Hiring challenges

Skip straight
to the work.

Give everyone the same brief and deadline, then hire from what they make. You skip the portfolio reviews, résumé screens and first interviews that take hundreds of hours.

Get started See how it works

How it runs

How a challenge runs.

You set it up once. Everyone works inside the same window, and every entry lands in one feed for you to review.

  1. 01

    Upload the assets

    Footage, photos, brand files: whatever the job uses day to day.

  2. 02

    Set the dates and prizes

    Pick a start, an end and a prize pool. A few days is typical.

  3. 03

    Everyone starts together

    Everyone gets access to the assets at the same time.

  4. 04

    Review in the feed

    See every entry back to back and shortlist the ones you like.

  5. 05

    Hire

    Make an offer to the people you picked. Roster takes no commission.

Why it works

Good for both sides.

The team hiring sees real work on its own brief. People who enter get a fair start and a placement they can list on a résumé.

For the team hiring

  • Skip the screeningNo portfolio reviews, résumé screens or first interviews. You judge the work itself.
  • Compare like for likeEvery entrant works from the same brief and files, so you see entries side by side in one feed.
  • Any creative roleVideo editors are the most common hire. Gannon Meyer hired a thumbnail designer within 6 days.
  • Hire in daysAirrack hired full-time within 10 days. Jenny Hoyos hired 2 within 7. Gannon Meyer hired a thumbnail designer within 6.

For the people entering

  • There are prizesPrizes go to the top places, and a challenge can end with a job offer.
  • Every entry gets seenThe host reviews every submission, so people who don't place can still get noticed.
  • Build credibilityPlacing in a hiring challenge adds to your credentials, like placing in a case competition or a hackathon.
  • A way in for new talentYou don't need years of experience to enter. Your entry is your application.

On Roster

Challenges that
ran on Roster.

Airrack, Jenny Hoyos and Gannon Meyer all made their hires within days.

Airrack in a lavender hoodie, holding a microphone with a laptop on his lap

Airrack19.4M subscribers

$100K Editing Contest

People joined
2,665
Submission window
10 days
To a full-time hire
10 days

1st place$2,000 cash and a job opportunity with a salary up to $100K.

See the challenge (opens in a new tab)
Jenny Hoyos smiling in glasses against a teal background

Jenny Hoyos12.4M subscribers

Best YouTube Shorts Editor

People joined
455
Submission window
7 days
Editors hired in 7 days
2

The taskA short of 30 to 60 seconds from 7 minutes of raw footage. Prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250, plus potential job offers.

See the challenge (opens in a new tab)
Gannon Meyer in a dark hoodie and clear glasses, black and white portrait

Gannon Meyer197K Instagram followers

Gannon's Thumbnail Designer Bounty

People joined
139
Submission window
6 days
Thumbnail designer hired in
6 days

The prize$350 in prizes

See the challenge (opens in a new tab)

Prize pool

Set a prize worth
the effort.

Choose the role and a total prize pool. The preview splits it across the top three places.

What are you trying to hire?

$1,000
Hiring challenge Closes in 72 hours

Short-form editor challenge

Cut a short of 30 to 60 seconds from our latest video.

Prize pool $1,000

      Pricing

      Included in Pro
      and Max.

      Hiring challenges come with a subscription. You set and pay the prize pool yourself, and Roster takes no commission on the hire. Yearly billing saves up to 20%.

      Compare all plans

      Pro

      $250per month

      • 1 hiring challenge per month
      • 2 job posts per month
      • AI job description writer
      Choose Pro

      Max

      $450per month

      • 3 hiring challenges per month
      • 5 job posts per month
      • Alerts when a candidate leaves another team
      Choose Max

      Questions

      Before you
      start.

      Something else? Get in touch.

      There are prizes for the top places, and a challenge can end with a job offer. The host reviews every entry, so people who don't place can still get noticed. Placing also adds to their credentials, like placing in a case competition or a hackathon.

      No. It works for any role where you can judge the work: thumbnail designers, scriptwriters, motion designers and more. Video editors are the most common hire. Gannon Meyer hired a thumbnail designer within 6 days.

      Settle it in your challenge rules, before anyone starts. Our guidance to every host: entrants keep their work, and you don't publish an entry you haven't paid for. If an entry is good enough to post, buy it from the person who made it. Roster doesn't draft or sign agreements between you and entrants.

      You pick the start and end date. Short tasks often run 48 to 72 hours. Airrack's ran 10 days and Jenny Hoyos' ran 7. State the expected effort too, for example about 3 hours, since the window is not the effort.

      It depends on the role, the prize and how widely you share it. Airrack's challenge drew 2,665 people over 10 days. Jenny Hoyos' drew 455 over 7. Gannon Meyer's thumbnail challenge drew 139.

      The challenges on this page were open to anyone, which is how they drew hundreds and thousands of entrants. If your brief needs a smaller audience, get in touch before you post and we'll tell you what your plan allows. Only share files you are comfortable sending to every entrant.

      Hiring challenges are included in Pro at $250 a month (1 challenge per month) and Max at $450 a month (3 per month). Yearly billing saves up to 20%. The prize pool is yours to set and pay, and Roster takes no commission on hires.

      Hiring challenges

      Open your first
      challenge.

      Write the brief, pick the dates and review every entry in one feed.

      Get started Get in touch