3 ms·

I've had plenty of interviews that didn't involve high-pressure, time-sensitive whiteboards and still managed to draw out my knowledge and ability. The other p

I've had plenty of interviews that didn't involve high-pressure, time-sensitive whiteboards and still managed to draw out my knowledge and ability. The other possibility, which I don't know why shops don't offer more often, is a contractor position. I've never taken a job that I wouldn't have been happy to work as a contractor for a while first if they asked, and two of my best jobs start out as a contractor.

edanm 3y ago
> I've had plenty of interviews that didn't involve high-pressure, time-sensitive whiteboards and still managed to draw out my knowledge and ability. I personally dislike "whiteboard" testing as well, and I think it's usually very ineffective. I think some form of work-sample is best, in my 15 years of interviewing we'd usually do: one "open ended architecture" question (which can involve a whiteboard but usually only for diagrams, not code). Then a 1-2 hour programming task, on a computer with full access to the internet. > [...] I don't know why shops don't offer more often, is a contractor position. This is usually a completely different position, from many perspectives. It's usually a different budget for the group hiring - they can't easily convert "salaried" positions into "contractor positions". It's also, in many jurisdictions, a very fraught legal situation. Contractors in general have different rights, but if a company is shown to hire contractors and treat them the same as employees, the contractors can often sue to get the rights of any other employee. This makes sense - it's so companies can't use contracting as a way around whatever legal regulations exist on employment. (Whether those legal regulations are good or not is a different question - but for sure you don't want there to be loopholes around your laws.)

3 ms·

I've had plenty of interviews that didn't involve high-pressure, time-sensitive whiteboards and still managed to draw out my knowledge and ability. The other p

by suzzer99 3y ago

edanm 3y ago
> I've had plenty of interviews that didn't involve high-pressure, time-sensitive whiteboards and still managed to draw out my knowledge and ability. I personally dislike "whiteboard" testing as well, and I think it's usually very ineffective. I think some form of work-sample is best, in my 15 years of interviewing we'd usually do: one "open ended architecture" question (which can involve a whiteboard but usually only for diagrams, not code). Then a 1-2 hour programming task, on a computer with full access to the internet. > [...] I don't know why shops don't offer more often, is a contractor position. This is usually a completely different position, from many perspectives. It's usually a different budget for the group hiring - they can't easily convert "salaried" positions into "contractor positions". It's also, in many jurisdictions, a very fraught legal situation. Contractors in general have different rights, but if a company is shown to hire contractors and treat them the same as employees, the contractors can often sue to get the rights of any other employee. This makes sense - it's so companies can't use contracting as a way around whatever legal regulations exist on employment. (Whether those legal regulations are good or not is a different question - but for sure you don't want there to be loopholes around your laws.)