Screening software developers on all levels before they receive a job placement is as typical as in any other industry. Whether on a whiteboard, deciphering a time challenge or implementing a take-home project, several senior developers and engineers wonder whether programming exercises are still something they should have to participate in. It’s a comprehensible thought when you’re an experienced tech professional. Do you, a fifteen-year-old veteran with broad technology experience, still have to demonstrate your skills in coding challenges? On the other hand, should a company put you into consideration if you reject a coding test?
Honestly, this question has no absolute answer—it also depends on the company policy. If you trash any part of the interview process, the company will relinquish the entire process. Let’s say you were the recruiter. Would you go on and hire someone who takes exception to the company’s policies for the interviewing process?
Rejecting coding tests during the interview process will definitely result in rejection by a potential employer. To a potential employer, your refusal of a coding test will show them that you’ll be challenging to deal with, even with something fairly standard. Besides your vast tech skills, companies hire individuals who’ll fit in their culture. Therefore, rejecting a test during an interview shows the employer that you may not fit in with the company culture before you even land the contract.
In case you’re offered an exercise on a whiteboard. If you’re not comfortable, you can talk to the hiring manager and ask for at least a coding test or a take-home work rather than asserting, “I’m not doing this. Most managers will likely accept your counteroffer. You can tell the hiring manager, “I am not sure whether a whiteboard is the best approach for demonstrating my knowledge and skills. Tell them you really understand the rationale of the whiteboards. Still, you’re more comfortable with a small-scale project where you can utilise every developer’s tools, the web and documentation. Also, a live test is a good compromise. It does not leave a bad taste on a whiteboard. Still, it helps your potential employer know whether you have the necessary key competencies and skills. Technical homework is a bit more convenient but has its peculiarities.
Why Senior Software Developers Don’t do Coding Tests
The main objective behind coding tests during interviews is to filter out applicants who don’t possess the required technical know-how and skills for the role early on. So the hiring managers and candidates don’t waste their time with an in-person interview.
Though, nearly all developers today give a dirty look to the idea of performing a coding test and over fifty per cent of man-to-man refuse to carry out status quo assessments. Here are the reasons why software developers hate interview coding tests.
Coding tests examine for algorithmic skills instead of the potential to write code.
Companies always need results from these evaluations, not just results but significant ones. The most straightforward way to achieve this is to use trick questions during the assessments. To prosper in these tests, applicants must spend at least a couple of weeks practising how to write code for some of the problematic questions. Usually, a few developers can deliver outstanding results on these tests. Usually, interviewers forget how demanding interviews can be for the interviewees. Writing executable code for a niche algorithm you encounter in school. You have never used as an engineer with a time limit can be exceedingly terrifying.
Much as it’s considerable for a developer to be good at algorithms, it is not a security measure of how good a developer is or whether they’ll be suitable for the role. Very few tech roles require that robust algorithmic ability. Therefore, you can imagine no great developer is thrilled about the idea of giving a test in the first place. Add to the fact that questions are irrelevant, and 50% of candidates refuse to take these tests.
Coding tests don’t reflect real-world programming experience.
Software developers cite that coding tests do not demonstrate the actual experience of writing code as one would on the job. For instance, most coding tests require developers to build something from scratch. As beginning from scratch is easy, it’s uncommon that engineers would do this very often when hired—more usual than not in the real world. While on-job experience would instead require you to familiarise yourself with an existing codebase and contribute to it effectively.
Coding tests take developers out of their comfort zone.
Many developers question the rationale of coding tests because they’re called on to conduct a task in an environment that’s unfamiliar to them. Therefore, they sensibly feel they can not put their best foot forward. Almost all developers have an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that has been fully personalised for their individual tastes and preferences, allowing them to write code efficiently. So the question is, how would these developers execute their best when they’re thrown into an environment they’re unfamiliar with and will not even utilise when allowed to work for the potential employee. On top of that, developers may be asked to perform a task on-the-spot while others are looking. This usually increases the developer’s anxiety. Making it uncomfortable for them to execute this task.
Coding tests are usually time-consuming.
Another reason coding tests during interviews are a terrible taste for software developers is that they’re time-consuming. Therefore, be cautious when a company requests you to take a test on their platform or environment. Are you being asked to fix a bug or design a feature for an existing service or application? If the test is not for an application, it’s already operational. For technical difficulties that require you to take it home, ensure that they don’t get out of hand. Certain companies assert that you have to spend only a few hours on the project, having in the back of their mind that you’ll have to invest much more time and effort than you expected. Besides that, when a project generates outputs that the company can utilise in production or when they ask you to spend a day on a task, do not ask for compensation as it looks inappropriate.
Senior developers don’t have to prove themselves.
Most times, senior developers are unwilling to perform coding tests because they believe they don’t have to prove themselves. Having worked for several years and developed various products and code samples, they would instead highlight to showcase their abilities. As a senior developer, proving your skills can be risky since you’re being asked to share your original thinking. Nothing will keep the company from taking and implementing your ideas and running with them independently, even after rejecting you at the interview. There’s an inherent risk, and you are asked to provide value upfront.
Conclusion
Senior software developers usually challenge the validity of coding assessments for the aforementioned reasons. Therefore, for software developers skipping coding assessments is not an option. Anyone involved in the tech hiring process is aware that many developers are not qualified for the role, making some sort of test that candidates must pass before being called for the interview a necessity.
Software engineers are usually not good at selling themselves, and great candidates often massively undersell themselves on paper. Relatively, a resume screen can help you eliminate some candidates who are clearly not qualified for the role and sort resumes by priority. Beyond that, a resume filter has an inherent bias toward candidates with good credentials (education and work history). Good programmers can come from anywhere, and using keyword matching means you’re probably missing out on a lot of great candidates. But you can’t just start interviewing everyone who applies.
