I got a callback from one of the many job application (finally), had to complete a task (I didn't even get started), and I think that the requirements were pretty unreasonable?

It was an internship for a full-stack developer role. I was given two days - today is the final day, and I did not even start with the project as I was too stressed to complete the task, worrying about designing and modelling the database part, and because I have a really vague idea about system design. The skill requirements for the project are NextJS and MERN stack - which makes little sense. It said nothing about state management library, so I was also really confused about that.

Here are the requirement of the task project:

  • make use of NextJS
  • create a LinkedIn clone, without the feeds
  • must have shareable short-link profile
  • should be SEO-optimized
  • should provide API for creating and editing profile
  • should make use of good UI practices
  • explain the reasoning behind the system design decisions
  • explain the steps required to run this application
  • use of ChatGPT was allowed
  • share this on GitHub

I think that I was being fooled - that I was being made to work on a project for free, and that this test is very unreasonable and a big red-flag into the startup's WLB. Just wanted feedback on whether I was being unreasonable?

Edit: Here's what the listing says:

Are you a passionate Full Stack Development intern looking for an exhilarating opportunity? Look no further! <company-name>, an innovative company, is seeking a talented intern with expertise in Node.js, JavaScript, ReactJS, HTML, CSS, MongoDB, and Next.js. Join our fast-paced team and gain invaluable experience in a dynamic work environment.

Selected intern's day-to-day responsibilities include:

  • Collaborate with the development team to design and implement user-friendly web applications using cutting-edge technologies
  • Develop and maintain scalable backend systems using Node.js and MongoDB to ensure efficient data management and retrieval
  • Create visually stunning and responsive frontend interfaces utilizing ReactJS, HTML, and CSS to deliver an exceptional user experience
  • Conduct thorough testing and debugging to ensure optimum performance and seamless functionality across different platforms
  • Assist in optimizing website performance by analyzing and refining code, and implementing best practices
  • Contribute to the development of RESTful APIs, integrating with third-party services to enhance application capabilities
  • Stay updated with the latest industry trends and emerging technologies, sharing insights and participating in team discussions to drive innovation

If you have a hunger for knowledge, a strong work ethic, and a desire to make a meaningful impact, apply now to become a part of the <company-name> team. Ready to revolutionize the world of web development? We can't wait to meet you!

Septimaeus ,

Having built similar applications, with my own boilerplate at the ready, I would budget at least 5 hours for this sort of mockup and would only accept a 2 day turnaround with a premium and full payment in advance.

For a junior with oversight from an experienced mentor I would budget at least 3 days with a turnaround of no less than a week.

For a junior with no guidance, I wouldn’t expect completion of this project at all.

Ignore this client. Even if they’re serious, they are clearly ready to undervalue your work in an extreme way.

Daxtron2 ,

I personally don't even apply for jobs that do BS like this. My current job had 2 zoom interviews with Dev teams and that's it. Best job I've had so far and I just got a 32% raise w/ my promotion after less than 2 years

WaterLizard ,
@WaterLizard@beehaw.org avatar

Many others have mentioned an internship is meant for you to learn, but the job posting reads as if you already need years of experience. If you haven't done so already, report the posting as fraudulent if you're able too. This is flat-out farming for free work by taking advantage of students. See if your college/university has a career center or any resources connecting with companies that recruit from your school. Those connections would be more reliable than shady startups.

Any interview process that asks for this level of work from a take hone project is a redflag for abuse. It tells me they will literally do any incredulous thing just to keep costs low.

plz1 ,

Lol, asking for literally months of work as a job interview. GTFO with that.

Quasari ,

Might be much for an internship, but they aren't asking for months of work.

When they ask for LinkedIn clone without feeds, it's pretty clear they just mean the ability to create, edit, and share a profile. They basically say as much in further bullet points. That's straight up CRUD(minus delete). This is pretty much backed up by them wanting NextJS and MongoDB.

The next key requirement that sounds like it would take a lot of time is the SEO part of it. That doesn't make sense at first glance, but since they specify that one must use NextJS, it becomes more clear what they meant. NextJS offers feature specific for SEO score like SSR and component streaming. So they want them to implement something regarding that.

The rest are just what you should do with any take home, follow best practices and provide a readme detailing why you made what decisions. If you chose something over another option mention it because that tells whoever looking at it that you at least thought of it.

Overall, may be too much for an intern, but they probably don't expect them to finish it. Just list what they would do to complete it in the readme and leave it at that.

AlecSadler ,

Even if you're right, I would never work for a company demanding this much for merely the interview process. Especially at the junior level. It speaks to their [shitty] culture, which sounds like it is absolute garbage.

csm10495 ,
@csm10495@sh.itjust.works avatar

It's one thing to ask for a high level design graph.. asking for a functioning.. this.. is nuts. They're using you.

notfromhere ,

That is the type of work of a full stack developer as far as I know. Is it a paid internship? Is this the type of projects the job listing indicated you would be doing, or is this the bare minimum level of experience they are looking for? Two days to build a LinkedIn clone seems daunting but could be done and may make sense IF the internship is for more complex things (and paid IMO).

Ensign_Seitler ,

An internship is a role where a person learns how to do this. (And someone who knows how to do this knows it’s orders of magnitude more involved than the two days you were given — two months is a more realistic timeframe.)

Here’s a personal experience of mine, so you have more to compare this with:

When interviewing for a developer position (not an internship), I was once given a take-home programming task to complete over 2-3 days: basically a small, self-contained web app that they had made intentionally buggy and poorly-composed in various ways. I was tasked with identifying & fixing the problems, then providing a write-up of why I changed what I changed. (The package was different enough from their specialty that it was pretty obvious I wasn’t doing their work for them. I confirmed after being hired that this same task was given to all applicants.)

Again, that was for hiring a developer. The whole point of an internship is that you’re being taught and trained on the job.

If you’re already able to build what those people asked of you, then you’re overqualified for the role.

notfromhere ,

An internship is where someone learns something. Perhaps this internship is for more complex things and what they’re asking is for a bare minimum experience of a hard thing already. I’m not saying it is, but OP didn’t tell us much about the listing itself, just the requirements of the interview task.

velox_vulnus OP ,
@velox_vulnus@lemmy.ml avatar

I've updated the post - you can read the entire job listing.

xmunk ,

It's a fucking ridiculous ask for free work. If a role I was applying for asked for that I'd require a few in person interviews first and an agreed on contracting rate for my time - probably with an advance.

If your "test" takes more than two hours for a reasonable person it's just an effort to get free work.

notfromhere ,

Given OP’s additional context of the listing, I have to agree. Not sure the downvotes were called for by my not immediately jumping to conclusions about the intent. This place definitely has similarities to the other place, maybe it’s just human nature to jump on differing opinions.

pixxelkick , (edited )

I'd maybe email them and state that for a project, a requirements document is step one, so to do the project rather than a subtractive list of what not to include, a list of what features are to be included is step one.

It's possible the person seriously doesn't know how many features LinkedIn has, and all they want is just profiles, and private messages?

Its possible once they start listing features to you they themselves will realize what they asked was unreasonable and they'll give you something very simple, like all it has to have is sign up, login, and profile pages.

There's a small part of me that wonders if it's a test of some kind. To see how you react to absurd demands. Do you just make something shitty and pretend it's done? Do you reach out got clarification? Can you communicate very clearly, in business terms, why this project would take a full team of devs easily a year and a half to two years to make?

I'd approach it that way and ask to meet and discuss, and I'd say we'd have to work put a requirements document first and foremost.

520 ,

create a LinkedIn clone, without the feeds

Wut?!

should be SEO-optimized

The fuck does that even mean in terms of a social media app, where the content is 100% user generated?

should provide API for creating and editing profile

The fuck?

explain the reasoning behind the system design decisions

Considering the complexity of the task that explanation would need to be the length of the bible.

Yeah, no. I'd want a six figure sum upfront for that level of work.

The task wasn't 'pretty unreasonable', it was outright fucking insane, and was probably set by a manager who should never be in charge of a software project. They might as well have asked you to build a Windows clone from scratch.

agent_flounder , (edited )
@agent_flounder@lemmy.world avatar

Lmao That's fucking insane.

They want you to build them their cash cow linked in competitor for free and without ever hiring you. Some dipshit manager figures they can glom together a bunch of the answers and have a working website lol.

I'm just a hobbyist. What do I know. But it would take me a few months to do this, easily. And it would be a pale, buggy, shitty vague approximation of LinkedIn at best ...Wtaf

PS: if they were smart (but evil) they would've decomposed the problem and had each candidate work on a small part of it and then integrated it lol

deo ,

One of the other applicants has to make a LinkedIn clone, but just the feeds lol

ericjmorey Mod ,
@ericjmorey@programming.dev avatar

Tell them that you'll be happy to do that for a substantial fee.

Rentlar ,

Since Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion wouldn't it be reasonable to ask for $2 billion dollars? It's actually a hefty discount because the "feeds" are taken out, right?

ericjmorey Mod ,
@ericjmorey@programming.dev avatar

We can negotiate the on the final number.

Orbituary ,
@Orbituary@lemmy.world avatar

As a manager of a security team at a tech firm, that's idiotic and you were tasked with something difficult. Vocalize your issues, show them your efforts, and ask for guidance.

If you don't get help, start looking. It'll be a hassle, but but you'll be better off.

Ledivin ,

I don't think they're trying to get free work out of you - I can't see how the end result would be useful to them, really.

That being said, the project is absolutely unreasonable. If you had more time, that's kind of just a "fuck you" to you schedule and life, and this short is impossible to make any real progress on.

shininghero ,

I barely touch any code beyond some excel automation macros, PowerBI queries, and mostly ProtoFlux for Resonite. But even I can tell, this isn't merely unreasonable...

This is flat out absurd.

I would have called them back ASAP and told them they accidentally sent me a long term internal project.

FMT99 ,

create a LinkedIn clone, without the feeds

Stopped reading there because that's absolute insanity to ask as an 'application test', no matter what your level is. If they ask you for more than a few short programming challenges it's a scam. I like to provide a bit of unoptimized code and ask the applicant to refactor it, added bonus: I learned a trick or two from some of our applicants.

My rule of thumb: if it takes me more than an hour to complete their tests, they should be paying me.

BolexForSoup ,
@BolexForSoup@kbin.social avatar

I was applying to do video editing for a consulting firm and the test they wanted me to do was absolutely absurd. Graphic design work, animation, photoshop, all independent of an actual 60 second video edit. The job also expected the candidate to handle producing and editing their in-house weekly podcast.

I had like 48 hours to do the video edit, animations, and photo edits. I just turned in the video edit (showing I can do photoshop as well in it) and said “graphic animation is well outside the scope of an already broad job. If that is a requirement, then you should probably look for another candidate.“ I did not get a call back, and honestly? I can’t imagine they found it easy to find somebody who is an experienced video editor, camera operator, audio producer, photo editor, and animator, all in one package, who is willing to do all of those things as one person. That’s just too much, especially for the salary they were expecting to provide. Basically a “full stack” artist lmao

I would like to take this time to point out that I am a professional shooter and editor, both for video and audio production, with over a decade of experience on commercials, Hollywood sets, live national productions, and more. I can also write (I believe to be) quality copy. I feel like I bring plenty to the table to warrant a hire like that lol

onlinepersona ,

I thought it was going to be something like creating a profile page with a bit of reactiveness. But there's no way this is 2 days of work for an intern with little to no experience. Every bullet point after that made it crazier.

Fuck people like this

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