I'm much, much more willing to do a 15-minute programming test, or even a 60-minute one, than to give a potentially malicious company access to my network. References are for the last stages of the hiring process, once I know I can more or less trust the company.
And from my limited experience on the hiring side, while a trusted referral is worth much more than a programming test, a good report from a potentially adversarially chosen reference is worth much, much less. It's much easier for an unscrupulous person to find a friend who's willing to inflate their achievements on the phone than to provide on-the-spot solutions to programming problems they lack the skill to solve themselves.
> It's much easier for an unscrupulous person to find a friend who's willing to inflate their achievements on the phone than to provide on-the-spot solutions to programming problems they lack the skill to solve themselves.
A good hiring manager will be able to sniff that out rather quickly. Following up on references doesn't mean calling it a day after one random phone call either.
Ha! But in all fairness, multiple references, with references coming from verified previous employers. A quick phone call to the candidates prior employers to verify employment/listed reference will flush things out quickly. Also, most people are terrible liars when pressed ... even on the phone. It does require effort by the hiring manager though.
And from my limited experience on the hiring side, while a trusted referral is worth much more than a programming test, a good report from a potentially adversarially chosen reference is worth much, much less. It's much easier for an unscrupulous person to find a friend who's willing to inflate their achievements on the phone than to provide on-the-spot solutions to programming problems they lack the skill to solve themselves.