Measuring Skills, Missing Intangibles
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted - Albert Einstein
Recently, one of my aspiring former federal colleagues faced rejection after a take-home assignment during a tech interview. The hiring manager based the decision on a lack of clearly teachable skills—essentially, details that a quick feedback session could remedy.
Many companies, including elite ones, have open roles better suited for robots. Competing for these diminishes your worth. Yet, rejection always stings.
The tech industry's embrace of take-home assignments as a fair measure of a candidate's technical ability undervalues intangibles. While these assignments allow candidates to showcase their technical prowess, business acumen, and problem-solving skills, they miss the essence of creativity, teamwork, and adaptability. These qualities distinguish competence from greatness.
My dissatisfaction with the take-home assignment process echoes among other aspiring former feds. These aren't mere complaints but signals that the role, and possibly the company, might not align with our values. Would you rely on these assignments to assess a new teammate's potential?
This format privileges those with specific experiences, overlooking resilience, leadership, and innovative thinking. Consequently, tech companies risk missing out on the very talents that could propel their projects.
Redefining the interview process to balance teachable skills and intangible qualities promises more holistic evaluations. Real-world scenarios and team-based challenges offer a window into a candidate's creative problem-solving and collaborative prowess.
Next time a company suggests a take-home assignment, don't hesitate to question its relevance. Trust your gut and propose an alternative. Remember, you're evaluating them too.
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Great insight. The better approach I've encountered has been case studies or tech assessments done live in the interviews themselves. It's usually enough to get a sense of where the candidate's knowledge is at, does a better job of evaluating how they reason through things in real time, and better assess intangibles like creativity.
I'd like to hear about others' experiences with the take-home assignment and how they navigated the technical questions. For those with more experience in the tech space, are take-home assignments the norm?