Companies shouldn't give candidates homework assignments

Re:Companies shouldn't give candidates homework assignments by caconym_ on Tuesday August 21, 2018 @04:28PM (#17813461)

The insight regarding supply and demand in the job market did occur to me, but I still think companies have an ethical responsibility to respect applicants' time and effort. In particular, time should be taken for a thorough and objective review of every single "homework assignment" that is given out, and the company should attach an appropriate weight to it as a hiring signal.

e.g. If my thousand lines of code are being weighed objectively and fairly against a thousand other applicants' code, so be it. If they get bored of reading and pick one near the top that isn't terrible, that's bullshit. And if mine is the top entry, I'd better not get passed over because someone didn't like the color of my tie.

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Re:Companies shouldn't give candidates homework assignments by philpem on Thursday August 23, 2018 @05:16AM (#17825756)

I'd argue that any company who'd judge me based on the colour of my tie, or (hypothetically) the Pride entry wristband I forgot to take off -- is probably not one I'd want to work at long-term.

(Experience bears this out, though I didn't find out until much later into my tenure)

I think of jobs more in terms of relationships -- if we don't mesh, if we don't get on, then neither party will get value from the relationship and it's better to find out sooner than later.

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