[JSeymourATL]

> How do I convince potential employers to judge me based on my actual experience...

It's a Sellers Market for your services at the moment. You have more power in the interview process than you think.

You might try this word track directly with the Hiring Manager (avoid dealing with low-level HR Flunkies)-- I'm happy to demonstrate my skills and want to respect your time. May I suggest, that we first determine whether or not were a good match for each other. I 'd like to learn more about you and what you're working on. Take a consultative approach, have your own scorecard, and be ready to engage them in a solid business conversation. Think of this as the Discovery Phase.

Sufficiently impressed, the Hiring Manager may have power to forego the silly hoops of the code exercise. But generally speaking, the larger-the-company size the more formalized and mind-numbingly absurd the hiring process. And of course, they want to be 'fair' to the incumbent engineers who submitted to the code exercise when they interviewed.

[devplusplus]

I tend to try to talk to the Hiring Manager first, but occasionally I get in touch with a recruiter first, and they stubbornly refuse to connect with a hiring manager, and instead go through their rigid process of screening. Any tips on convincing a recruiter to set me up with a phone call to the hiring manager first, rather than to a low-level HR flunky?

[JSeymourATL]

> Any tips on convincing a recruiter to set me up with a phone call to the hiring manager first?

Play hard to get...

First, it's helpful to know what level of recruiter you're dealing with, flip the interview on them-- what's their relationship with the Hiring Manager? Are they in-house or a 3rd party firm? Do they have a tech-specific background? How long? What other searches are they working on? Then (assuming the recruiter is a seasoned professional, make a friend); offer you may be able to help them with referrals to your network.

Try this word track-- 'I get calls like yours a lot. The role sounds interesting. But my process to evaluate potential opportunities is to 'always' do a brief phone-screen with the Hiring Manager first. I'm not a prima donna, but I've found this ultimately saves everyone's time and energy. Feel free to share my profile and background notes with him. If you still want to move forward; I can be available for a call Friday morning @ 9:30am"

[Peroni]

Take note of the naming convention in the low-level HR flunky's email. Substitute their name with the CTO's name and email them directly outlining your interest in working with them but highlight your concern with their screening process.