[RubenSandwich]

In other industries their past experience is also believed, rather then tested by random facts. I’ve had an interviewer ask me how to change Swift method names when exposing them to Objective C and then take that as an indicator of my whole iOS skill set.

[shados]

Most fields where experience is "believed" fall in one of a couple of categories:

1) Extremely regulated fields with strict education, training and certification requirements (eg: a physician)

2) Fields where you have to show something. Designers frequently need to have extensive portfolios. Carpenters need both that and real world referrals of happy customers (not just nearly automated HR checks we have in software dev where no one will say anything bad out of fear of getting sued)

3) Trial period followed by sink or swim. Come work for us and if it doesn't work out we'll demote you or fire you. There's a few places like that (I think its Netflix's model?), but generally firing someone has everyone around calling foul.

[colmvp]

The trial period is not without its flaws but I’ve always preferred that over take home tests and puzzles because it gives both parties time to truly assess one another. I’ve done it twice in my career and I appreciated getting paid like a contractor and giving more time to understand whether or not I really fit at the company I was joining. Likewise, the company’s weren’t 100% assured that I was good but I was able to prove my value both times.

[cr0sh]

> Fields where you have to show something

We could have this for our field - and to a certain extent we already do, at least via a github repo. Only problem is, nobody seems to look at them.

People have mentioned that SWEs should have a portfolio - but I've never worked for a company they let me take home code and put it in my portfolio. For web development, I may or may not be able to point to a specific site and show someone "see this here, I developed this part" - and even if I could, how would I prove it? Most of the time, it doesn't matter - as that code/feature/website is likely gone or changed by that time.

So you only have a couple of options to develop a portfolio, and those options only work for some people, not all: Either contribute to an open source project, or work on your own side-projects, putting them all up on github or similar repository you can reference.

But not everyone has the time or inclination to do this.

[walshemj]

As the USA is at will don't you effectively have a probation period.