I interviewed for IonQ and while quantum computing sounds like bullshit the job sounded fun. But they sent me a take home coding project and I noped out immediately.
I have 15 years experience. Im not a junior dev trying to prove myself.
Why is this the standard now?
Because HR and recruiters have become even more stupid, while technology has become more complex and changes even faster.
Back in my day it all started with "Need 5 years of experience in Java" when Java was barely 2 years old.
Having a breif stint in HR, as a Prof Dev LMS admin - but being in the HR department and going to all the meetings (omg) - here are some aspects of the hiring process...
In places such as Florida where you have classifications of employees that are /except/ from certain labor laws (or follow different sets of laws) you have to have *at the ready* a list of applicable reasons and qualifications for it.
Such as, in Florida, to have an "exempt" employee - aka what many see as a normal "Salary" person, aka no OT, no hour reporting for per hr pay etc- they have to meet a variable list of things, they have to make a certain amount (when I was there is was 42k+ except teachers lulz they were 35k)- min level of edu, usually BA/BS+ and combo of degree + years exp in the job/area.
That is just one thing, usually related to labor laws. Any variation of that you have to be able to justify, THEN you have to add in another layer...usually an internal layer of justification- esp in I.T.- if you are in a place with job tiers and classifications, IT is usually 2-3 tiers above "their counterpart" equivalent in different departments - and it does not really matter what the jobs are or what they do... but the fact that you have T1 Job @ 7$ hour and T2 @ 11$, but the first "IT" job is T3 @ 15$, HR looks at it as "first level IT is > others....why?"
DevOpsMgr: "I want to hire Bob, he has been doing COBOL since 1970 and we want to pay him 250k a year for 3 years to migrate our legacy code." -
HR: 250k is a T19-21 job, so he will be a VP, Jr.Exec or something?
DevOpsMgr "Umm no...but"
HR: Well why is he getting paid that much, has he got 10 years exp being a CSuite? or Executive Admin?
DevOpsMgr "No...he has decades programming what we need"
HR: Okay, got it, I looked it up, our Senior Programmers are T16, salary range max is 185k, so I will post that and send you the link for him to apply.
DevOpsMgr "Can he make 250k?"
HR "You can request that salary when you hire him... but you will need justification"
DevOpsMgr "What type of justification?"
HR "How is he over the maximum requirements for the T16 role."
DevOpsMgr "An example?"
HR "Look at the requirements of the tier job that would have the minimum salary you are asking for."
DevOpsMgr "like decades doing the coding we need?"
HR "No, that would just be used to justify him getting the top of the tier16, it would need to be something like exp in being a VP, Executive Admin etc. to justify having the salary above his tier max"
DevOpsMgr "But we cant just post it at the higher tier?"
HR "No"
DevOpsMgr "Bob said he may do it for 185k"
HR "Great, so I will post the job!"
*crickets*
*crickets*
DevOpsMgr "Hey, I haven't seen Bob's job process though"
HR "We sent you applicants"
DevOpsMgr "I dont see bob"
HR "Oh, well he is a white male, so... you have to meet our diversity requirements, you have to interview at least 3 of the ones we sent you- then if they do not meet the needs of the job listing needs you have to let us know, we will re-review the applicant pool and give you more to look through."
DevOpsMgr *goes though the hoops* - hey HR... can you process Bobs application now?
HR "You sent in your justification letter, but we feel that Black Lady Yolanda meets the needs of the job listing, so we hired her."
DevOpsMgr "No she does not, she does not meet our needs"
HR "She meets the requirements of the T16 Programmer listing."
DevOpsMgr "I am just going to hire a H1B consultant pooman"
HR "Excellent! oh and Yolanda starts tomorrow as well!"
