[conanbatt]

There is no bending, there is an ask, and a response of "the ask is impossible to fulfill", which isn't. Its dishonest, but worse, its dumb because its obviously false and couterproductive.

Not spending 10 hours to decide where you might spend the next 20 thousand is plain penny wise, pound foolish. If a job ceteris paribus pays 5% more on a 100,000 income, and doing the work assignment gives you 50% changes of getting that 5%, its like getting 2,500 U$S per year for 10 hours. It pays for itself.

[watwut]

The kind of place that treats 10 hours this way is a kind of place that will treat you badly as employer. Same attitude will be applied in all aspects. The same very real considerations will be treated as dishonest excuses later on. Expect regular and long crunch and no control over when overtime.

Also, the assumption that forfeiting those 10h will make one financially worst off is likely wrong, especially in long term.

Lastly, we are not talking about 10h deciding, we are talking about 10h of a single take home assignment - there are more companies to talk with and decision making time is not in it.

[conanbatt]

Then it works as a great signaling, its just not the match.

[watwut]

Yeah, well except the complacent paupers part and dishonest part where very real considerations and decision making is casted as something shameful that makes you less capable. Likely serves to tilt the culture toward not speaking up about these openly.