This. Some companies proceed directly to the "build us something" or "take a quiz" portion of the interview process. I always insist on a phone interview (prefe

This. Some companies proceed directly to the "build us something" or "take a quiz" portion of the interview process. I always insist on a phone interview (preferably with the hiring manager) before doing anything else. 5 minutes of frank conversation can save you hours of wasted time. Also, you'd be surprised at how different the role they want to fill is from the one they posted.