[EpicEng]

On a whim I responded to a recruiter last week about a job. The first step was an online coding challenge. The company wanted a "Java developer", and I told the recruiter I have never used Java regularly, but given my experience she said it wasn't a problem. I figured the code test would be some simple filter stuff.

Instead, it was five algorithm quizzes... all in Java. I had an hour to finish it and, after spending the first fifteen minutes searching for Java standard library stuff just so I could write the code I wanted, I decided this was a waste of my time and closed the tab. This was all before I could even speak with someone who works at the company to find out if I cared to move forward.

I worked as a hiring manager for a couple of years and have had input into the hiring process for more than a decade. I've never found it difficult to screen someone out who had no place applying to begin with by taking a fifteen minute call. This at least gives them a chance to ask some questions and they don't feel like you're yanking them around.