Simulation Challenge
The simulation challenge is core to our vetting strategy. There's no reason to use proxies to figure out what we really want to know: can this candidate handle the work we need to get done?
Most hiring would involve interview questions or looking at past work. It's very difficult to come up with questions that have strong predictive power, and it's also unlikely that many capable candidates will have similar work that they can openly share.
The simplest and best way to evaluate candidates is through paid challenges. The trick is to come up with a challenge that is representative of real work that you actually need done. Do not fall into the trap of creating more "advanced" challenges with the thinking that if they can do the more "advanced" work then surely, they can do anything you need them to do in the future.
Here is an example simulation challenge.
This second challenge should:
- Take 3-4 hours to complete
- Engage the skills that you require for the position
In order for the applicant to be compensated for their time working on this challenge, they need to be hired for the position. However, there are a few things to check before the contract is enabled:
- Ensure accuracy of hourly rate
- Should the candidate's rate be higher than the one you have set, but has agreed to yours, set it to reflect your agreed hourly rate.
- Reduce hours to 5
- For this challenge, it should not take longer than 5 hours. Needing extra time is not a positive sign.
Once the second challenge is completed and reviewed, no matter the quality of work, revisions/alterations should be requested. This is a further test to see how the applicant receives direction and how quickly their turnaround period is.
For convenience, we have supplied links with information on how to effectively review code challenges as well as a document containing frequently used phrases pertaining to the second challenge: