Tech Hiring Is Broken (And You Know It)

This post might ruffle some feathers. Good. They need ruffling.

I’ve avoided writing this for a while. Not because I didn’t have something to say—believe me, I do—but because I worried it might hurt my chances of landing future roles.

But you know what? I’ve been in this industry for over 12 years. I’ve interviewed, hired, mentored, and led teams. I’ve lived this process from every angle.

And I’m done staying quiet.
Tech hiring is broken.

We all know it. Most of us have experienced it. Some of us are in positions to change it—and far too many stay silent.

So here it is. In no particular order, the parts of tech hiring that make me want to flip a conference table.

📝 Applications: Why Am I Uploading My Resume and Typing It Again?

You know the drill:
Upload your resume. Then manually fill out a 12-step form asking for everything on that resume.

Why? Who is this helping?

Even worse? These forms are usually glitchy nightmares. Horrible scrolling, broken validation, font sizes from 1997. I’m convinced some devs are sabotaging these forms as an act of rebellion. If true, I salute you.

If we’re going to demand candidates jump through hoops, maybe we should ask recruiters to fill out forms after every conversation too. Just for symmetry.

💻 Take-Home Projects: So You Want 20 Hours of Free Labor?

For junior devs? Fine. Show me something.

For folks with years of experience? You think they kept that job without knowing how to code?

If you must give an assignment, keep it short. Two to four hours. Max. Anything more, and I’m sending you my hourly rate and a contract.

Don't pretend it’s “just a quick challenge” when it’s actually a weekend of unpaid work.

✍️ Whiteboard Coding: A Dry-Erase Dystopia

Syntax-checking my whiteboard code? Really?

Whiteboards should be about how someone thinks, not whether they remembered the exact syntax for a sorting algorithm they haven’t touched since bootcamp.

And speaking of sorting algorithms…

If your candidate writes a custom sort function during the interview, and your first PR comment when they’re hired is “Hey, don’t reinvent the wheel—just use .sort()”… congrats. You’ve exposed your process as pure hypocrisy.

⏱ The Interview Gauntlet: Why Is This a Side Hustle?

Step 1: 30-minute recruiter call
Step 2: 1-hour hiring manager screen
Step 3: 2 full days of back-to-back interviews
Step 4: 20-hour take-home assignment
Step 5: Wait three weeks for feedback

Are you hiring an engineer or onboarding a cult member?

Candidates have jobs. Families. Lives. If your process requires 30+ hours, you’ve already failed. I’ve hired over 20 devs in the past two years with a 2–3 hour process—on the same day. Nearly all are still with us and thriving.

If I can do it, you can too. Don’t hide behind “company policy.” Push back. Use your voice. Make it better.

🧊 Ghosting: The Fastest Way to Kill Your Reputation

Recruiters who no-show initial calls with no explanation.
Weeks of silence after final interviews.
Total vanishing acts after asking for availability and excitement.

This is not okay.

Even if you don’t have an update—tell me that.
A two-line email saying “Still waiting on feedback, I haven’t forgotten you” buys trust. Silence kills it.

I used to be patient. Now? If you ghost me once, you’re done.
If you can’t respect my time, I want nothing to do with you or your company.

And yes, this happens far more with agency recruiters than internal ones. It’s a pattern.

🧠 Final Thought: We Have the Power. So Use It.

If you’re in a leadership role in tech—you have influence.

You know this process is broken.
You’ve been through it.
So why not fix it for the next generation?

Speak up. Push back. Refuse to keep playing along with outdated, toxic, and disrespectful hiring practices.

I always try to leave things better than I found them.
Will you?

Or will you sit quietly and hope someone else fixes it for you?

✊ mullins.io
Not here to play along. Here to fix the system. One rant at a time.