| Take-home tests are incredibly disrespectful. Not only is it an implication my work and experience are illegitimate, but it's a request for me to do work for free. Not happening. My frame is always "I'm a professional meeting another professional to see if what I'm selling is fit for what they're seeking to buy, and at a fair price." You can imagine my shock when the interviewer's frame is something like "Do this work for free to prove to me you're worthy." Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have nothing to prove, my friend. I like to put things like this in mob terms because it distills things down to their simple essence. Mobsters are all about essence and simplicity. No Bullshit™. This humbles the nerd. Here: >You like steak? I deliver steak. I could deliver you steak. At a good price too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii5CiYxwuMo That's it. That's the essence of the ideal interview. Two professionals having a conversation. No Bullshit™. Like literally every other industry. I'm a respectable steak delivery man and you are a respectable potential client. That's the frame. None of this "prove to me you're worthy" nonsense. When I deliver, you pay. If I don't deliver, you don't pay. Simple as. >Before I hire you as a plumber, I just need you to install a section of piping free of charge, because I don't trust you or believe who you say you are. Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? It is. You'll be installing your own pipe with this attitude. There's already a great deal of asymmetry in the hiring process. You're getting paid to interview me, but I'm not. Let's not make it any more asymmetric than it already is. I understand interviewing is difficult. A lot of this difficulty stems from the fact that many of us in this business are pretty nerdy, i.e. socially awkward, both interviewers and candidates alike. This makes it difficult to probe someone via conversation to see if they'd be a good fit. But difficulty with socializing is no excuse. If you're a socially awkward hiring manager, you either need a different role or need to improve your social skills. If you're a socially awkward candidate, same thing goes for you - improve your social skills. If a hiring manager tries to saddle you with unpaid work, you tell him "fuck you, pay me". Gabish? Have some self-respect people. The more candidates that set these managers straight, the more they'll be forced to start conducting normal human interviews. |