Technical interviews do not predict job performance. We have known this for years. Study after study shows that whiteboard coding, algorithm puzzles, and system design interrogations have almost no correlation with how well someone actually does the job.
We keep doing them anyway. Why?
Because we went through them. We suffered. We ground LeetCode for months. We memorised sorting algorithms we have never used professionally. We practiced answering questions about designing Twitter’s backend despite never working at that scale. We did the hazing, and now it is our turn to haze.
When hiring front-end developers, there are many ways to evaluate candidates’ skills and abilities. However, some assessment methods can be exclusionary, while others may not accurately reflect the type of work the candidate will do.
In this article, we’ll explore some efficient ways to test front-end developer hires without relying on coding puzzles and algorithms and how to be mindful of inclusivity.
I come from a self-taught background, a time when self-taught invited increased scrutiny because being self-taught in the early to mid-00s wasn’t as common as it is now. We have numerous online courses, boot camps and other resources. When I learned to code, these thick phonebook-like books that came with one or more CD-ROM discs with software and code examples were how many learned.