No Whiteboard: Hiring Companies That Don’t Require a Coding Test

Whiteboard exams, or technical programming assessments, are among the most divisive topics in the software engineering and data science industries. With sites like Hackerrank boasting a clientele of 2500+ hiring companies that employ its interactive coding assessments, the appeal of a coding test round is an attractive option for companies to implement to ensure candidates can apply programming fundamentals in real-time.

Candidate Resistance

However, with career searches in technology being very much a candidate’s market, nearly 50% of candidates resist or outright refuse to take a programming test. With whiteboard sessions increasingly devolving into syntax quizzes and timed exams, it’s easy to understand why candidates feel hesitant or even insulted by the lack of critical thinking involved. Whiteboard interviews, like aptitude exams in conventional educational environments, tend to favor those who have the privilege of time to prepare and means to purchase preparation materials such as a college education, supplemental courses or tutoring. This, in turn, combined with other aspects of the hiring process, compounds tech’s diversity issue.

Regardless, it isn’t my intention to use this post to critique hiring methods.

Instead, I’d like to suggest a resource for those seeking companies that employ a more holistic interviewing process. Whether you’re looking for companies that require independent projects, technical discussions or mock presentations, you’ll find a comprehensive list on the Hiring without Whiteboards GitHub repository.

Alternatives to Whiteboard Tests

I stumbled upon hiring without whiteboards while trying to acquire data on hiring practices and interview methodologies; instead of focusing on the complex task of attempting to fix the hiring process for technical roles, I began reading the work of those who took the time to create an open source community for technology professionals to submit names and listings for companies that care about more than regurgitating syntax. Created by former Netflix software engineer Lauren Tan, and updated by community members, Hiring without Whiteboards offers a Glassdoor-like peek into hiring processes. A typical post lists a company name and then typical interview types, such as:

• Take-home project
• Pair-programming
• Technical interview
• Work sample review
• Real-world technical design and discussion

Tan’s No More Whiteboards provides something rarely provided during an interview process: Transparency.

Big Companies Opting Out

Although the list contains several start-ups, there are also relatively big-name companies, including:

• Axios
• DuckDuckGo
• Garmin
• GitHub
• Lyft
• Square

The repository encourages submissions and revisions. If you have any input regarding changes to any company’s interview process or to add a new name to the list, you can simply submit a pull request to the repository’s admin (presumably Tan).

It will be interesting to see how increased transparency surrounding the hiring and interview process at some large tech firms impacts the category and caliber of candidate that applies. Perhaps soon companies will begin to treat coding interviews like the SAT and ACT. They may recognize the value the tools have to assess a certain kind of candidate, but realize that being test optional or no-test could attract a different breed of applicant and, potentially, a competent and insightful future developer.

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