There's a distinction to be made here about the level of the position being discussed and the particular skillset. What you're saying makes more sense on the ju

There's a distinction to be made here about the level of the position being discussed and the particular skillset. What you're saying makes more sense on the junior to mid-level dev positions or for more common skillsets. However, this is the Hacker News audience and you're clearly replying to someone who has already narrowed it down to senior dev positions. Given that context, I'm going to have to disagree with your assessment. If you're hiring for the best, then it's up to HR to respect their time. Otherwise you are just perpetuating the belief that recruiters add no value to either side of the equation.