Here's a radical idea (read to the end before you object). The inspiration is a blend of how open source projects recruit developers, and how the 20% Google side-projects used to work.
I work for company A, I'm starting to get slightly bored or interested in doing something else. Without quitting my job, I contribute a few days of code to company B, whose project I find interesting. As I contribute more to company B, I eventually quit company A and join company B full-time.
Benefits of this approach: no interviews. Know what you are getting into. Try different things and what works for you.
How can we make this work: legal framework. California, if you are listening, pass a law that prevents companies from exclusive work arrangements, so I can always do a side-gig with company B even if they are competitors. Have company B compensate me, so we don't end up in a situation where company B is abusing job seekers by getting free work done. Maybe a law could say that I'm safe as long as my work for company B while employed by company A doesn't exceed 5% of my salary or so.
1. This process is probably going to bias your hiring pool towards young and single people that are willing to either work weekends or use vacation time to go work on a part time job
2. Forcing a company to let an employee work for a competitor opens up a whole new can of worms. This seems game-able in the same way that the Washington DC revolving door is e.g. Uber hires a Tesla autopilot engineer at the cap of 5% of his salary, and after a few years of "contributions" which are totally not industrial espionage they bring him on full-time with an eleventy million dollar signing bonus.
My partner works for a big accounting firm and when a member of staff wants to leave their people-manager, will if they wish, actively help them find a secondment to another firm (not a competitor).
People sometimes want to leave a job and it's in everyones interest for that process to be smooth and pleasant. The leaver has a good final impression of the firm so they recomend it in the future to potential clients or employees, they get support in finding and trialing a new job, and the company to whihc they are seconded gets a low risk trial of a new memeber of staff.
It just seems so grown up compared to the ineffectual thrashing about of tech recruiting.
Hmm, legal framework, maybe... but maybe with some small tweaks the legal framework wouldn't need much changed...
If you become a contractor rather than a full time employee, the only thing you're missing is benefits/retirement probably, in addition to longer term commitments from an organization (maybe - these days there are no real guarantees).
If you can get benefits/retirement through some other kind of government program or join an independent group that forms together (I remember there was a YC company that was doing this) to pay for group benefits - then why not just go the contractor route?
This is relatively close to my dream hiring process, except I'd shortcut it. Instead of working 1 day a week because you're bored, just take a week off. Come work at my company for a week. If we like you, we'll hire you.
However, the legal issues sound like a nightmare. Additionally, in the US many people's benefits are tied to their job, so if they needed to, for example, take unpaid leave to do this "test drive" that would also cause complications.
Wouldn't most companies who are in the shoes of company A in this example, find some excuse to lay off the employee in question when the person applies for this arrangement?
Or do you mean the employee would do this in secret from company A? If so, like the other commenter said, that excludes anyone who can't put in weekend work time.
1000x this! Seems like win win for both sides. Kind of reminds me of universities that let you take a course or two to then allow you to continue in the degree program . For some reason I can’t think of any university that actually does that. Is it possible that hiring and university admission suffer the same affliction?
...as long as your employer doesn't think it competes with their business. If it does (even if it competes with a part of the business that has nothing to do with your work or that you don't even know about) things can get messy
I work for company A, I'm starting to get slightly bored or interested in doing something else. Without quitting my job, I contribute a few days of code to company B, whose project I find interesting. As I contribute more to company B, I eventually quit company A and join company B full-time.
Benefits of this approach: no interviews. Know what you are getting into. Try different things and what works for you.
How can we make this work: legal framework. California, if you are listening, pass a law that prevents companies from exclusive work arrangements, so I can always do a side-gig with company B even if they are competitors. Have company B compensate me, so we don't end up in a situation where company B is abusing job seekers by getting free work done. Maybe a law could say that I'm safe as long as my work for company B while employed by company A doesn't exceed 5% of my salary or so.
Would that work?