[bliti]

A lot of times it is the company's hiring process that is broken. I recently did a phone interview for a company and it was an absolute disaster right from the start. The interviewer started asking questions about specific Python functions/methods without even asking me about previous work experience. He was so adamant in trying to understand if I could program that he simply forgot to ask about me. This turned me off instantly and I did not answer any questions. I kept the interview short and politely declined through email for any sub-sequent interviews.

Their product is APIs for the financial sector. I write APIs for a living, and have done so for a while. Including APIs for the financial sector. I understood their challenges, and the technology. But rather than try and get to know about my experience a little bit first, he decided to test me on my knowledge of some obscure explanation in the Python documentation.

In contrast, my current employer did the opposite. They got to know me a little bit first and then asked me questions about programming. They brought me in as a contractor for a short period of time and observed me work. Then they did three more interviews including a technical one. Which was really interesting to do because it revolved around the decisions made in the short project I was given. The process was very smooth, and I have already shipped a project for the company, and am in the process of shipping the second one. No silly questions about coin flipping, no fizz buzz on a whiteboard. Just real questions about my skills, and an opportunity to show them off on their own environment. I wish more companies hired this way.

[humanrebar]

> They brought me in as a contractor for a short period of time and observed me work.

I'm glad that worked out for you, but for the time being, contract work is much more complicated than it should be in the U.S. Expecting all future employees to work through a contracting period while paying double payroll taxes and sticker-prices for health insurance probably isn't reasonable.

But as an option for potential employees, that sounds great.

[bliti]

Yes, I agree. It is complicated, but ultimately worth it if you are able to secure someone with my skill set/experience. It might not work for people fresh out of college, but for those of us with years of experience the work environment and insight into how management works is very important.