Imagine a world without dishonesty and deception. That is the only place where interviewing for a software development job would be more or less straight-forwar

Imagine a world without dishonesty and deception. That is the only place where interviewing for a software development job would be more or less straight-forward. Too many people either flat out lie on their resumes or overstate their achievements and involvement in order to get a higher-paying job. So those who are hiring are left to separate the honest from the dishonest. The only way to do this objectively is by adding complexity to the interview and testing for the claims made by the applicant. If you think it's hard finding a job, try hiring 10 programmers in a short time, and let me know how it goes for you. Try bringing on a candidate who spins his wheels for months (while you pay him) and who you then have to fire. It's expensive. Companies are entitled to protect themselves.