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It's interesting to see that employers are essentially requiring more effort from potential job candidates in order for them to be seriously considered, when th

by adamb_ 13y ago

It's interesting to see that employers are essentially requiring more effort from potential job candidates in order for them to be seriously considered, when the tech industry is currently a candidate's market.

saryant 13y ago
I think tech is definitely a candidate's market but the corollary is that the tech market attracts a lot of candidates who can't perform. Real programming exercises are perhaps the only way to weed them out.
- Guvante 13y ago
  While I 100% agree you need some kind of code based part of your interview practice, there is a large range of exercises that are being spoken about. It goes roughly from whiteboard problems to sitting at a computer with them over your shoulder to a couple hours before the interview to a full week of work. Everyone knows the lightest form is necessary the big question is how much you can get from increasing the complexity before people get annoyed.
  - saryant 13y ago
    We give prospective candidates a take-home programming project that should take 3-5 hours and is clearly not something we could use in production. We think that's a fair compromise.
7Figures2Commas 13y ago
It may be a seller's market, but it's worth noting that your chances of being hired without going through all of the inane interview processes frequently discussed here are still slim to none at tech giants and hot startups. The large/hot companies have no problem finding enough candidates to jump through their hoops and, wisely or foolishly, many startups are content to sit on unfilled positions until they find someone they think meets their criteria. So only a subset of sellers have the leverage many think they do.
- adamb_ 13y ago
  I agree that "hot" companies have their own localized demand, but I don't think that's reflective of the majority of companies in the tech field who are now being encouraged to imitate these top-tech players hiring practices.

by adamb_ 13y ago

saryant 13y ago

I think tech is definitely a candidate's market but the corollary is that the tech market attracts a lot of candidates who can't perform. Real programming exercises are perhaps the only way to weed them out.

Guvante 13y ago
While I 100% agree you need some kind of code based part of your interview practice, there is a large range of exercises that are being spoken about. It goes roughly from whiteboard problems to sitting at a computer with them over your shoulder to a couple hours before the interview to a full week of work. Everyone knows the lightest form is necessary the big question is how much you can get from increasing the complexity before people get annoyed.
- saryant 13y ago
  We give prospective candidates a take-home programming project that should take 3-5 hours and is clearly not something we could use in production. We think that's a fair compromise.

7Figures2Commas 13y ago

It may be a seller's market, but it's worth noting that your chances of being hired without going through all of the inane interview processes frequently discussed here are still slim to none at tech giants and hot startups. The large/hot companies have no problem finding enough candidates to jump through their hoops and, wisely or foolishly, many startups are content to sit on unfilled positions until they find someone they think meets their criteria. So only a subset of sellers have the leverage many think they do.

adamb_ 13y ago
I agree that "hot" companies have their own localized demand, but I don't think that's reflective of the majority of companies in the tech field who are now being encouraged to imitate these top-tech players hiring practices.