June 8, 2017

“How can you convince a potential client that coding tests are not the best way to evaluate you?”

Reader Louis Lesage writes in to ask:

How can you convince a potential client that coding tests are not the best way to evaluate you?

Short answer:

Don’t bother.

Long answer:

If you are new to software development, it’s common to be seen as a pair of hands by a certain class of prospects. In that case, it’s not totally unreasonable for a prospect to ask you to take a coding test.

However, these are probably not the type of prospects you should be working with (unless you’re desperate for the money, but that’s a different conversation).

Even a freshly minted developer can deliver valuable business outcomes to the right kind of client. If someone is asking you to take a coding test, they’re not the right kind of client.

If you can afford to, politely decline the opportunity and go back to identifying and attracting ideal clients for your area of interest.

Thanks for asking, LL!

Yours,

—J

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