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I’m sure I remember this candidate and It’s unfortunate that they felt this way after my chat with them and our team’s review of their sample code. Although my response to them via email was professional and my feedback honest, you never know how people are going to react to something they may not want to hear. In our initial chat with candidates we always focus on the person, not their skills. It is important for us to meet and chat with candidates before any technical interview so we can get to know the person. This was simply a chat to determine whether the candidate was a cultural fit – nothing technical. The second thing we do is ask for samples of code as this is the best way to get a feel for their skill level and this is the determining factor as to whether they are put forward for a technical interview. This candidate wasn’t invited to a technical interview. Once my team reviewed the code samples provided, we felt as though they weren’t of the experience level we required. My goal with the response was to be as honest as possible regarding their expectations and to keep in touch with them. It would be a massive oversight on our part not to try to make connections with every skilled person we can, no matter their technical level. Cultural fit is difficult to assess as people often feel pressured when we meet so we always take that encounter with a grain of salt. Technical capabilities are fairly straight forward to assess as code samples give us a clear indication of this. I wish I could please everyone, but that is impossible.
