This really nailed it on at least one particular job I was interviewing for. I'm freelance and really happy with it, but was referred by a friend to a (at least

This really nailed it on at least one particular job I was interviewing for. I'm freelance and really happy with it, but was referred by a friend to a (at least regionally highly regarded) company, so I thought I'd go. I was first presented with a IQ test-looking set of pictures where you choose what comes next in the sequence. Seeing as I love puzzles, I scored great on it, but also aware that it doesn't really say anything about my skills on the job. They were very positive and wanted to move forward. So I got a take-home test in Java. There wasn't a time estimate, but it was fairly convoluted, and it was meant to show what you would turn in, had it been my task, meaning I wanted build configs, testing, deployment, etc. The problem was that I hadn't worked with Java for a decade, nor did the position have any connection to Java. I didn't even have a jdk installed at the time, but made an effort at setting it all up, figuring out maven or gradle, making my classes and data models, getting a skeleton set up, and after three hours figured I wasn't even half way done. I wasn't interested enough in the job, would have gotten a pay cut, and had a 3 month old at home I was much more keen to hang out with on my free time, so I reported what I had done and that I was unlikely to do more. They stated that they would set up a meeting with the CTO, but never heard back. I wish they had done a (sort of) exit interview or just sent out a minimal effort feedback questionnaire. It would be one of the first one I'd actually like to fill out. I don't think I'm top tier in my field or region, or that I would've gotten/taken the job anyways, but they really put me off for the wrong reasons. And I bet this is more common than it has any right to be.