Now they also tell you that it's OK if you don't finish the project.
Yeah, they always say that -- but it's never really true.
They should just be honest and say "If you don't finish the project in time -- then don't feel bad, but perhaps the test isn't right for you, at this time. Feel free to apply again in 6 months."
I've actually been through two interviews where I wasn't expected to finish the project, and I ended up getting the jobs. I think the difference there was it wasn't set up that it's "OK if you don't finish", but that "these requirements were crafted such that we don't expect you to finish".
"These requirements were crafted such that we don't expect you to finish" is exactly how we explain our coding tests to candidates, and it seems to work really well. We actually find that many candidates will spend their own time finishing the project _after_ the interview. Programmers do like a challenge, after all, and nothing says "challenge" like "we don't expect you to finish this".
I don't understand this. No company is so special that I would be throwing away hundreds of hours in pointless meaningless work every few months just to join them! Unless I'm in need of a job again.
And whats the big deal even if I join them after six months, I'd be working to maintain some code, fix bugs and may be occasionally do a big important project.
Its not like they are sending Neil Armstrong to the moon all over again that I would like to be a part of this history.
Me neither, it is like some companies like to feel special.
After being invited twice for Google interviews, I mean really invited by their HR, not me applying for them. On both occasions I failed the process with their stupid questions.
I started replying to their HR, if I am so good to be invited but on their eyes unable to devise a inode search algorithm for unlimited hard disk sizes with a specific set of hardware and search time constraints, over the phone interview, then why couldn't they just please stop inviting me!?
That was the last time I heard from them and I don't care a bit about it.
Yeah, they always say that -- but it's never really true.
They should just be honest and say "If you don't finish the project in time -- then don't feel bad, but perhaps the test isn't right for you, at this time. Feel free to apply again in 6 months."