Ask HN: A coding test or working for free?

Why don't you post your sample code on github? Maybe the CTO just wanted free work from you, but maybe he just wanted a candidate that was able to complete the assignment. He could have thought that you cherry-picked the easy cases and were unable to solve the tougher ones.

Coding tests unfortunately aren't just about demonstrating skill. Then people like me could just link to their github QED. It's also about completing assignments and doing stuff because you are being instructed to.

Is it possible the German company was trying to see how you react to failing tests?

I just ask because it seems like trying to get work done for free through code exercises is much more trouble than it's worth.

I disagree. I think coding tests are a great way to judge candidates. But only if they are given proper weight. Nothing worse than submitting and acing a big coding challenge and then being told they don't think you're a good culture fit. Some companies employ such hiring practices and I think it is very unethical.

That smells a bit fishy. I think you've dodged a bullet.

I have to be a bit cautious here, because our company does something similar.

We have a little programming challenge that we ask candidates to submit. We don't use those submissions in production. We find it gives people with non-traditional backgrounds a chance to show their chops, and gives us some meat to discuss during an interview.

The challenge probably takes 4-8 hours, though. Part of me does think it's a little asymmetric for us as employers to be demanding this of candidates. We've also done week-long work tests, where we pay the person market rate to work with us on real-life code.

Anecdotally, people view the paid week-long trial as demeaning, but the (unpaid) challenge as exciting and fun. We live in a bizarre world.

After having been asked this several times, I've begun to make it clear that I will only engage in these tests if I'm compensated for the time. It's a delicate thing to do, really, telling someone that, no, you're not going to work for free, just on the hope that you might get a job.

But it doesn't only happen in this industry: my niece is a graphic designer & has been asked to provide samples of her work on projects ... to the interviewer's specification. She's done it, because she really needed the work, but felt terribly taken advantage of, and I'd agree: it's predatory.

I have the luxury of telling people that, no, I won't take their 1) IQ test, 2) Personality Test, or 3) their Coding Challenges. Not everybody does, certainly.

The appropriate thing to do is to either state up front that you'd need to be compensated for your time, or acknowledge that you're giving away work as a way to possibly get in the door & just write the best solution you can write - not leaving it incomplete, necessarily, either, as that is a sort-of halfway position that makes you look bad.