Agreed, when I was recruiting for a small company (where we could be easily outbid), the only tool I really had was that the process was 1 interview and I made a decision. This was before remote absolutely exploded but I was able to successfully recruit some really bright young developers and, I hope, kickstarted some incredible careers for them. Granted, I’m not confident I could do it now, as the gap between what the company could afford and what you can make working remote is much too large now!