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by rpeden 2768 days ago
There are lots of companies that don't do these kinds of tests.

It's been a while since I've done a job search, but several people I know have done them recently. And they've all found that some companies - mainly big tech companies, along with tech startups of all kinds - use these kinds of tests heavily.

Other companies that hire lots of developers - like banks, insurance companies, and manufacturers - don't seem to use these tests nearly as much. They'll sit down with you, talk about your experience, and the systems you've built.

At this point, if they like you, they'll often give you a small test project to do. And when I say small, I mean small - probably an hour at most. And while these projects can be annoying, these companies seem to give it after they've interviewed you and they're serious about moving forward. I don't mind this approach. There are lots of people out there working as developers who write truly awful code, so I think it's fair of them to want to see something from you before making an offer.

Working as a developer for a non-tech company might sound awful, but some of them are actually really great places to be. From what I've heard from devs I've talked to, many of these old school companies are actually really progressive technically, pay their developers well, and treat them with plenty of respect. And they tend to very sane work hours too. If your manager sees you still in the office at 5:05pm on a Friday, they'll probably tell you to go home. :)

1 comments

Another thing the non-tech companies you mention will sometimes do is contract-to-hire. The hiring process for my current job at $BigBank was: Phone screen with recruiter. One hour interview with a couple developers. Follow up phone call with manager. That's it. Because CTH gives them months to evaluate actual skills in a real work environment before deciding whether to convert you or let you go.

It's a great arrangement for those of us who do really good work but tend to interview poorly. Probably not so popular with those who BS well in an interview but can't back it up...

The pay isn't FANG, but can be decent if your manager likes your work and you don't let HR lowball you.