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The Last Technical Interview

The Last Technical Interview

Tech Steve Yegge
Silicon Valley companies are increasingly replacing traditional technical interviews with paid, multi-day work trials on real codebases with the actual team.
What: A new trend in Silicon Valley hiring involves companies paying candidates to work for a few days on real codebases with their potential team. This "interview" method provides strong signals for both the company and the candidate, offering a more realistic assessment than traditional interviews.
Why it matters: This shift reflects an industry-wide effort to reduce the high cost and low signal-to-noise ratio of conventional technical interviews, aiming for more accurate hiring decisions by observing candidates in an authentic work environment.
Takeaway: If you're interviewing in tech, especially at startups or innovative companies, be prepared for potential requests to participate in short-term, paid work trials as part of the hiring process.
Original article

Interviewing has always been costly for both the company and the candidate. A new type of interviewing is starting to emerge in Silicon Valley. Companies are hiring potential candidates to work with them for a few days with real pay, on real codebases, with the real team. This type of interview provides a strong signal to the company, and it also provides real value to the candidates.

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