The spray and pray approach is the default even for great coders unless they have contacts that will get them a job with almost no interview in which case none of this applies. As far as coding tests go, they should only be administered to finalist candidates after the initial interviews. So no, there shouldn't be automated scoring. That's an indicator that the test is flawed. The candidate should be able to walk through the code and explain why they did what they did. They should be fairly confident that if they do well on the test and subsequent walkthrough, they are getting the job. Companies that administer the test first either have a ton of qualified applicants competing for the same job or are doing something wrong.
Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
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Re: Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
#22What if I told you coding tests were to get the developer to talk through a problem and see how they go about it, rather than actually see them finish it?
I'd point to the automated coding tests that involve zero talking and give the company a simple numerical score on which to assess the candidate and ask you what about those?
I'd also point to the companies that put a candidate alone in a room with the test and wait for the candidate to finish, again dismissing the candidate if they don't produce an answer that matches.
Re: Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
#23This article focuses too much on the developer role in the coding skills challenge, portraying the companies as bystanders waiting for a result. Usually the problem comes with the evaluation. If you're asking a senior to bring a different way of thinking, but you ask your team of mid to senior dev, who never worked anywhere else for the matter, to evaluate, you're gonna most often get an evaluation based on their current way of looking at things, and you'll never get anyone to push the team forward.
Re: Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
#24Developers hate them because coding tests have devolved into multi-hour, unpaid assignments from which no feedback is given. It's especially bad if they are unwilling (as some seem to be) to have a short phone conversation prior to the coding test to tell you about the project.
> It's especially bad if they are unwilling (as some seem to be) to have a short phone conversation prior to the coding test to tell you about the project. I'm sympathetic. But the last time I put out a job ad I got over 100 applications for a single opening. How should companies try to narrow that to a manageable number? Just look at the CV and throw it out based on that? What do you look for on the CV that cuts out…
You didn't invite all of them for am interview did you? Just call those you will interview. And yes you preselect on the CV, that's what it's for.
Re: Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
#25Whats the tldr? I'm half way through this article and other than talk in circles it hasn't said a single thing that's meaningful
Re: Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
#26I float between three or four programming languages on a fairly regular basis (within a year), and I use or explore as many different frameworks depending on whether I'm fixing something from the past or researching something to use for the future. Similarly, I may have to go back and do some OOPish work, or I may be doing FP, or I may be doing plain integration glue scripting.
There is no coding test which will identify the value I provide to clients. A coding test will make me look bad. However, if you instead give me a "how would you solve this" question, and I will ask questions and discuss strategies, then I will look very skilled and experienced.
So yeah, I tend to take offense when companies want to test me with a "google style" (as far as they believe) interview. Frankly, if I'm going to have to pass a Google Style interview, then I'll just interview at Google and get a better job with a higher salary than what company Y is offering.
I understand that for companies, hiring good developers is difficult. But I would argue that the supposed quality of the developers is only part of the equation, and that growing good managers is an even bigger problem. A great developer can die (or quit) under a bad manager, and a mediocre or weak developer can grow into a decent developer under a good manager.
Re: Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
#27Developers hate them because coding tests have devolved into multi-hour, unpaid assignments from which no feedback is given. It's especially bad if they are unwilling (as some seem to be) to have a short phone conversation prior to the coding test to tell you about the project.
I don't know about the US but here in the UK paying someone for a coding test is actually not as simple as it sounds. If you employ someone, even just for a half day test, you have to do a "Right to work" assessment ( https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work ) which can take up a lot of time. It's a pain in the *&^%. At my company we give candidates something to cover any expenses they've had to pay to at…
You just pay them a flat-rate expense reimbursement. Tadaa, problem fixed! I hate companies cowaring behind rigid interpretations of rules to get out of paying people.
Re: Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
#28Our coding test actually revolves around things you would actually do as a coder — we give you a simple python script and ask you to identify a couple of problems with it, then read a PR that attempts to fix one of them and leave comments on it, then add a simple new feature, write a test and documentation for it and submit a PR. The actual coding part is fairly trivial and related to the work we do (interacting with…
This sounds like a coding test I would actually enjoy - solving problems.
I haven't done a lot of tests, but I have yet to do one like what you're describing.
Re: Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
#29I like coding tests. They give me an opportunity to differentiate myself.
And some "musicians" love to play scales, and can play them really well.
Re: Why Developers Hate Coding Skills Tests and What Hiring Managers Can Do
#30What if I told you coding tests were to get the developer to talk through a problem and see how they go about it, rather than actually see them finish it?
I wouldn't believe you, unless you qualified it by saying "some coding tests".
What you describe is how they should be, imo. But it's absolutely not what I have experienced.