chatGPT ruining job interview take home assignments?
ChatGPT, or Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a state-of-the-art natural language processing tool developed by OpenAI. It can generate human-like text and code, making it a helpful tool for various applications. However, its potential use in job interviews has raised some concerns.
There are two ways job interviews happen:
- live skill tests
- take-home assignments.
Live skill tests, also known as technical interviews, force candidates to solve coding problems on the spot, often with a whiteboard or online code editor. At the same time, take-home assignments are tasks we want the candidate to solve within a given timeframe to showcase their skills closer to real work. These assignments are usually more complex and require more time to complete, as they aim to assess the candidate’s skills and understanding of the technologies being used.
However, with the advent of tools like ChatGPT, it is now possible for candidates to generate code and make minor tweaks without fully understanding what they are doing. The take-home assignment was meant to test a candidate’s skills and understanding, and it may not be effective in identifying those who are merely using ChatGPT to generate code. Another trick we would do is narrow the take-home task to 8 hours to assess the developer’s speed of development, and this trick becomes less effective with ChatGPT.
If a take-home assignment is too simple, it becomes easy for a candidate to fake their skills and potentially be hired as a developer without actually having the necessary knowledge and expertise. This can be detrimental to a company, as they may end up paying for a developer who needs to deliver high-quality work.
So, what can be done to ensure that take-home assignments effectively identify suitable candidates? One solution is to conduct live coding sessions during the interview process without using Google or other resources, and it is possible to assess their problem-solving skills and understanding of the technologies being used. After passing the live coding session, give the candidate a broken project and have them fix it in an 8-hour session. This also ensures that a friend or colleague cannot help the candidate code the solution, as the time frame is too short and not something easy to google every issue.
Another solution is to use more complex take-home assignments that require a deeper understanding of the technologies being used. This may involve asking the candidate to build a project from scratch or to complete a series of tasks that require them to demonstrate their skills and knowledge.
In conclusion, while tools like ChatGPT have the potential to revolutionize the way we work and communicate, their use in job interviews raises some concerns. Using live coding sessions or more complex take-home assignments ensures that candidates are being properly assessed for their skills and understanding of the technologies being used. This can help companies hire the best developers rather than paying for those who are merely faking their skills.
If you’re interested in learning more about hiring or building your tech product, check out https://techwithryanwong.com for helpful tips and resources. Additionally, Manaknightdigital (https://manaknightdigital.com) is a software development company that produces tech solutions for startups and SMB clients. We also offer global recruitment services and conduct 100 technical interviews per week. Don’t hesitate to contact us for any of your tech needs!