But, I do think they can be a decent part of a larger interview process.
I've had some very reasonable whiteboard exercises where the interviewers were very clear that the problem was tricky and I wasn't necessarily expected to solve it - the emphasis was on conversation and hearing my thought process. I actually enjoyed some of them.
If you can start off on a contract, do that. It is
the best way to even out the power dynamic of the
interview process.
Counterpoint: why not just just take a fulltime job and quit / move on if it's not a good fit?
The company doesn't want to be on the hook for unemployment or wrongful termination I think.
> I agree in principle but in practicality, there are some difficulties such as needing healthcare coverage for my family. (Yes, the US system of employer-subsidized healthcare is utterly broken, but that's what I'm dealing with)
I actually did this for my last job, because I'm terrible at interviewing (I both hate practicing leetcode, and have fairly bad anxiety). I had the same concern as you, and the way I got around it was to ask for them to pay me on contract an amount equivalent to what my salary would be AND benefits. I guess if you're employed then that doesn't work so well, but as an unemployed (at the time) person it worked out great.
The best way to figure out if someone is a culture fit? Ship code with them.
If you can start off on a contract, do that. It is the best way to even out the power dynamic of the interview process.
If you are not in a place where you can do that, check out what we are building at www.commit.dev to Re-build career transitions around the engineer.