* Some companies design take-home assignments that mirror challenges their team has spent years refining, setting unrealistic expectations for candidates to match or exceed that work. Talent is sometimes dismissed over minor differences, like testing styles or even coverage percent.
* Working with people is about compromise. When passionate people collaborate on a creative endeavor, there's always some back-and-forth of ideas. But in these assignments, often only the unilateral opinion of the evaluator matters. I guess being rejected from a monoculture early in the process may actually be a blessing in disguise.
* Many companies fail to provide specific, actionable feedback after candidates spend hours on assignments.
I don't mind take-home assignments, but I avoid investing excessive time in them, as it’s not sustainable and often has low ROI.