Advice on getting a job as a software engineer without a technical interview? Literally 100% of the dozens of interviews I've had in my life were coding interviews.
Have projects available online that showcase your ability/ingenuity/creativity. Just reject the technical interview and explain your reasoning, offer an alternative.
Works for me because I don’t want to work anywhere where interviews aren’t being conducted by people competent enough to handle fluid requirements.
I don't see how asking a potential software engineer to write a 30 line function in 30 minutes is bad. Being able to write code is part of the job description.
I don’t need to “prove” that I can write code by memorizing an algorithm. I have made more than enough code available on my GitHub which I’d be happy to explain in depth with anyone who is interested. Not interested? Great, you’ve made it easier for me to make my decision.
Depending on what those 30 lines are supposed to do and whether they have to be asymptotically optimal at doing it, writing down 30 lines of code while talking about every decision you’re making, to show the “thought process” might very well be more than a 30 minute task.
I didn't mean to imply that this is the only way, just that it's a way that has worked for me.
I've worked with embedded systems and with desktop software that was used by my employers (electronics manufacturers) rather than sold by them, and I have never been asked to code in an interview.
My best friend was given a PIP from his manager. Company wanted him out for political reasons, told him he had to sign, except all of the reasons in the PIP were fabricated.
He stapled a page to the back before turning it in saying that he disagrees, but is required to sign, and thus wishes to comply with the requirement to sign.
They fired him immediately for refusing to remove the extra page, tried to deny him unemployment benefits saying that he chose to quit by not signing. The case went to unemployment court and he won. He got all his benefits, company had to pay a huge fine.
Professional improvement plan. Basically when a large company wants to fire you they often put you on a PIP first which specifies areas where you are underperforming and metrics for improvement and a timeframe where you have to demonstrate improvement. In practice it’s often just the first step in the firing process to cover HR and document everything.
So if the friend took issue with the claims being made in the PIP about underperformance, it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to sign it as-is.
It's mostly so they can later say that you were fired "for cause" so they can e.g. fight unemployment compensation. It's also a legal defense to a claim of unfair dismissal.
