[skyraider]

One problem with "go do a task" interviews is that you can't gauge a company's interest in you, the candidate, before doing them.

I remember doing a task-based interview once, getting an offer, and having it retracted after I asked to meet with the team before accepting (they just moved on to another developer who would accept without meeting the team first). This was a reputable, respected small company. Clearly, task-based interviews let them determine who was competent and who wasn't, but I was the only one who was invested in the interview process.

Payment helps and it's great to see some companies pay for project interview that aren't even directly related to their technical needs. The company invests money and the candidate invests time.