I would NOT recommend applying for this role based on my experience.
I was head hunted by a recruiter for this position and attended an initial interview, which went well. It was a standard discussion of my experience and their business.
I was then invited to complete a four-hour take-home coding test. While I understand the purpose of these exercises, it required a significant investment of my personal time, which I had to sacrifice from a busy schedule.
After submitting the test, I received feedback stating that I had not followed the instructions to avoid using Rails. However, I can confidently confirm that I did not use Rails, as per their instructions. Either there was a misunderstanding or my submission was not reviewed thoroughly. When I provided evidence to clarify this, I received no apology or constructive follow-up I was just they would review it again. Unfortunately, I have not heard anything since.
As someone with over a decade of experience in Ruby, I found this response disappointing. Constructive feedback on take-home tests is considered professional courtesy in our industry, even if the outcome is negative. I feel this company did not meet that standard.
While I cannot speak to the work environment, this experience has raised concerns about their professionalism and how they treat candidates. I hope this feedback encourages the company to improve its processes.