How to test freelance programmers at the screening stage?

Question

Freelance

Sometimes there is a need to hire a freelancer to develop a project (at least 2-3 months long). To do this, I place applications on fl.ru and weblancer.net.
After receiving offers, I start screening by evaluating profiles and talking with potential employees about conditions, ambiguities in the TOR and agreeing on details. This phase requires a relatively long time for each person, which adds up to a decent volume.
Usually more than half of potential freelancers are not suitable in terms of knowledge and skills. It would be possible to save time if they immediately passed a short test (like a quick test at an interview) for 3-4 questions on the subject of the project.
Unfortunately, when I tried the "test before discussing the details" approach, the freelancers were immediately reluctant to say the least, and were also unwilling to communicate further, even if I said let's put testing aside. This is perceived as a scam.
An example of a test task that I gave and was immediately refused.
But, nevertheless, how to invite a freelancer to offer to be tested?

Answer 1

Conduct testing as a regular freelance task, for 1-2 hours. Paid. It is important to prescribe a very clear TOR so as not to discuss it for a long time.
Based on the results, offer candidates the main task.
PS Do not make a test task in the form of a questionnaire. This is an HR tool and all normal people are allergic to them. It must be real work. For example, the task to make a class with such and such a function will be much better than "what needs to be changed here to get such and such". Let's say your test task can be easily rewritten in this vein.

Answer 2

HTML-questionnaire, with answer options... It doesn't matter how the test person decides, with the help of Google or without... After all, the ability to find an answer is also a skill! You can also add a timer and find out how much time the test taker has spent...
By the way, you have to pay for the test. This is how I chose SMM specialists and translators. Here's the text for you. Take any page and translate. Or here's a topic for you, find any platform and make a post that will "screw" the topic into the context of the discussion and cause some kind of resonance. I pay for everything at my own freelancer's rates, and then I choose ... It happens, of course, that they will try for a test task, and then the level drops ... but this is many times less than looking for a freelancer without a test at all.

Answer 3

and I would pass a similar test, if I expect long-term cooperation from you, then this test for 15 minutes ... I would pass.

Answer 4

Hire a hunter who will spend time doing what you do.
Freelancing is still not an ordinary job for years, everything is changing rapidly, as an option to hire on Odessa, they are very happy for feedback and all profiles are verified.

Answer 5

An ordinary task, with a very clear and understandable TOR, as mentioned above, the deadline is 2 hours, this is important, only completed work is paid. The idea is obvious - come up with a relatively difficult task for 2 hours on the profile, the past ones - pay. The main thing is a clear explanation that everything about everything is 2 hours, and you will be paid only if you meet the deadlines and pass all the tests (tests are provided by you). It would be good practice to give the same task to all your employees, fighters on the salary should do it in 40 minutes.
The same thing that you specify as a test does not solve any problems in the selection of performers at all.

Answer 6

Perhaps my words will be off topic, but still I dare to express an idea. My subject area: Information security, or more precisely, digging into executables for the purpose of hacking, studying viruses, developing protections, etc.
We have reverse engineering with a very common practice of checking human knowledge by hacking the so-called crackme. These are applications specially written to be hacked.
In one of the offices, last year in 2013, they gave me 20 minutes at an interview to hack crackme. After 5 min. i showed them the result, the application shows the message "Serial is valid".
I mean, perhaps you should think not about a questionnaire, but about programming tasks, where you need to fix a bug, write a code (for example, the 20th number in the fibonacci series as a password). If you want a person to be able to add 2 numbers using some kind of library thread, well, write so that there is a bug. And as a result of proper work, the program shows your contacts.