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Lots of great comments here; My thoughts on this as other Seniors have pointed out (and I am a Senior myself) 1- I have not looked for a job since 2014, every

Lots of great comments here; My thoughts on this as other Seniors have pointed out (and I am a Senior myself) 1- I have not looked for a job since 2014, every job since came through my network. Then the interviews were basically friendly meet&greets but super informal, not a single coding test or take home assignment - note than I always started as Tech lead/Architect. I put in the hours and took pride in my work, have never let anyone down. 2- Unless I am unemployed and desperate, why would I give you between 6 and 7 hours of “free” unpaid labor for an interview that might not go anywhere? A big part of the interview process is “luck”. I have many terrible interviewing stories; interviewing is hard and for the most part a numbers and luck game. I hate wasting time and for that reason I carefully calculate my odds before applying and put more emphasis on gigs when I have a sponsor on the inside or where the upside and risk make it worth the attempt. Which disqualifies most non tech non brand name companies. My suggestions for you; 1- Include salary and TC on your job post (it will set you apart from others) and will attract more attention. 2- Shorten/Simplify your hiring process and consider paying folks for their time, at least $100hr. I have interviewed at places where it costs $40 to park for the day, you are there for 3-5 hrs for a final in person round, but if you don’t get an offer they don’t validate your parking ticket so not only you wasted your time but also spent a bunch of money on top of taking a day off from your current job. Last but not least, think about the state of the market, Seniors are likely older, with families and mortgages. in this market, stability is important, changing jobs can be a gamble, their offer could get rescinded, etc Why take the risk? This will be true in the next 12/24 months, what is the incentive - unless the candidate is already unemployed. Thanks for your time.

amsnl 4y ago
I hear the “pay folks for their time” thing a lot, and have even done it. But for a senior engineer / architect level role, how is $100/hr meaningful in your mind? Just as a show of good faith? If you’re senior (and hence have been in this market the last 10 years) $100/hr wouldn’t seem to move the needle.
- kojeovo 4y ago
  The money itself likely won't make a dent, IMO it's more on the good faith. "We understand you're busy and your time is valuable, and since we want you to do this work we will compensate you"
PainfullyNormal 4y ago
> Then the interviews were basically friendly meet&greets but super informal, not a single coding test or take home assignment I have 20 years experience and this is completely alien to my experience. I've gotten lots of job referrals over the years, but all it did was get my foot in the door. From there, it was the standard interview process with whiteboarding and take home tests. What am I missing here?
- AndyNemmity 4y ago
  Not sure. The majority of comments from Seniors with 20 years of experience so far (including myself) are of the same type. Friendly meet and greets that are informal, no coding test or take home assignment. My best guess is your job referrals aren't from senior level people, while ours are. The CTO is the one who wants me. Or the top Senior who has control of the process. But I'm just guessing. The norm for me is informal conversation.
  - justrudd 4y ago
    For me (20+ year club): 1.) Senior Dev referred me, and they had a remarkable relationship with management - informal chat and offer that afternoon 2.) Senior Dev referred me, and they had a normal relationship with management - regular interview 3.) CTO referred me - informal chat with them and the CEO, offer letter handed to me at the end of the chat with the CEO. So I've found that it really depends on who is referring you and what type of relationship they have with the person that controls the money. edit: fixed formatting.
    - AndyNemmity 4y ago
      Agreed, well said. I could make a similar list as you did, but it's essentially the same. VPs, and CTOs most often, informal chat, offer.
      - ghaff 4y ago
        Yeah, the last couple of jobs in particular it wasn't getting a standard referral through the HR system. The first we were clients of a technology analyst firm CEO who I knew quite well and had met and spoken with at many events. The second was someone who had been clients of ours at the consulting company. In the first case, the "interview" was a lunch. In the second, it was a semi-normal hiring process but I talked to the most senior folks, starting with a chat with the product head, first. Really haven't had a "normal" hiring process since first job out of grad school (shudder) 25 years ago. Not dev per se but technology role.
throwawayjun21 4y ago
I was recently accused of googling during the inteview even though i didnt touch computer. it made me feel so sad for days.

amsnl 4y ago

I hear the “pay folks for their time” thing a lot, and have even done it. But for a senior engineer / architect level role, how is $100/hr meaningful in your mind? Just as a show of good faith? If you’re senior (and hence have been in this market the last 10 years) $100/hr wouldn’t seem to move the needle.

kojeovo 4y ago
The money itself likely won't make a dent, IMO it's more on the good faith. "We understand you're busy and your time is valuable, and since we want you to do this work we will compensate you"

PainfullyNormal 4y ago

> Then the interviews were basically friendly meet&greets but super informal, not a single coding test or take home assignment I have 20 years experience and this is completely alien to my experience. I've gotten lots of job referrals over the years, but all it did was get my foot in the door. From there, it was the standard interview process with whiteboarding and take home tests. What am I missing here?

AndyNemmity 4y ago
Not sure. The majority of comments from Seniors with 20 years of experience so far (including myself) are of the same type. Friendly meet and greets that are informal, no coding test or take home assignment. My best guess is your job referrals aren't from senior level people, while ours are. The CTO is the one who wants me. Or the top Senior who has control of the process. But I'm just guessing. The norm for me is informal conversation.
- justrudd 4y ago
  For me (20+ year club): 1.) Senior Dev referred me, and they had a remarkable relationship with management - informal chat and offer that afternoon 2.) Senior Dev referred me, and they had a normal relationship with management - regular interview 3.) CTO referred me - informal chat with them and the CEO, offer letter handed to me at the end of the chat with the CEO. So I've found that it really depends on who is referring you and what type of relationship they have with the person that controls the money. edit: fixed formatting.
  - AndyNemmity 4y ago
    Agreed, well said. I could make a similar list as you did, but it's essentially the same. VPs, and CTOs most often, informal chat, offer.
    - ghaff 4y ago
      Yeah, the last couple of jobs in particular it wasn't getting a standard referral through the HR system. The first we were clients of a technology analyst firm CEO who I knew quite well and had met and spoken with at many events. The second was someone who had been clients of ours at the consulting company. In the first case, the "interview" was a lunch. In the second, it was a semi-normal hiring process but I talked to the most senior folks, starting with a chat with the product head, first. Really haven't had a "normal" hiring process since first job out of grad school (shudder) 25 years ago. Not dev per se but technology role.

throwawayjun21 4y ago

I was recently accused of googling during the inteview even though i didnt touch computer. it made me feel so sad for days.