141–150 of 794 posts
I think you'd have to not have many other opportunities to be worth putting up with that much for the potential for a job. Imagine if they interviewed at even one other place that required this much from them, they wouldn't have the time.
The hiring process doesn't seem to, and of course this is totally an completely assumptive-- based only on the list of items in your post, reflect any reason why a senior engineer would want to apply there. Most people want one of two things: more money or more growth. Right now, I'd guess, that potential candidates aren't feeling either from the ad. Is the salary actually good? Reading the job details I can say I'd expect at least ~$200k/yr cash, some sort of yearly cash bonus, and equity in the company.
Additionally, there may be language in the job ad; which, turns off more experienced candidates, e.g. "ninja," "rockstar," "10x". Very subtle changes to the language you use can completely change your applicant pool for both good and bad, it's worth experimenting via services that help with this (by reviewing the job ad) or consultants (though I'd try a service first, gonna be a lot cheaper).
Finally, seeing your stack being ops related, I'd guess a lot of qualified people are assuming you don't pay enough or will have awful work life balance. Are folks on-call 24/7? Salary might be alright unless your on-call 20% of your life-- in which case maybe it ain't. Speaking to that in the ad might really help pique some folks interests (if the work-life balance is good).
Good luck!
Also there's lots of incredible talent out there, who are horrible test takers or do poorly under the context of the stress of performing for an interview... these people actually tend to be more talented than the people that are good test takers and good under that kind of pressure. You're shooting yourself in the foot by not considering them.
Hiring "the best candidate for the job" is a nebulous term that HR has misinterpreted to mean "most technically skilled during an unrealistic interview test". The best candidate is really the person who interfaces with a team the best on an interpersonal level, and they will grow in to their position over time, and fill in any gaps in technical experience they don't have if they are truly passionate about their field. Either a lead person has leadership traits or they don't. Some technical homework assignment and presentation will prove nothing.
Lots of great comments here; My thoughts on this as other Seniors have pointed out (and I am a Senior myself) 1- I have not looked for a job since 2014, every job since came through my network. Then the interviews were basically friendly meet&greets but super informal, not a single coding test or take home assignment - note than I always started as Tech lead/Architect. I put in the hours and took pride in my work, ha…
> Then the interviews were basically friendly meet&greets but super informal, not a single coding test or take home assignment I have 20 years experience and this is completely alien to my experience. I've gotten lots of job referrals over the years, but all it did was get my foot in the door. From there, it was the standard interview process with whiteboarding and take home tests. What am I missing here?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
If I'm interviewing at multiple companies and they all do that, that's 4 hours per company I want to check out. And let's be honest, most of these I've been asked to do weren't reasonable to do, and do well, and double check, in four hours, despite the claim. Eight hours is more reasonable to do them properly, usually. If I interview at three places, that's three days of unpaid work (or 6+ evenings after I've already…
> Like I just can't find the energy to put up with Amazon's 2.5 hour span of unbroken time take-home test By the sounds of it, that test would be the best bit of your time at Amazon.
We've been unsuccessful finding senior roles lately. The job is slightly underpaid, but the technologies, team, and everything else are amazing. It's difficult to communicate that in a job rec. I'd never leave for a much more higher paying role because the weight of being on a team of real experts working on real challenges far outweighs additional money. Just the way it goes out here. For the same reasons you wouldn…
Most senior people have the experience to make good decisions and to guide the younger staff. What they may not have is experience in your tool set. But that can be picked up quickly, their seniority cannot.