This is too strong a statement. It's an imperfect heuristic, and it's painful for all involved (which makes negative reactions to it be over-represented in online discussions), but it's better than shuffling the deck of resumes and randomly choosing one. You ask candidates what they know about tech, and it quickly becomes obvious who's in the know and who's able to think outside the box, and who isn't. It's more of a crap shoot in terms of gauging work ethic and personality. Week-long trials are simply not feasible for most companies (or candidates, for that matter).
This is too strong a statement. It's an imperfect heuristic, and it's painful for all involved (which makes negative reactions to it be over-represented in online discussions), but it's better than shuffling the deck of resumes and randomly choosing one. You ask candidates what they know about tech, and it quickly becomes obvious who's in the know and who's able to think outside the box, and who isn't. It's more of a crap shoot in terms of gauging work ethic and personality. Week-long trials are simply not feasible for most companies (or candidates, for that matter).