I created a tool to interview candidates through a Pull Request on Github
After a lot of iteration on our interview process, I found that a great way to evaluate how a candidate works is through something as close to our actual work as possible - a small assignment through Github.
I settled on a take-home process of sharing a private Github repo with candidates, asking them to follow the directions in the README and submit a Pull Request - just like we would in our day-to-day work. This gives me a lot of insight into what it's really like to work with that person. For example, I can learn how they communicate in a written and asynchronous manner, how they formulate their commit messages, and how they make decisions.
The downside - this process was time consuming and manual. For each candidate, I had to take the project source code, create a new project repo, invite the candidate, and keep track of all outstanding projects. So naturally, I created a tool to automate the process.
You can find the project at https://realcodeinterviews.com.
Feedback and ideas welcome! If you would also find this tool useful, I'd love to hear more.
This is great. At a previous company we momentarily used pull requests to a dummy repo very similar to our actual services in lieu of a standard skills challenge. It was refreshing for both parties involved, and we received great feedback on the approach, although it does take some time to setup.
It is much more closely related to day to day work, and respects the applicant's time by not having to bootstrap relatively straightforward code, while still allowing the candidate to showcase their experience in the field.
Highly recommend this approach.
Agreed! I have found the same with this approach. Thanks for your comment.
I like the idea, and I also had a few interviews in the past where the recruiter invited me to a private GitHub repository to implement/fix stuff.
IMHO RealCodeInterviews should take it a step further as the automation it provides doesn't solve a process that tedious:
What would be really helpful is if RealCodeInterviews could help set up the project for the candidate (installing dependencies, setting up the DB). Maybe you could plug a Replit instance automatically and provide a link in your UI.
Also, it could be great to have a way for candidates to ask questions if they get stuck.
Otherwise, I imagine they would have to email for help.
I hope this feedback can help improve your tool!
Good luck!