[bradlys]

In the USA - it's not trivial currently (or really ever). Leetcode and system design - regardless of economic environment - are always difficult to pass the interview loop for. With 2 mediums or 1 hard being the standard in <40 minutes for multiple interviews in a row - it can be a challenge for devs to get through the gauntlet.

Talent is oversaturated at all levels in the USA while cost of living just keeps going up and up and up. This is why leetcode and system design are pushed so hard - they filter out a ton of candidates on arbitrary shit that you will likely never do in your day job... and if you do, you won't have to do it in less than an hour.

Add on that lots of companies aren't hiring and every company knows it - you're not going to get the best offers.

[RamblingCTO]

Yeah, I agree on that. We do 30 minutes chit-chat and a second round discussing code skills with the tech lead. Especially because the job markets in Germany, Georgia and Ukraine (the countries we're working with) are competitive af. But I wouldn't want to anyway. Also no leetcode, system designs etc. I always prefer a bit of fresh code and a github link.