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Further more, we have legal protections for those with disabilities when taking these certifications that is not accounted for in the tech sector. http://www.a

Further more, we have legal protections for those with disabilities when taking these certifications that is not accounted for in the tech sector. http://www.americanbar.org/groups/disabilityrights/resources/biad.html http://www.americanbar.org/groups/disabilityrights/resources... http://ncees.org/exams/special-accommodations/ada-exam-accommodations/ http://ncees.org/exams/special-accommodations/ada-exam-accom... http://www.usmle.org/test-accommodations/ http://www.usmle.org/test-accommodations/ Are we ok with allowing discrimination like this to continue?

geebee 10y ago
Interesting observation about the legal protections you mentioned. While it's just one case, I think this is illustrative of how seriously certification, licensing, and other exams are taken in the rest of the world. Exams can be useful and perhaps even essential, but they aren't trivial. It's a big deal to put someone through this. It is important to have safeguards to ensure fairness, integrity, and consistency. One of the reasons we don't have this in tech is that companies have no incentive to be transparent about their exams, because they fear lawsuits. They'd much rather reply "we've decided not to pursue your candidacy further at this time" than tell you specifically what you did wrong during their technical exams (they really aren't interviews, they are exams - calling them interviews just confuses people who aren't familiar with what goes on in tech). The thing is, these exams really are formal affairs. My understanding is that if you applied to google, there is a database entry somewhere with your name, screen captures of what you wrote at the whiteboard, notes on your performance, and a score. However, the person who has been through the tests have more or less no rights to any of this information. I suppose some people might say "well, that's their business, if you don't like it, don't apply." My response is, yeah, exactly. I believe tech culture turns off a huge number of people - these interview exams are a notable part of this, along with back visibility, open offices, micromanagement, and concerns about career longevity are other. I believe that people with choice, those who aren't obliged to work for a particular employer in a particular field as a condition of living in the US are choosing not to work in tech. There's a constant drum beat about this shortage, from a field that puts candidates through this constantly. I do think that tests without any protections for the examinee is one of many things tech may need to reconsider to attract people with choice into this field. I see no reason for government to get involved in helping tech get workers without while going about business as usual.

geebee 10y ago

Interesting observation about the legal protections you mentioned. While it's just one case, I think this is illustrative of how seriously certification, licensing, and other exams are taken in the rest of the world. Exams can be useful and perhaps even essential, but they aren't trivial. It's a big deal to put someone through this. It is important to have safeguards to ensure fairness, integrity, and consistency. One of the reasons we don't have this in tech is that companies have no incentive to be transparent about their exams, because they fear lawsuits. They'd much rather reply "we've decided not to pursue your candidacy further at this time" than tell you specifically what you did wrong during their technical exams (they really aren't interviews, they are exams - calling them interviews just confuses people who aren't familiar with what goes on in tech). The thing is, these exams really are formal affairs. My understanding is that if you applied to google, there is a database entry somewhere with your name, screen captures of what you wrote at the whiteboard, notes on your performance, and a score. However, the person who has been through the tests have more or less no rights to any of this information. I suppose some people might say "well, that's their business, if you don't like it, don't apply." My response is, yeah, exactly. I believe tech culture turns off a huge number of people - these interview exams are a notable part of this, along with back visibility, open offices, micromanagement, and concerns about career longevity are other. I believe that people with choice, those who aren't obliged to work for a particular employer in a particular field as a condition of living in the US are choosing not to work in tech. There's a constant drum beat about this shortage, from a field that puts candidates through this constantly. I do think that tests without any protections for the examinee is one of many things tech may need to reconsider to attract people with choice into this field. I see no reason for government to get involved in helping tech get workers without while going about business as usual.