Having run this “proxy” process for years now, I can tell you it is, in fact, the most accurate indicator I have seen of software engineering capabilities. If you prefer, there are absolutely companies that don’t use the process, and they’ll hire you after a quick resume conversation. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to work there, having seen the abysmally bad talent hired through lax processes, but Godspeed if that’s where you want to work.
> the fact that a person actually had the same or similar jobs successfully over many years.
No matter how good you think you are, if you can’t pass a basic live coding exercise, you have no place on my team.
…You’re not being asked to invert a binary tree in 20 minutes with your eyes closed, you’re being asked to traverse a string and use a set. Stop whining.