I received an email from a recruiter at Discord stating they would like to touch base on my application. During the subsequent phone call, the recruiter inquired about my background and career history before providing more details about the position. When entering this type of phone call, it's generally understood that you are moving forward in the application process; it serves as a formality to confirm the authenticity and accuracy of your application and resume.

I was then scheduled for a skills assessment interview. During this interview, two engineers sent me a link detailing my task and offered guidance along the way. This was a multi-part assessment focused on getting a WebSocket-based program running, enabling multiple users to chat simultaneously.

I did not perform well on the assessment, primarily because the documentation provided was severely confusing and limited. For instance, the documentation failed to mention that multiple WebSocket connections can occur, which is fundamental to the software's intended purpose.

Consequently, I did not progress past the first stage of the assessment and was soon informed I would not be moving forward in the process.

While I understand Discord is vetting engineers, using vague and lacking software is problematic. People typically apply to positions when the job description suggests they are qualified. Unless a job description explicitly outlines duties involving the maintenance of a TCP WebSocket service, it should not be used as a vetting tool.

An engineer might excel at building TCP WebSocket services but be ill-suited for the actual role, or conversely, an engineer might be highly competent in the role described (as was my case) but struggle with maintaining TCP WebSocket services.

It benefits no one to use an assessment that is not relevant to the actual position. If a biologist is applying for a biologist role, they should not be given an exam for a geologist. Similarly, if a pastry chef is applying for a pastry chef role, they should not be asked to perform an exam for a butcher.

Using Telnet or NetCat, create a chat server that allows multiple clients to connect and send messages to one another.