HR nightmares series: test task for IT company that I shouldn’t have done
In this story you will find an answer to the question of how some IT companies check tests and value candidate’s skills
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This story is part of the hiring process. First, I had an interview with a hiring manager which was not interesting. The next step is …
Boring Test
After the first interview, the next step is performing a test task, which makes me feel nauseous. You can read why I hate tests here.
It is a common practice to give a test right after a short call. Why? One possible reason is companies do not want to spend their time on you. (Spoiler: they will). Rude, but true.
HR: “.. then, if the test is okay we will invite you to the next interview.”
Me: “How does the team assess the test? Will you send me feedback?”
HR: “Yes, we will send you feedback. Our team uses a point-based system. So we rate a text. “
If you ask me what these points are, I will tell you “I do not know and they don’t either”.
I got the test in my email the next day. Frankly speaking, this test was bullshit. They just asked to write a short tutorial on how to use the software. What is more, they did not code this program.
I assume, if you ask a candidate to perform a test for you, it at least should somehow relate to your company/software etc. Otherwise, what is the point? Surprise?
I decided to spend not more than 1 hour on this work and send it to HR. At least I won’t regret that I spent 2–3 days of my life on the useless text that no one in this universe will read.
Test == Level? Really?
Three days later.
Email. HR: “Hello Jane. Our team considered your test. And your current level is Junior.“
Wow! Interesting!
It is a well-known fact that for some companies you can be a junior-level candidate when you are middle or senior for another company. It depends on your skills, experience, companies projects and many more.
However, I analyzed how exactly they assessed my skills. They wrote that I am a Junior writer according to the 300 word text. They did not consider my portfolio (I have metrics of my website), resume (I also have metrics), and did not request for any texts that I wrote for other companies (or just any texts). Absolutely ludicrous.
Also, is it not polite + adequate + professional to write someone’s level right after one short call.
Dear Candidates, I would recommend saying bye-bye to a company which assesses your skills at such a low level only according to a short test.
If they were looking for a middle or senior level candidate, why couldn’t they just reject me and finish the conversation?
Aaaand, they did not send me feedback. Only their suggestions about my level.
However, I was veeery curious about who checked the test and decided to continue the conversation.
Email. Me: “As a Junior, I can work only remotely.”
Email. HR: “Okay, great! Currently we are considering remote and junior positions.”
What luck!
During the first call, she told me that they weren’t considering junior or remote positions. According to her words, they do not have time to teach a junior. Joke! Everything is a joke here!
Dear Candidates, I would recommend saying bye-bye to a company which is not sure about what people they need. Maybe they change their mind again and again. Do you really need this?
I tried to ask for their texts and resumes of the team members. According to these materials, I could evaluate them from my side.
As a result, all my attempts to get something from this company failed. She (HR) either was a total fool or just played a game (or something else, who knows).
Final Words
In this case, it would be better to have a technical interview, ask for other publications before sending “my current level” to me.
I would not recommend doing the test after a short call. According to my experience, you have more than 50% chance that the company will reject without thinking twice.
Some companies practise giving the test after the second (technical) interview. This is great because you can know the company better and decide whether you need to continue the conversation or not.
Ultimately, tests tell more about the company than me as a candidate.
If you are interested in what happened next, read the article about the interview.
Jane is a Go programmer and technical writer in software engineering. She has been writing technical material for 5 years in both English and Russian. She completed her specialist degree in Information Security from Novosibirsk State Technical University, and specializes in the information security of automated systems. You can follow her on Twitter and see her other written work at publications.enthusiastic.io.
