3 ms·

Yeah. Because a programmer in a new team is likely to be productive after a week or two. /s

• naasking 8y ago
  In my experience, good and bad candidates differentiate themselves pretty quickly. Being productive is not the expectation, it's about gathering more empirical data on the candidate's actual skills with real development.
  • Tharkun 8y ago
    Which is a really awful way of hiring. Forcing someone to go through the hassle of being a contractor for a couple of weeks, only so you can decide whether you want to hire them afterwards. I suggest you don't try this in Belgium, where employee protection is a thing and this sort of nonsense doesn't fly. Unless, of course, you're looking for a long term contractor and not an employee.
    • naasking 8y ago
      What exactly is nonsense about it? They get paid for part-time work they otherwise would have to do for free during an interview or as homework.
      • Tharkun 8y ago
        Everything is nonsense about it. In most parts of the world, setting up to be a contractor (as opposed to an employee) is a hassle with various implications (tax, retirement, insurance,..). Doing it for a couple of weeks as part of a hiring process? Get real. Getting someone to do actual work during an interview is also a no-no. As soon as someone walks through your door and you ask them to do actual work, they're your employee, period. They are now automatically entitled to compensation and a minimum severance period. You can interview people in almost any way you want, but as soon as it involves doing actual work, you're toast. This may be different where you live, but it strikes me as being unethical at the very least. Hiring is hard. But exploiting people (by expecting them to do actual work, homework, forcing them into temporary contracting) is not the answer.